It is important to consider how we move through an outside space. Practically you could place a straight path down a lawn to get from one end of the garden to the other, but where’s the interest in that?

A much more interesting way would be for the garden designer to control how we physically move through the space, or how our eyes move across the space. It is possible to also speed up and slow down movement through design, creating further interest (unlike the straight path down a lawn idea).

• Distance of elements - by choosing how close or far apart we place structures and plants from each other, we can increase the speed in which we move throughout the garden.

• Far apart - Placing trees far apart along a pathway, can appear to slow down our movement.

• Close together - Similar planting closer together can make it feel that we need to speed up and move more quickly though the space.

To add interest, a garden designer may look to increase the speed in which we move past an eyesore, for example a neighbour's garden shed. But then they may then slow down the movement as we approach the beautiful blossom of a neighbour’s tree that can be viewed from our own garden.

Thinking about how we move through the space adds another layer of interest to the design that we can use to our advantage. Whether that’s  in creating a calming winding walkway so that the fragrance of our flowers can be enjoyed, or maybe we lead the eye up towards the garden to a spot that’s just out of view, enticing us to see what awaits around the next corner.