Every garden has multiple perspectives, and we at Details Landscape Art try to consider as many as possible in designing and building a garden.
And we try to encourage clients to go out and participate in their gardens as well as look at them from inside the house.
Perspectives can consist of visualizing the garden from different angles, from inside the house looking out as well as looking back towards the house, and also looking down from an upstairs window.
There are also the perspectives of time of day, season of the year and the effects of lighting to consider.
The following photos show the perspective from inside the house, both looking out the window, and also the display of branch shadows on the interior walls. Of course time of day also affects the timing of shadows.
Here we can see examples of photos from the same garden or garden feature but from different angles. The first pair shows a Napa swimming pool from back to front and then front to back;
the second pair shows a Novato patio, from the perspectives of the upper patio and then the lower patio. As you can see, the difference is dramatic.
Although it’s a little difficult to really judge the elevation change, this photo shows a garden looking down from an upstairs window. 
Homeowners notice their gardens from all parts of their home!
Here we show the perspectives of gardens from the view of meandering walkways and sidewalks as they wind through and across the landscape, carrying the viewer from one part to another.
Time of day also creates different perspectives, as the angle of the sun highlights certain features and casts shadows on others, especially in the early morning and late afternoon, when the sun is lower in the sky. And cloudy days can sometimes show off colors better than when bathed in full sunlight.
One of the most obvious creators of garden perspectives is time of year. Spring blooming gardens, summer flowers and fall foliage exhibit drastically different flavors, as the colors change with the seasons. Here we see a shade garden exploding with color in April, and a May perennial garden in full bloom. Then a shot of a red rose garden in the middle of summer, and the last two are of Chinese pistaches and a scarlet maple in late October as they don their coats of orange and red.
As the sun gives way to the night, the view of the garden does not have to descend into total darkness. Low voltage lighting adds evening drama to any landscape, and opens up another interesting perspective. It invites the homeowner out to enjoy their garden at night.
The first pair of photos shows a walkway consisting of a series of stamped concrete two-foot squares separated by inch and a half river rock. The difference between the photos with and without lighting is like ‘night and day”.
The next pair is of a six-foot tall redwood fence. The lighting certainly adds an exciting dimension!
Lastly, the following two photos show the perspectives of gardens with natural backgrounds – the first with a winery vineyard, the second with a beautiful natural open space.
