Hortus Oasis - Creative landscape design, photography and educational services.

Whether you are planning on designing your own garden or hiring a professional, you will find these tips useful. We created this birdbath water feature outside the bedroom window of our first house 'The Oasis'. The sound of trickling water relaxed us at bedtime and during the day birds lined up in the crape myrtle trees to take a bath. Now at 'Hortus Oasis', the same birdbath resides in a glorious setting outside our bedroom window.

Visit Houzz Click Here and create an ideabook or do slice n' dice and collect magazine photographs of gardens, plants and ornaments you like. Review them frequently and refine them to cultivate the style of garden you like best.
Use an enlarged scaled (1/4" or 1/8") copy of your property survey as a base for your garden design.
Test your soil for pH and its nutritional analysis before you plant.
Create a special focal point by planting perennials, annuals or succulents in large containers.
Remember, your garden may also be viewed at night from inside the house. Landscape lighting can add drama and depth.
Create mystery in the garden by adding a winding path so the final destination is hidden.
Reward garden visitors with a bench to sit on. It can double as a destination and focal point.
Place stepping stones in a zigzag pattern to match your stride.
Water is an element that is often overlooked when designing a garden but never overlooked when used in the garden.