A garden maze is a feature more often seen in old palaces and mansions. The tradition of these ornamental garden mazes has its roots in Europe, where the first ones were constructed by hand.
Mazes are generally constructed with walls of high hedges (like an English maze) or by planting trees and shrubs informal patterns (like a French maze). A garden maze has the same purpose as a real maze: it provides a test of navigation and a challenge to the visitor.
The trend caught on. Nowadays, garden mazes are often constructed with hedges but other materials such as wood or stone can also be used. Many people are interested in crafting their own garden maze in their backyards. However, is it a good decision? How exactly do you build a maze? Find out here.
Do You Have the Space?
One of the most important things to consider when planning your maze is size. You will need room for a maze that will have paths and dead-ends or blockades.
Obviously, if you have a small yard, you probably won’t have much room for a maze. You can have a smaller maze, but it will be a tight fit and it wouldn’t be too much of a challenge. For kids, a small maze would be appropriate.
If you do have a large yard, then your maze can be quite big and very challenging! You can always opt for an English or French garden maze and the measurements will vary depending on those styles. The paths should be wide enough for a person to easily walk through them, and also room enough for people not to crash into each other as they make their way through the maze.
You may need the help of a professional landscaper to plan out what your maze will look like. They can help you determine the appropriate measurements for your yard, depending on whether you want a small or large maze.
It is best that you have an overall design plan before starting to build the maze itself. It might be helpful to have sketches of your ideas so that you know what they will look like when finished.
Is There a Right Location?
If you wanted to plant a tree or bush maze in your yard, then choose a spot that gets plenty of sunlight. These types of gardens need to be planted in an area where they can easily take root and thrive. Since you want your garden maze to provide the challenge and navigability you intended it to have, the placement should meet both criteria.
It is best to plant a hedge garden maze in an area that has relatively little traffic so you don’t have to do any trimming when people walk through it. Also, keep in mind how much space your maze will require when considering where exactly it will be placed. This is important for safety reasons as people don’t want to have to navigate around a maze while there are other activities going on.
What Plants Do You Need?
There are lots of different types of maze gardens to choose from. You might have heard about the ever-popular hedge or yew maze, but there are other options you can try as well.
If you want an English garden maze, then hedges would be the perfect plant to use for it. If you wanted your garden maze to be a French one, then you could use trees and shrubs since they will create the walls for your maze.
A more unusual option is to use rope or string to create the labyrinth of the maze. This style is often referred to as a knot garden or parterre garden design. You would plant low-growing plants around the edge of the maze and use them to edge your winding paths. You could even plant flowers or flowering plants in some sections of the garden, such as tulips beside every other section beside every other corner.
What About Other Features?
You can make your maze quite the attraction with additional features. Just like any other garden, you could add fountains or waterfalls to give it that extra wow factor. You could also place statues at certain points throughout the maze for decoration and something artistic for visitors to see.
Other additions could include benches for people to rest upon while navigating the maze.
Mazes can be great additions to any garden, whether you have a small or large yard. They provide hours of fun for people of all ages and can even be used as decorations. When planning your maze, there are many things to consider such as size, location, and what plants to use. With a little of preparation, you can create the perfect maze for your backyard!
