When planning a garden the most important thing to consider is how you will use the space – is it sit and relax, for children to play, to grow vegetables and flowers? Take inspiration from places you visit, public gardens, even neighbours who will likely have the same sized plot as you, but of course don’t copy straight from them!
Gardens are generally placed into two categories – informal and formal. Formal gardens are divided by a central axis and often contain pools, statues urns and beds and borders surrounded by low hedges. Informal gardens on the other hand tend to feature more curves with beds and borders being part of the curves rather than separating features.
Very large gardens can be a mixture of the two, with formal areas near the house and away from it the garden becomes more informal in design. Cottage gardens emphasise colourful flower borders, a water garden will have a pool or pond as a central feature, while oriental gardens are more minimalist and clean in style with open spaces and rocks and moss as features.
A checklist of things to consider when planning your garden:
For a front garden – car parking?
Compost heap
Greenhouse and/or shed
Outside water tap
Bin area
Washing line
Vegetable and fruit growing
Fences walls and shared borders
Steps and gradients
Play area for children
Garden arch, arbour or pergola
Seating
Patio area
Water features, pool, fountain, bridge
Lighting
These are just things you may want to consider, your final design will be based on many factors including cost, size of plot, upkeep, climate and soil type.
Other considerations
Aspect
Which way your garden faces (eg south facing gets more sun), how much shade from buildings, how much protection from wind and rain different areas of the garden may have. Which areas have the best views – you may want to place the seating areas here.
Soil Type
Dig a shallow hole and grab a handful of soil. See how it feels – free flowing sandy soil needs organic matter to improve its water retaining capabilities. Clay soil is sticky and lump and will need breaking up. Loam is ideal and is a mixture of sand, clay and silt. It’s both sticky enough to hold moisture yet light enough to allow for good drainage. Chalky soil is dry and light and provides little nourishment, limiting what can be grown there.
Climate
Know your local climate – sunshine, rainfall and temperature averages to help you determine your growing season.
Existing hard-landscape elements
Paths, steps, raised beds and walls – can these difficult areas be kept and included in your new garden design.
Flat and Sloping areas
Flat gardens can benefit from a garden arch to add height, and if big enough, to divide the garden into two distinct areas. For sloping sites consider a terrace or rock garden feature.
Views
Open up an interesting view of your surroundings by removing a tree or hedge. Consider a water feature to create an attractive focal point within the garden itself.
Cohesion with surroundings
A garden in more visually pleasing if you can limit the types of materials, features and colours so they are not too overwhelming to the eye. This is particularly true of smaller gardens where it’s easy to clutter things up. It is also important to consider the scale of the garden in relation to your house.