Garden Inspired by Travel

53Shares

People enjoy traveling for various reasons. They get to experience new cultures, meet unusual people, admire unique natural beauties and get away from their dull routine.

But the best thing about traveling is that you get to bring a part of it with you. Whether it’s a souvenir, a photo or a memory, a tiny part of the country you’ve visited never leaves you. And it’s natural you want it on display when you go back home.

The difference is only in a creative manner you’ll choose to display the item. You can try to take the feeling of the country with you. A few elements that remind you of your traveling destination can be perfectly fitted into your outdoor space. As your garden is your base for relaxation, it’s a perfect place for tucking in your traveling memories. Want to find out how?

Using the Garden Styles From the Countries You Have Visited

A part of your sightseeing is definitely the parks of the places you visit. You get to see how different nations approach gardening and how they play with colors, plants, and sizes. You get to realize what elements they find essential and what type of atmosphere they want to evoke. In a way, the gardening style of a nation shows a part of their mentality, their approach to life and their life goals.

Once you find the elements you love in a country’s backyard and garden style, no reason why you shouldn’t incorporate them into your own garden. The things you found inspiring and beautiful should find their way into your personal oasis. That is the best way to keep a memory of your journey.

The Spirit of the English Countryside

If you were lucky to enjoy the English countryside on your journeys, you probably loved the view of wildflowers spreading all around you out in the open. The woods are also filled with bushes and thick grass, and they are the key elements of English gardens, too.

When creating an English-style garden, you can opt for brick or stone walls instead of hedges. Both are equally present in English backyards. If you want as much as plants as possible then replace the hard walls with an abundance of lavender. You can never go too far with flowers, too – the wilder it looks, the better. Roses are one of the most beloved plants in the UK and you can never have too many of them in the garden. Use them as a living wall, as smaller focal points in the garden or simply let them make their own way around the garden elements.

Relaxing Cup of Tea

Lastly, furniture is a significant element in the English garden, too. Benches, chairs, and tables are needed if you want to enjoy your afternoon English tea in the UK-made teapot that you got on your trip. And don’t bother trying to blend the furniture into the garden. Quite the opposite – choose a contrast color and let the furnishing be visible. Remember – English garden is all about an abundance of colors, shapes, and textures. The wilderness should not be constrained here but it should be let to thrive. Of course, you can add something man-made into the concept. Add a birdhouse or a birdbath. Small water features are another element of an English garden. And don’t hide the watering can. Find one in a bright color and leave it out in the open.

Reaching Zen in Your Japanese Garden

Japanese gardens have long been a great inspiration to the whole world. Their unique style has not only been popular in Asia but in the Western world as well. The reason for this is probably the philosophy hiding in the few elements that this garden comprises of. It is the minimalism in every sense that attracts people. It is the freedom from the unnecessary clutter around us and inside of our minds that these gardens represent. If you had the pleasure to see these gardens firsthand, you had to feel the inner peace overwhelming you while following the garden paths. You had to realize how simplicity around you helps you clear your mind from the noise of everyday problems. That is the feeling you should fight to keep once you get back home.

Circle of Life

Winding stone paths should lead you around your garden, representing the never-ending circle of life. You should reduce the colors and textures to a minimum. Plants like bamboo, bonsai, and conifers are the symbols of these opposites, as their architectural forms demonstrate the idea. Other plants like maples, azaleas and camellias serve a different purpose. By demonstrating the change of seasons, they also show the unstoppable flow of time but also show that every period has its end and a new beginning.

If possible, add a water feature into the garden. Water is an essential part of every Japanese garden, no matter how small it is. When buying souvenirs in Japan, make sure you buy decorative items for your garden. Ornaments like stone lanterns in the shape of a pagoda and a bamboo pipe will instantly take you back to this far-East country. If you stick to monochromatic and simplistic approach, you will create a meditative space for yourself. And a bit of peace is something that we all need.

The Mediterranean Vibe in Your Backyard

The laid-back approach to life of the Mediterranean nations is the one to strive for. Anybody who has ever visited one of the Mediterranean countries like Italy or Greece has been amazed by their slow pace of life, their almost obligatory afternoons in the shade of a tree and the love for nature surrounding them. Their unique aesthetics is visible in their backyards, their streets, and balconies. They enjoy the little details, the abundance of ornaments and the presence of items that create comfort. So, no wonder their gardens are epitomes of the ultimate relaxation and a hedonistic way of life.

Under the Sea

When creating a Mediterranean-style garden, first forget about the formal furnishing. Metal furniture is not used, as it gets too hot in the summer. Seating can be almost anything in the garden, including even rocks. So, go for simple timber benches and just let them be exposed to weather conditions without any treatment at all. The older it looks – the better (and there’s a bonus right there – no need for maintenance!). The seating area has to be framed with fragrance herbs, for example, oregano and thyme, but also with flowers like scented roses and jasmine.

As Mediterranean people enjoy the little details, choose adequate potplants to place around and bear in mind that each pot should be unique and in a bold color. Finally, add cacti and succulents in the little cracks in stone and rockwork and just let them loose. If you plant them in the gravel gap between the house and the paving, they will soften the borders. The items you should be looking for in the Mediterranean countries are lovely lanterns that you can spread around the garden for romantic evenings and fun entertainment nights.

The Mysteries of a Moroccan Garden

Every tourist that has visited Morocco will tell you how its mountain ranges and golden dunes can’t be compared to anything else in the world. The whole country is one huge mash of unbelievably pleasant smells and an abundance of colors. The Moroccan gardens are just that – a backyard oasis of scents and vivid colors that provide shelter for those who enter it.

If you are keen on creating a Moroccan-style garden, first start with patterned tiles on the patio, as well as on the paths leading you through the garden. If possible, build an ornamented fountain that will become the focus of the garden. The fountain is not only important for its soothing sound but also for its ability to reflect the sky in the water, which creates the sense of a huge space. All of the pathways that you build should start from and end up at the fountain as the central focus.

The Focal Point

Next, choose a tree in the garden or at least a shaded area to place the furniture – the spot should also provide you with a clear view of the whole garden. The Moroccans love when they can enjoy their view of the garden from any spot in the house or outside. Whether you choose sofa-style seating or iron tables and chairs won’t make any difference – just as long as it’s comfortable. Plants like cacti, cordylines, agaves, and phormiums will give the space that spiky look and architectural aesthetics.

Lastly, Moroccan accessories will add the final touch. Look for brightly-colored cushions, lanterns, and vividly-colored pots. If you contrast them to the tiles or even a painted wall, you’ll get a full feeling of a Moroccan backyard.

Anybody who enjoys a garden actually enjoys life in nature and our connection to it. And no matter where you come from or what country you’ll be visiting next, the truth is that every country will have its unique approach to designing their gardens. But the idea behind it remains the same – we want to reconnect ourselves to nature and we want to incorporate parts of our culture to it. It’s how we make connections with the natural world.

This is why you should take a closer look every time you visit a country. Its attitude towards nature and life is seen in their gardens and there is always something positive you can learn from it. Even if it’s just a tiny element, it will be worth the visit. It will help you add something new to your own garden; something that will make you even more comfortable in your private space.

About
Latest Posts

Sarah Jessica Smith

Sarah Jessica Smith is a young blogger from Sydney. She is in love with life and all the things that can make her daily routine easier. She loves to write about home improvement, lifestyle, and all the small things that make life such a great adventure.

Latest posts by Sarah Jessica Smith (see all)