Adding a touch of green to your homes is your garden space. Often however, it takes a backseat when it comes to making improvements to your home. Gardens need not necessarily mean extensive spaces with long lawns.

Even a space in the balcony of your apartment can add that touch of freshness to your home. Have a few potted plants inside your house to add a distinct charm to your interiors. You can choose plants in such a way that they require little or no maintenance. Though flowering plants need more attention, they add a colourful look to the garden. Another popular choice is to have bonsais — but make sure the garden has sufficient direct sunlight. An interesting twist is to have a kitchen garden where you can grow herbs and vegetables. Again choose those that grow easily and do not require much attention. Gardening is an art that needs skill and an aesthetic sense of creativity. Planning a garden of medicinal plants can add value due to their culinary, medicinal and aromatic properties.

Natural air-conditioning

Just a little branch of tree that is seen from the window brings in a squirrel roaming, a pair of birds surveying for nesting site. “A well-designed garden is integrated with the architectural and interior design. However, ‘artificiality’ of our indoor living environment by forced air-conditioning (and also the furniture and the hi-tech gadgets) makes it even more necessary to bring in nature that soothes and charms the soul. It is sad to note that natural ways of ‘air-conditioning’ are becoming more unaffordable and even impossible.

But even a little garden — inside as a courtyard, or outdoor on the terrace or even a balcony filled with plants, may help to bring in the freshness of life,” says Anant Swami, Principal Consultant, D+A Architects.

If one adds an element of green by bringing in some flora into the courtyards already provided in the house, it becomes more joyful and thereby more ‘green’.  “Courtyard houses have always been a part of Indian vernacular architecture. Bringing in a garden inside a house enhances the lighting and ventilation therein.  It helps to vent out the hot air formed inside the house through the process of ‘stack effect’. Venting out the hot air in turn brings in fresh cool air. This helps to maintain an optimum temperature inside the house without the help of artificial air conditioning and ventilation systems.

Our country is very conducive for what is known as ‘open to sky’ architecture. We are blessed with plenty of sunshine throughout the year. By bringing in ‘open to sky’ courtyard and garden inside the house we are actually bringing in a lot more natural light and fresh air, thereby making the house more habitable and hygienic,” says Anil Bhaskaran, Chief architect, Idea Centre Architects Pvt Ltd.

Vaastu

With some basic Vaastu principles you can get positive vibrations and good results. Gardens should be thick in the southwest side of the building. A pond in the northeast of the garden is considered very fruitful and ensures there is a slope towards the northeast. A storeroom in the garden should be on the southeast corner. Plants, herbs, aromatic bushes, etc, should always be planted in the west side and tall trees should be planted at the southeast. Decorative plants can be grown in the north, east, northeast or northwest of the garden while the Tulsi (Basil) plant should be in the east and northeast areas of the garden.

As per Feng Shui, gardens can also be used to attract Chi to your house, which will increase your good fortune and wealth. The same principles of Feng Shui that are applied to your house are applied to your garden. The garden is considered Yin and your home Yang, so the effect that your house and garden together create should be balanced.

The flowerbeds and paths in the garden should be curved in order to counter the straight lines and angles of the house.

Balance in the garden can be achieved by using contrasting material like rough rocks and a smooth water pond. Water attracts positive energy and water is symbolic of wealth. If you have a water source in your garden clean it at regular intervals. Use plants with thick fleshy leaves in your garden. Do not use plants with spikes or sharp leaves in your garden as they create negative energy that can lead to tension in the household. Plant colourful flowers in your garden through out the year as they attract positive energy.

Loving care

The most important thing is that plants are living things and respond to your love and care as much as they respond to sun, air, water, soil and fertilisers. There are ways to minimise maintenance but they also put a lot of restrictions on the designer. Use of natural materials such as pebbles and boulders, stone slabs, sculptures, woods, canes, water, etc, if used wisely and creatively, may help minimise the plant material and at the same time retain the natural flavour. At the end however, a garden should be maintained by working with love. However, a manicured garden may look stark and ‘photogenic’ but less natural.

“I think this is very important for designing that is using dynamic and ever changing materials such as plants, light, and the climate itself. One is sensitive to the seasonal changes that bring in different moods and messages and delight. And if we can feel them then we will not crib about maintenance,” says Swami.

He adds, “We should grow as many plants and trees as possible, go for variety of flora and fauna, reduce use of concrete paving, use stone slabs on sand beds that allow percolation of rain water, design a pond that can grow plants and also help in dealing with excess water in monsoon, and create outdoor living areas such as gazebo, swings, nursery/glasshouse with work areas, say for pottery.” In fact, there is no limit to what you can do, so go ahead and revel in your green space.