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      Delight in a garden can come in many forms. Multi-colored tulips, a deep blue gate flanked by boxwood, a rustic cascade or a line of the exuberant and hardy ‘Disco Belle Pink’ hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Disco Belle Pink’).

      These three underlying ideas can be incorporated into any garden, no matter the style or setting. With the mantra of “simplicity, sanctuary and delight,” you can go ahead and take the first steps in creating a serenely beautiful landscape.

      Finding the Power Spot – Drama in a Garden

      When I begin a garden design, I always look first for the site’s “power spot.” This is a place that, for some reason, seems a little more interesting than anywhere else. A high section of lawn, a shaded corner or a half hidden rock can become the anointed power spot in your garden. You can strengthen or dilute a site’s character by highlighting its power spot.

      In order to determine where it is, I walk around and consider the dominant features of the land. I stand quietly in different areas and feel the mood each one generates. Elevated locations, such as the top of a steep slope or an outlook, can elicit “a sensation, dwarfing yet ennobling,” writes Derek Clifford in The History of Garden Design. But a power spot doesn’t need to be grand; it can be a shaded area in a corner. This is a more subdued and familiar kind; it feels comfortable, like a favorite sweater.

      An overlooked, rocky site can become a power spot. Place a statue, sculpture or light here.

      If you are wondering where a power spot is on your property, please know that there is no one correct answer. It is your particular translation of the “genius of the place” that is important. The area that appeals to you the most will undoubtedly speak to others as well. You may see treasure in that slight rise or be attracted to a particular rock. My advice is, Go ahead and highlight it! Clear around it, illuminate it or make a small path that leads to it so friends can enjoy it. Once they ascend to the top of a cleared slope or sit on a swing beneath a great tree, they will understand why you call it your power spot.

       Seven Ways to Highlight a Power Spot in a Garden

      1. Name it! Naming something makes it special. Descriptive monikers are a fun way to mark areas of a garden. For example, you might call a massive tree that stands solitary in a field The Lonesome Oak. A promontory with a vista can become Lookout Point and a Japanese landscape featuring a statue might be referred to as The Buddha Garden.

      The presence of a statue can help in naming a garden.

      2. Mark the spot. Place a sign, a marker or an art piece here to signify the area. It can be as elemental as an upright stone.

      3. Place a bench here. Benches or rustic sitting rocks establish a power spot as a destination. The opportunity to sit on a bench always draws people. A view of a curved stone bench in the corner of a yard catching the morning sun is irresistible.

      Inviting bench in a morning garden.

      4. Make it easy to get to. A power spot must be accessible. Provide a path to the spot, even if it is only a strip of mowed grass or a small stepping stone walk, six feet long. If you build it, they will follow!

      5. Add seasonal interest. The colors of the season add punch to a power spot. A simple splash of Coleus injects excitement in the summer and continues through the fall.

      ‘Sedona’ coleus adds a spot of seasonal color.

      6. Add lighting. Outdoor lights or battery-powered candles in lanterns provide sparkle and add intrigue. They invite visitors to enjoy a garden at day’s end.

      7. Maintain it. Fallen branches, litter or brushy overgrowth can take away from the enjoyment of your power spot. A little natural imperfection is fine, but try to keep the area fairly free of debris.

      The Draw of a High Point

      A lookout is one of the most exciting areas in a landscape. The top of a hill, a rock or any other kind of high point satisfies our instinctive desire for a prospect, where we can view our surroundings. The higher the promontory, the better the view and the more connected we feel to the overall scene. This is what makes a high point so universally appealing. The gazebo shown at left was placed on a high point for that reason.

      A lookout in the landscape draws people to it. I placed this custom-designed gazebo on a high point so people could look down on the garden below.

      Thomas Jefferson knew about the power of a high vantage point. He purposely built his famous home, Monticello, upon a lofty summit in Virginia and wrote eloquently about enjoying the view. In a 1786 letter to Maria Cosway, he wrote that from his perch he could look down “into the workhouse of nature, to see her clouds, hail, snow, rain, thunder, all fabricated at our feet!” Indeed, given a choice between sitting on a low portion of a lawn or a place farther up, most of us will invariably choose to sit uphill. Perhaps it is an inborn instinct that we all have.

      I often enhance an existing high point by creating a “destination” there. A small area at the top of a slope can be leveled and retained with a low wall, as shown in the photo at left, opposite page. Such a cut-and-fill approach can provide a place large enough for a gazebo, a bench or some comfortable chairs. The view of a garden seat on a hill acts as a compelling destination and visitors will look for a way to get there. Their prize, upon arrival, is a comfortable perch from which to enjoy the summit.

      I created this enticing place to sit by levelling out a slope. The low wall in front retains the level area. I then chose some wonderful outdoor seats to add a bit of fun.

      In the garden shown here, I painted two new benches a dark green to make them less obtrusive and to blend in with the scene.

      A Graceful Way Up to a High Point

      People often see a climb up a hill to a high point as an obstacle, but you can make it a lovely winding path or a mysterious rustic ascent. Both treatments transform an arduous journey into an enjoyable experience. In the case of very steep inclines, I rely on the illusion of scale and proportion to make it seem less intimidating. My motto is, “The higher the hill, the longer the steps,” because I have found that a long line of steps cutting across a slope reduces its perceived steepness. In the garden shown above, I installed three sets of long grass steps with split cobblestone risers across the face of a slope. The 12-foot-long steps counter the tallness of the hill and make it seem almost ceremonial. In fact, the formality of the grass steps so impressed my clients’ daughter that she chose to have her outdoor wedding ceremony here on these steps a year after they were installed.

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