Botanical Garden Design Secrets You Can Use at Home | New Jersey Botanical Garden at Skylands

At this time of year it is so easy to become completely consumed by our gardens, only focusing on things like what needs to be weeded, what needs to be completely cut back, what needs to be divided, what are the things that we are going to have to change for next year because they're not working, and we completely lose sight of the beauty of what's around us. And sometimes what I have found that the best thing to do is step away from our own garden and go visit somebody else's. So for my birthday this year my family and I spent the day at the New Jersey Botanical Gardens at Skyland and we spent the entire time just exploring the gorgeous grounds. So here are the 10 things that I saw and learned along the way. Located in Ringwood State Park in the Ramapo Mountains, the New Jersey Botanical Garden at Skylands covers 96 acres of formal gardens, woodland paths, and extensive plant collections. The property surrounds the historic Skylands Manor and includes everything from perennial and annual gardens to a lilac collection, hosta garden, ponds, and towering specimen trees. As I walked through the garden these were the 10 things that stood out to me and that I want to bring back to my own garden. The first was that ground cover can soften the hardest edges. So one of the things that I noticed was the ivy. It crept beneath benches, spilled over pathways, and had even begun winding around a fire hydrant. Now I'm certainly not suggesting that we allow ivy to cover utilities or that we let it run without controlling it, but I loved the way it softened everything it touched. The benches and the other man-made elements no longer felt as though they had simply been placed on top of the landscape. The garden had begun to grow around them. Ground cover doesn't need to fill up empty soil. Used carefully it can soften the line between the planted garden and the harder elements within it. The second was that seating changes how we experience a garden. There were places to sit everywhere. Some benches were hidden beneath the trees while others sat completely out in the open. Some offered shade from a hot afternoon sun. Others were positioned in completely full sun where they might be more inviting during the cooler months. And every seat gave you a different view. It made me think about seasonal seating, not simply where a chair will look attractive, but when we might want to sit there and what we will see once we do. A seat gives us permission to stop working and experience the garden. It also tells a guest that they are welcome to stay a little while longer. The third is that layering creates interest without requiring more space. In one section allium tuberosum were growing up through a bed of liriope. Instead of giving each plant its own separate patch, one was allowed to emerge through the other. The liriope created the lower layer while the white allium flowers floated just above it. These two plants occupied essentially the same footprint but each contributed something different. And it was a reminder that adding more interest does not always require more space. Sometimes you can layer plants right on top each other, allowing them to share the same footprint while providing interest at different heights and times of the year. Fourth is that a garden should appeal to more than just our eyes. The garden was beautiful but what I remember most clearly was the sound. The birds, the cicadas, and the crickets were almost deafening. Water could be heard moving in the distance and people seemed to whisper to one another as though speaking too loudly might disturb everything happening around them. We spend so much time thinking about how a garden will look that we sometimes forget how much sound changes the experience of being in one. Fifth is that structure allows a garden to be wild without feeling chaotic. There were areas where the planting was loose, abundant, and almost wild. But nearby there was always something solid holding it together, whether it be a hedge, a pathway, a wall, a series of steps, or even a clipped evergreen. The structure gave the wildness something to push against it. Without those stronger shapes, the planting may have felt very chaotic. But with clear edges and permanent forms, the plants could spill, lean, and move without the garden losing its shape. Now number six is to hide things that are worth discovering. Now this sounds a little bit crazy, but there were hidden treasures everywhere throughout the property. A sculpture appeared between the trees. A statue was partially concealed by foliage. Small details were positioned where they could easily be missed if you were only concerned with reaching the next garden. They made you slow down and actually look. Not everything needs to be visible the moment we enter a space. When a garden holds something back, it creates curiosity. It encourages us to continue along the path and pay attention to what might be waiting around the next corner. Number seven is that water brings movement and life into a garden. So water appeared in several forms, whether it be koi ponds, fountains, and smaller features tucked into the landscape. It reflected the plants, attracted wildlife, and changed the of each space. Even when the air was still, the water gave the garden motion. Now we don't all have room for a pond or a large fountain, but even a small birdbath can reflect the sky and offer something to birds and introduce another living element into the garden. Number eight is that a beautiful container does not need to be an elaborate planting. So some of the containers were statement pieces right on their own. Their scale, color, and shape commanded attention. So the planting inside them was simple. The plants supported the container instead of competing with it. It reminded me that every element does not need to be demanding equal attention. If the pot is the feature, the planting can and probably should be quieter so that it does not compete. Good design often comes from deciding what should lead and allowing everything around it to just support it. Color combinations do not need strong contrast. One of my favorite combinations was the red coleus beside the burgundy foliage of the cannas. The colors were closely related, but they were enough variation to distinguish the two plants. And last, and probably the biggest reminder, was that perfection was never the goal. Perhaps the most reassuring lesson was that none of it was perfect. The pathways were crooked, old tree roots had risen through the ground, almost creating stepping stones of their own. There were tons of weeds and plants had moved well beyond their original boundaries and age was visible everywhere. And none of it distracted from the beauty. It added to it. Meanwhile, many of us are consumed by every weed, uneven edge, and plant that refuses to remain exactly where we placed it. But a garden is alive. It grows, shifts, and ages. The roots rise, the paths settle, and plants make decisions without consulting us. Our job is not to control every inch, but to give the garden enough care and structure to thrive, and enough freedom to develop a character of its own. Now if visiting a botanical garden was not on your to-do list for this weekend, here are three other tasks that you can work on. First, start planning your spring bulbs. Decide whether you want tulips, daffodils, or any other spring flowers to appear, and order your bulbs before your favorite varieties sell out. Now there is no need to plant them yet because the soil here in northern New Jersey is still too warm, but you should begin planning and ordering now. Second, keep cutting your dahlias. Bring the flowers inside and enjoy them. Removing the blooms before they begin producing seed encourages the plant to keep flowering, so the more you cut, the more flowers you should continue to get all the way through your first frost. And finally, keep your hummingbird feeders clean and filled with fresh nectar. Fall migration is beginning, so you may start seeing hummingbirds pass through from farther north. They use our gardens as a place to rest and refuel before continuing their journey south. So drop in the comments what your favorite botanical gardens are to visit. Let us know what your biggest recommendations are. I hope you guys are having a good day, and I'll see you in the garden.