Can you imagine yourself sitting in a comfortable chair on your patio sipping a refreshing drink surrounded by beautiful flowers? The kids are playing just a few feet away, in their own grassy area but separated from you by a few shrubs, tall plantings, or a low rock wall. You are separated enough to have your own relaxing space, but at the same time able to hear and keep an eye on them.

That is one of the advantages of separating your yard or garden into different rooms. Another reason is to allow you to blend different garden styles into one yard. By separating your garden into different areas, you can decorate each space in an entirely different style. By using plants and hardscaping materials that are similar in color and texture in each garden room, you can still unify the whole garden.

You can divide any size of garden into rooms. Dividing a small garden into separate rooms can actually make your yard seem larger. Before starting you need to ask yourself a few questions. How do you use your garden? Do you entertain or dine outside? Do you have pets or children which need areas to play? Do you want a vegetable garden? How much time will you have for maintenance?

There are two things that you will need to do to divide your garden into rooms. You will need to enclose areas and provide seating. The best way to start is to find an area that lends itself easily to being divided - a corner, an area behind a tree, or an alcove near the house or garage. Once you start your first space, it is easier to build rooms around that area.

The first step will be to decide how to enclose your area. There are many possibilities to choose from. You could use a wall or a fence. You could use plantings and create an entrance, such as an arbor or pergola. Also using small trees in your perennial beds will help break a garden into rooms. Vines allowed to climb over structures will create ceilings and also divide spaces.

Once you have divided your garden into spaces, you can start creating different styles of garden rooms. Tuck a vegetable or cottage garden into one area, a more formal garden into another. Add a dining area or an area for kids to play. Add a water feature and some comfortable seating for a relaxing retreat. Repeat a few plants, hardscaping materials or colors in each area to tie it all together.

Dividing your garden into separate rooms will give you added living space to be enjoyed by your whole family and your guests all summer long.