Creating Garden Focal Points

To please the eye, every open space needs its focal point Unless there is something relatively strong to catch
the attention in the garden, the view, however well planted or laid out, can become directionless or dull. Focal points can take many forms and need not, in themselves, be particularly dominant, as long as they have
enough presence to bind the rest of the design together.

Something to Look At

In a natural landscape, the focal point of a view may be something as simple as a tree on a skyline, a fold in the cliffs or a church nestling in a dip in the hills. Such features help to stop the eye from searching aimlessly and draw it to repose; well placed they can transform a scene from the humdrum to the beautiful. Photographers and landscape illustrators choose focal points when they compose their pictures, and for gardeners the same rules apply.

A focal point may be something as basic as a door, a path or a pillar festooned with a climbing plant, or it could be a tree with a distinctive outline or a large rock, existing focal points To understand focal points better, imagine a back garden dominated by a mature tree. Whatever design improvements are planned, the tree should always be at the centre of things, a main focal point. There are ways in which you could make the tree more pleasing. You could thin out the canopy to improve its shape and allow a clearer view through. You might grow a clematis or rambling rose up through the branches, or hang a nicely crafted swing from one of its boughs.

Another very simple focal point is the front door. By planting honeysuckle or other climbers to arch over the top, you are not only framing that focal point and softening the architecture, but you are also adding character, fragrance and color.

Adding paired pots, filled with aromatic plants, on either side of the entrance, will heighten the impact, but don't make the scene too fussy; err on the side of simplicity.

Placing is Important

Choose where to introduce a focal point with care. If you have a long straight path leading to the bottom of your garden, what is in view at the end of it? If the backdrop is featureless, place a big vase, a little seat or a raised pot of pelargoniums against the boundary, and the path instantly becomes an enticing vista with a distinct end point.

Using Arches and Arbors

Arches and arbors are, themselves, potential focal points, but if used to frame other objects, they help to draw attention to them. An arch over a statue immediately doubles the impact of the sculpture by creating a niche. An arbor always beckons and, if placed at the end of a pathway or vista, provides a perfect focal point in itself.

Exits and Entrances

Transition points in a garden can be transformed into a focal point. A simple wicket gate or just a narrow gap in a hedge or fence can be developed into a feature by constructing an arch over the top. Or you can arrange the planting to lead one's eye towards a tempting entrance that promises a new vista on the other side. Mirrors and trompe l'oeil often use this sense of promise to create an impression of additional space in a garden when, in fact, they terminate a vista. design dynamics

A garden design that works well is not static but suggests plenty of movement This does not mean having features that physically move, although waving grasses and flowing water certainly help to bring things to life. 'Movement' in design refers to the dynamics of the layout itself.

Arranging sight lines with care, and carefully placing eye-catching plants or objects in particular positions will entice you to explore and discover a hidden seat or view. Focal points are all part of the intriguing game you can play.

A visitor to a well-designed small garden might think at first glance that it is all visible at once. But if the primary view is channeled down a narrow vista, you can create surprises along its length. Well-placed seats, for example, might tempt you to rest and, as you sit, you enjoy a new scene you might otherwise have missed.