Designing your Garden

When designing your garden you should remember that good Garden Design is based on strong lines and shapes.  When designing your garden you should think of the line of the garden, meaning a route that leads the eye and directs your path through the garden. 

When designing your garden lines impose order and help to control the overall look of the garden while shapes and volume provide definition and pattern.  Shapes and lines determine the final look of the Garden Design.  Straight lines, square and rectangles are used in formal garden design while curves and ovals usually create a more informal look.

When designing your garden you should start with a sketch of your plot.  Make several copies and experiment on paper with different looks and designs.

Consider whether you want to start with hard landscaping, such as a fencing, patios and pergolas.  Maybe you want to include a summer house or a gazebo as a focal point.  Good garden design will lead the eye to an attractive focal point, maybe a beautiful mixed border or a pergola covered in roses and honeysuckle and you should keep this in mind when designing your garden.  Good garden design should also lead the eye away from any eyesores, such as an ugly shed, the dustbins or the fact that the garden is overlooked by several neighbours.

One of the most important aspects of good garden design is the planting and it is essential that you get the planting right.  The last couple of summers have been dry and if water is to become a more scarce commodity you might want to consider planting some drought resistant plants.  French lavender, helicrysum italicum, ferns, salvias and geranium renardii would all be suitable for dry seasons.  When designing your garden you should consider including some shrubs as they provide structure and interest in the winter when a lot of the garden is bare.  Mahonia japonica and many viburnums provide colour and scent and the brilliant stems of Cornus lend the garden much winter interest.

The possibilities for Spring planting are endless, but if you have room try a flowering cherry or a magnolia underplanted with delicate spring bulbs or acqueligias.

You might also want to attract wildlife into your garden – try to incorporate a bird bath and bird table or feeding station.  When designing your garden, if you have the space, try to leave a part of your garden a little untidy, goldfinches love nettles and a little rough undergrowth is wonderful shelter for hedgehogs.