You may like your garden to be a calm space. We share advice on how to make all of part of your garden a place to relax.
- Spending time in the garden help to reduce stress and lift our mood
- Creating calming spaces can involve caring for plants, engaging our nurturing instincts
- The chance to have a positive impact on others who visit our garden
Two wooden chairs in a garden
Our gardens are personal to us and can fulfil different roles in our lives. Many people enjoy a garden that, in part, is a place to relax and escape every day stresses.
Creating a calming and relaxing garden doesn't necessarily mean designing the whole of it with this in mind. You could, if space allows, have an area with calming elements to spend time in whenever you feel the need.
Before you make any changes to your garden, think about what is there already. There may be plants, features and structures you want to keep. Trees may have preservation orders and our gardens may border other spaces. Careful planning is always a good idea before getting going.
A path leading to a metal ball sculpture
There isn't one correct way to create a calm and relaxing garden. It's always essential to think about what is calming and relaxing for you personally.
Here are some key elements to think about.
1. Structure
Sometimes the way your garden is laid out can make it more or less calming. Curved lines are often considered more relaxing to look at. If you have straight flower beds and borders, you could change them to curving ones.
To create curved borders, you can first lay down a length of heavy rope in the desired shape. You can use this as your digging guide.
Another simple way to soften sharp edges is to add pots or containers in any corners. If your borders or patios have right angles, a well-placed pot will soon disguise them.
Height is important in structure. Different heights of plants create vertical structure. You can use tall plants to help block out your surroundings, creating a cocoon. Hedging plants, bamboo and dogwood are all examples of plants that can provide screening.
2. Colour
Cornflowers in a garden. Photo credit - Yoksel Zok, Unsplash
Colours can make a space feel calm. Generally, greens, blues and pastel shades are seen as calming or passive colours. Reds and yellows are typically thought of as stimulating.
Many things, including culture, can affect how different colours make you feel. Think about the colours that feel more calming to you.
3. Sound and movement
A drop splashing in a water fountain
Many people find the sight and sound of water calming. In a garden, a naturalised water feature may be more calming than a sculpted or metallic one. If you love the reflective nature of metal, however, you may want to include this.
The movement of plants can be calming. Plants including ornamental grasses, sedges, climbing plants or big leaved plants can be good for gentle movement.
4. Scent
Like colour, scent can be considered stimulating or calming, depending on your personal preference.
Plants including honeysuckle, wisteria, roses, herbs and lavender all have distinctive scents. If you feel relaxed by any of these, they may be ideal for your calming garden.
Read more in our guide to creating a scented garden.
I like the tranquility of the garden more than the practical side, like nature and birds.
Franky, gardener
5. Removing or changing what you don't like
To create a calm garden or space, there may be things you want to remove or fix around the garden.
If you have allergies to certain plants, for example ones with a lot of pollen, you may prefer to swap them.
Or it could be that other issues need fixing - like oiling the squeaky shed door, or mending a broken fence.
Alongside the features within your calm garden, think about how you can comfortably enjoy it.
Seating is often crucial to the calming garden experience. Having a place to sit where you can view your calming plants and features gives you a way to spend more time there, allowing you to relax and recover from stress.
You may want to try full sensory enjoyment of your calming space. Observe, touch, listen and enjoy the scents around you. This can help gain the improved sense of wellbeing that our gardens can offer.
Related content
Planning a sensory garden
Sensory gardens include features, objects and plants that appeal to our senses. They can be calming or stimulating, with a range of potential wellbeing benefits.
