Focal points are a useful tool to guide visitors around your design. These can be strategically placed so that you are encouraged to walk towards a focal point.

Upon reaching the focal point, there may be another just around the corner that you catch a glimpse of, but can’t quite see - encouraging you to walk about the next corner. These have been strategically placed by the gardener, to encourage your movement throughout the space.

A focal point is just something that your eye is naturally drawn to. This could be something that is purposely placed in the design by the garden designer such as a garden statue, a terracotta pot or even a statement plant. Or, this could be a vista which is viewable through a hedge that has been clipped partway to draw your eye out across the site to the view ahead.

Frequency of focal points

The reason for including a focal point is to add interest to the design and to encourage you to walk through the garden to find out what awaits around the next corner.

It is therefore good practice to only place one focal point within the “cone of sight”, which is approx 2.5m vertically and horizontally. Too many focal points grouped together will lose their element of interest.