If you are at a loss for outdoor or garden design ideas, a great way to get some inspiration is at a former private estate that has been donated to your local park system (check with your local/state park system).
These estates were once privately owned and well-cared for properties (house and grounds). While each estate was different, in their heyday, they very likely had many amenities such as spectacular gardens (formal and casual), pathways, large (estate-size) trees, sprawling lawns, water features, bridges, and woodlands that once graced the estate grounds, and that still remain as part of the park.
How could this be a help to you? Here, you can see and get a feel for how the gardens were laid out, what plants were used (many times for these estates, the parks will label many of the plants with both the botanical and common names; if a plant is not labeled, just ask them and they will likely be able to tell you), and how the plants and other features were arranged to create spaces Also, a very important aspect to pay attention to is the scale of the areas you are ‘studying’. Keep in mine that these estates were likely designed on a grand scale, but the concept used in the design could likely be scaled-down if necessary. Properly sizing all of the features in a design will add value, character, and create an enjoyable and pleasing space.
Having both the botanical and common names of a plant will come in handy when you go to your local garden center or nursery. If they do not carry a specific plant, you could likely order it from a plant catalog. If you got the plant name from a visit to an estate park that was not in your locale, make sure the plant will thrive and survive in your neck-of-the-woods, before ordering it.
Installing a shrub or flower bed around trees can define a space and/or create pathways in a lawn area
These old estates can provide a real, actual-size setting. They can work as a sort of ‘mock up’ for you to help you envision a design for your own yard. You can get a sense of what sort of plant combinations to use, ideas for garden and pathway layouts, or visualizing a patio space that you would like to see in your yard. You get to see how it all works without spending any of your own money on plants and other things, as you would, if you were experimenting in your own yard.
A natural stone pathway surrounded by bluebells, leads to a ‘naturalized’ space with a sitting area
This paver area at the estate could help a homeowner in determining a patio size for their own yard. The benches here provide a good scale element, too.
Another great aspect of getting ideas from a local estate park, is that if you need another look to study a situation a little more closely, or for more inspiration, you can return to the site over and over. These types of estate parks are usually quite large, so you’ll get in some walking exercise, to boot! And they are absolutely lovely on a sunny spring morning!
Examples of some of these estate parks are: The Bradley Estate, Canton, Massachusetts, and Inniswood Metro Gardens, Westerville, Ohio.
Also, there are Home and Garden tours, such as Historic Garden Week in Virginia, (usually with an admission price) of historic landmark homes, which will surely be inspiring.
