A garden design technique that’s just what the doctor ordered

Outdoor gardening season is close to wrapping up, but there’s a garden task waiting inside, and it doesn’t involve houseplants.

In fact, it’s probably the easiest garden job you’ll ever have. Just look out the window.

The point is not to soak in some vitamin D, it’s to improve the design of your garden, and it makes a lot of sense. Gardens are generally seen more from inside the house than from the outside, so why not design with your own view in mind?

Some garden designers promote the idea of starting a design with the view from inside, but there may be benefits that go beyond a beautiful yard. An international team of researchers recently shared observations about how some gardens can reduce heart rates and improve moods. 

The study results, published in the “Frontiers in Neuroscience” journal, suggest that gardens that keep viewers’ gaze moving across a wide expanse are more pleasurable and relaxing. But more than that, the more calming garden was designed to be appreciated from a specific vantage point relative to the important design elements.

The neurological aspect of the study involves eye movements and showed that the garden that kept viewers’ eyes moving between design elements “coaxes the eyes into patterns that relieve stress,” according to Karl Herrup, a neurobiologist and professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

Both of the gardens that were studied — the Murin-an garden in Kyoto designed in the traditional Japanese style and the Kyoto University garden — had similar design elements, including water features, stones, trees and a bridge. But the Murin-an garden was designed to appreciate these elements, which were spread throughout the field of view, from a specific vantage point. Study participants not only liked the Murin-an garden more, they also reported feeling more relaxed and happier, and had lower heart rates.

The windows in homes literally frame views of the garden. From the vantage point of the kitchen sink, to a large living room picture window, the view to the garden should be like a painting. Even the bathroom can be afforded an excellent glimpse of garden design.

Important garden elements, such as trees, sculptures or fountains, shouldn’t be plopped in the first spot that seems right when standing in the garden. Look at the view from a feature window, perhaps employing a tall stake or even a cardboard cutout of the profile of a fountain in the proposed location, and then study it from the inside before deciding on the final placement. 

Another benefit of designing from the inside is that it forces you to pull important features away from the house, creating depth and interest that extends from the house through the entire yard, rather than huddled up next to the house. 

It all starts with gazing out the window, a job most of us are happy to be assigned as the days grow colder. And it might be just what the doctor ordered.