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Garden Focal Points
So you have your garden but something just seems to be missing. Perhaps it doesn’t look quite pulled together. Maybe you need a focal point in your garden – something to draw the eye. Read on to find out more.
What is a Focal Point?
A focal point is a feature of garden design that draws and directs the eye to a certain point in the garden. If you don’t have a focal point, and instead have a mass of plants, the eye does not know where to stop, and the garden can look overwhelming and chaotic. A garden needs at least one focal point – to tell the eye how to look at the garden, and to direct the eye to certain points in the garden. Essentially, they are used to break the garden into distinct areas. You end up discovering the garden slowly rather than just scanning over it.
What can be a Focal Point?
You have a huge range of things to choose from when it comes to selecting a focal point for your garden. A focal point is simply something that offers interest through size, shape or colour. Examples of common focal points include:
a feature plant or plant grouping
- dramatic colour changes
- garden statues
- garden décor – ornaments, bird feeders, bird baths etc)
- “borrowed scenery” – this is your view, whether it’s of the ocean, mountains, forest, skyline etc
- trellises or arbors
- decorative rocks
- low fences
- brick column wall
- ponds or water features
- gazebo
- benches/seating
- outdoor heaters such as chimineas or braziers
- pottery
- mosaic paving
How to Place Focal Points
Once you have selected your focal point, it is vital that you place it correctly. The focal point should always look like it has always been a part of the garden, and not as though it has been placed there as an afterthought. This doesn’t mean that the focal point has to look distressed or weathered. It just means that it should suit its surroundings.
Circular forms are very popular in gardens as they create flow. The human eye is strongly connected to circular forms and most people are able to visually find the centre of a circle. Once they do, they naturally expect to find something interesting there. In the garden, curved paths or garden beds are created by using circles, arcs, or circle segments and we recognise these as being a full circle, whether or not they are complete. The deepest point of an inside curve, therefore, is an ideal spot for a focal point.
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