Over the Christmas period, as we spend time at home with our loved ones I can guarantee, as you sit outside enjoying the garden, there will be a blank boring wall that you just don’t know what to do with. Well, here are a few ideas to dress up any blank walls you may have.
Paint is one of the easiest ways to transform a blank surface quickly and cost effectively and as easily as it goes on it can be changed to suit your garden as it changes and matures. Dark colours are a wonderful tool in making any foliage in front of it stand out, or if you want to sound like a designer “they pop”. Brighter colours are a great way to bounce light around a space an make it feel larger, lighter coloured foliage and yellow foliage can get a little lost in front of a white wall so if you are having plants, select them wisely.
My number one go to for adding interest to a blank wall is adding greenery if possible. Climbers on wires are an excellent way of getting plants onto a wall without taking up a huge footprint on the ground. Sun loving Bougainvillea and Mandevilla can take all the heat you throw at them whereas Madagascan jasmine can take more of a shady spot and still flower well. Self-attaching climbers such as creeping fig or Boston Ivy add lushness without any installation of a support system.
If you don’t have any soil in front of your blank wall but still want some greenery you could look at a vertical garden system. These take up no footprint on the ground but can add a sense of lush foliage, giving you getaway holiday vibes. The plants best suited to a green wall are those that can take congested root runs so plant things like philodendron or walking iris.
Potted plants also work a treat in front of a bare wall and there are a myriad of colours and varieties to go with any style of garden. If you have a shady spot a dark wall with a large potted elephant’s ear in front of it looks amazing as it will really stand out. In a sunny spot a white wall with a euphorbia cactus or spinless pricky pear standing proud will give you a similar sculptural effect in the space.
If you don’t want more plants in your garden, well firstly I’m sorry but we can’t be friends and secondly don’t despair as there are plenty of options out there. Stone cladding and tiling, although they can be expensive will add a real wow to the garden by adding interest, texture and colour. Ensure the wall you are dressing up is sound and suitable for such an application before adding something like this and don’t be afraid to ask a professional for help. A poorly executed cladding draws much more attention to it than a perfectly installed one and long after the budget is forgotten the quality will live on.
There are a variety of screens that can be used to dress up a blank wall too, from reconstituted timber, hardwood or softwood timber, bamboo, plastic and metal again in huge variety of shapes and patterns. I personally don’t like the ones that are heavily patterned as I feel they age quickly so try to get something timeless – slatted timber or bamboo are great for this as it adds texture but stays timeless.
Mirrors can be used in the garden to great effect. They bounce light around and give the effect that a space is much larger than it is. Repeating a view in a glass window adds interest to an area and makes the gardeners guest inquisitive to the space. Mirrors work well in spaces that are used for dining so all guests around the table can enjoy a similar green outlook.
All these options don’t have to be limited to a wall out in the garden, perhaps it’s down the side of your house on the fence where the windows look out upon. Rather than keeping the shutters closed why not try one of these applications to surround your whole home with interest …. And hopefully greenery!
