Garden design and planning
Develop your design around how you intend to use it. An inspired garden tailored to your needs is not only beautiful and practical, but will benefit you and your family throughout the year. You'll need to decide upon the style of garden you want – is it somewhere to relax, a play area for the kids, or a space to grow your own fruit and vegetables? Once you've chosen the style of your future garden, you can then focus on the materials you'll need and the layout.
Things to consider
Take careful measurements of your patio and driveway. By drawing a scale version on graph paper, you can try several different arrangements and take key features into consideration.
Soften your patio and house shape with irregular shaped borders and patterns. You could create a new planting area or feature simply by leaving a paver out of the pattern. Build raised areas using available walling to develop herb beds or water features.
Finally, and most importantly, add some individuality to your design. This is your garden for you to enjoy, so add your personal stamp to feel instantly at home.
Your checklist of things to consider:
- Trees and plants – do you want to keep them? Should they be moved?
- Views – is there anything you'd like to make a feature of?
- Water – do you want any water features? Where would they be best suited?
- Storage – do you need to store garden furniture, a barbecue, kids' bikes or toys?
- Sunlight – work out where the sun falls and then design your garden around shade spots and sun traps to suit you. Also consider whether you need to protect the garden from high winds.
