Long and narrow gardens are one of the most common plot shapes in the UK, and also can be the most badly designed. Without a considered design approach, a long garden can feel more like a corridor or tunnel.
So how do you design a long garden that feels dynamic and engaging, creating distinct spaces and making the most of every metre of depth without the feel of a tunnel?
Why Long Gardens Need Careful Design
The Corridor or Tunnel Problem
Long narrow gardens are the most awkward shape to deal with. You can see everything at once from your back door to the rear boundary fence in one go, with nothing to interrupt the space. This means that your plot can feel more like a corridor than a garden.
There’s no ‘journey’ through the space and you are not tempted to actually walk out of your door and explore it. The narrowness of your garden is even more pronounced by the parallel boundaries converging into the distance to the back fence. The default for most people is to lay a lawn down the middle with narrow borders along the fence lines. But this arrangement doesn’t disguise the shape; it emphasises it.
Proportion and Balance
The problem with long, narrow gardens is that length to width ratio is entirely out of proportion and therefore not balanced. For example, your plot may be 25 metres long and only 5 metres wide. This means it is challenging to create a garden which feels comfortable rather than confined. Therefore creating proportion and balance in the design is key.
The golden rule in designing a long, narrow outdoor space is that you do not have an uninterrupted view from your back door to the back boundary. You must break up the sight line by using vertical accents such as hedges, open arches, pergolas or structural planting. These let you glimpse through the space to see what is next without revealing the whole garden at once.
Multiple Zones, One Coherent Design
Creating a series of outdoor rooms or zones down the length of your plot will partially obscure what lies beyond and therefore take you on a ‘journey’ through your garden. Depending on the length of the space it can be divided into 3 to 5 distinct sections (always an odd number!) which can be made cohesive by having something in common – a similar colour choice in the hard landscaping material.
For example by dividing your space into 3 distinct zones you could have a patio near the house, a middle lawn and a hidden retreat (summerhouse or outdoor office) at the back of the garden. All 3 areas could then have a similar colour palette of plants which are chosen according to the conditions in the different zones.
Effective screening options for the different zones include:
- A pergola with climbers creating partial overhead coverage.
- A subtle change in level using steps or raised beds or borders.
- Strategically placed large shrubs or small trees that interrupt sight lines.
- Trellis or decorative which you can see through.
Think About the Views
Your newly designed garden should look just as beautiful from all the windows in the house as when you are in it. It should also look great and complement your house from the other end of your garden looking back towards your home. It should be an immersive experience using height and also the boundary fences should disappear. You can create focal points throughout the space to take you through the space and try to avoid straight paths directly from one zone to another.
5 Key Principles for Long Garden Design
1. Divide the Space
Break the tunnel effect by using horizontal zoning which will guide the eye sideways through the space rather than straight to the back.
2. Design Across the Width
The key to successful long narrow gardens is to emphasise the width rather than the length of your plot. This means avoiding paths and lawn running the length of the space. For example having paths on a 45 degree angle diagonal means that you move across the width rather than down the length and also creates horizontal features that draws attention horizontally. Even design details such as laying patio slabs or decking planks horizontally across the width of the space rather than running them lengthways can create the illusion of space.
3. Trick the Eye
45 degree pathways that meander from side to side rather than leading straight to the back of the garden can trick the eye. Each angle forces you to look left and right which means you experience the whole space. Horizontal planted borders which sweep across the width of the garden will give a similar effect.
4. Use Repetition
Long narrow gardens with different outdoor rooms work well. However they can feel disjointed because they have no connection between them. So you need strong repeated elements that run through the entire garden to create unity. This could be consistent hard landscaping materials for use in paving or a repeated colour palette of planting throughout the entire space.
5. Consider the Journey
Getting your path design right in long, narrow space is fundamental to your garden’s success. This defines how you will experience the space and the journey you take through your garden. For example, a subtly curved path that moves from one side of the garden to the other will create a relaxed feel and also creates different viewpoints in the space. It will also mean that you will have the space to create wider borders between the curves so that the planting is not squashed up against the boundaries.
Common Long Garden Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
> Straight Lawn and Paths: An oblong strip of lawn running into the distance away from your back door with narrow borders on each side creates exactly the corridor effect you are trying to avoid. If you want either feature, consider offsetting them at a 45 degree angle rather than running the full length of your garden.
> Trying to Fit in Too Many Zones: It should be quality over quantity when it comes to zoning your garden. Three zones would be the optimum number for an average sized garden. Cramming 5 to 6 zones into your outdoor space can make it feel disjointed with no individual ‘room’ having enough space to design anything useful in it!
> Ignoring the Far End: Don’t be tempted to spend all of your budget in the areas close to your house. Whilst the space outside your back door is important and will be used frequently, the ‘far end’ can often turn into an afterthought. Meaning it can turn into a forgotten wasteland which you are not tempted to explore or use.
> Weak Boundaries: In a long garden you cannot get away from the fact that your boundaries will be prominent. Leaving bare fence panels or walls will only emphasise the long, narrow shape of your outdoor space. By clothing them in climbing plants or planting shrubs or trees in combination with other layers of planting, this will soften the edges of your garden, meaning that boundaries are disguised.
> Single Focal Point: Having a single focal point at the end or in the middle of your garden leads your eye straight to that object. This only serves to emphasise the ‘corridor effect’. By having multiple focal points such as water features, sculptures or trees in your garden, these can lead the eye throughout the space, making it feel bigger. Having reflective features such as mirrors or container ponds can also bounce the light around the space and trick your eye into believing it is bigger.
> Narrow Borders:
Narrow borders only emphasise the ‘tunnel effect’. By deepening the borders on alternating sides of your garden, this can make the planting feel generous with coloured layers coming into the middle of the space.
How Gerbera Designs Approaches Long Garden Projects
We create coherent usable zones tailored to your requirements making your garden feel larger in size, and design across the width of your garden rather than its length to make your space usable and take you on a journey to explore your garden.
We carefully tailor our planting plans to your requirements as well as the site conditions in North East Scotland. and choose materials that meet your budget but also tie all of the zones in your garden to make it feel unified.
Discover our long, narrow garden work on an Inverurie new build project and garden rejuvenation project, and on a townhouse garden design project in Insch.
Ready to Make the Most of Your Long Garden?
A long garden is full of potential. With the right design, it can become a beautiful space which you can enjoy in its entirety . Book a consultation with us to start redesigning your long garden.
