5 things to consider when starting to design your garden

Design

11 Mar

Creating a garden that feels like an extension of your home takes thoughtful planning. Whether you’re envisioning a peaceful retreat, a vibrant entertaining space, or a lush family-friendly garden, there’s more to the process than picking plants and laying paths.

By addressing key considerations early on, you can avoid costly mistakes and ensure your garden is not only beautiful but functional and enduring.

In this post, we’ll explore five essential things to keep in mind when planning a garden design: understanding your space, defining your purpose, setting a budget, choosing a style, and planning for practicalities. These steps will help you create a garden that reflects your needs and enhances your outdoor living experience. Let’s dive in!

In this blog

We’re a garden design studio in the North West of England crafting modern country gardens that seamlessly blend classic elegance with contemporary flair in Cheshire, North Wales, and the Wirral. In this blog we discuss five things to consider when you’re starting to design your garden:

1. Understand your space

2. Define your purpose

3. Set a budget

4. Choose a style or theme

5. Plan for practicalities

1. Understand Your Space

Once you know how much space you have to work with you can start working out the size and location of the different spaces you need.

Measure your garden area:

Take accurate measurements -use fixed elements to get an accurate length eg the corner of the house and then mark width measurements at regular intervals along that line. Graph paper and a scale ruler can really help with this.

Note sunlight and shade:

Observe which areas get full sun, partial shade, or full shade throughout the day. This information will help determine what uses are best for these areas.

Check soil type and condition:

As well as reacting to sun and shade, plants either thrive or die depending on what type of soil you have. Knowing the acidity or alkalinity of your soil and whether you have Sandy, Clay, Loam or Chalk soil will really help you choose the right plants for your garden. Test your soil for pH, drainage, and nutrient levels. You can buy very inexpensive PH kits from garden centres and online.

Consider existing features:

Trees, fences, pathways, or slopes may influence your design. For example is there something you wish to hide - a garage, a shed, a , neighbouring house - or highlight - a beautiful tree, seating area, a view.

2. Define Your Purpose

No one knows your garden better than you do. Think about how you would really love to use it and anything that is stopping you from doing that now. Is it just too much maintenance? Is there nowhere to sit? Does the shed have the sunniest spot (very common!),are the levels really tricky? is there nowhere for children to play? And conversely what do you love about it? The view from the kitchen window? The light in the morning? Some of the plants? How it looks in Spring?

What do you want the garden to be?

A relaxing retreat?

A space for entertaining? Somewhere you’d love to share with friends and family?

A growing space - maybe for fruit and vegetables or cut flowers?

Who will use it?

Children (what ages?), pets, or guests or multiple users? Consider functionality and safety.

Do you want low maintenance or hands-on care?

It is important to think about how much time you actually have to look after your new garden and how much time you want to look after it. Are you happy to ‘potter’? Deadheading, watering, keeping neat and tidy or are you keen to learn and grow new plants and create something. This will help you decide how much planting you want and what type.

3. Set a Budget

This can be really difficult as gardens are very different to interiors, but a good starting point is around 10% of the value of your house and then to decide the important ‘wants’ and the important ‘needs’. As Designers we have experience of how much things cost - both the things you can see and the things you can’t (ground works, drainage, electrics etc) so can help with matching your brief with your budget.

Decide how much you have available to spend on the garden

You’ll need to consider groundworks (all the preparation, removing the old garden, taking away the waste etc) materials, plants, tools, and labour.

Identity priorities

What do you really need? A patio with a dining table and a seating area you can use day and night? What would you really like? An outdoor kitchen, a play area, a flower filled oasis, a calm, green space?

Factor in planting costs

We always suggest allowing a third of the build cost for plants, improved soil, plant delivery and plant installation. Plants are what make the garden!

4. Choose a Style or Theme

Social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest as well as Garden magazines like Gardens Illustrated, the English Garden, Homes and Gardens can provide a wealth of inspiration to help you work out your garden style. Gardens are often an extension of the home and when there is a seamless flow between house and garden they tend to be the most successful.

Decide on the overall look and feel you want

- Contemporary: Minimalist designs with clean lines and symmetry, restricted planting palette.

- Romantic/Cottage garden: A mix of colourful seasonal flowers and natural textures.

- Classic but Modern: the elements of traditional English garden style but with modern materials

- Japanese: Focus on tranquility, stones, water features, and greenery.

- Wildlife-friendly: Use native plants to attract birds, bees, and butterflies.

Create a moodboard or collect images to help you keep this vision in mind while selecting plants, furniture, lighting, pots, fencing, paving.

5. Plan for Practicalities

Think about the nitty gritty of your garden - the essentials but things that may be not the prettiest of elements

Every day items

Do you need a space to hang the washing, do you need to hide the bins, do you have a BBQ that needs incorporating or will it be stored away? Childrens’ outdoor toys? Do you need to allow for a shed, an office, a summerhouse, a compost bin?

Irrigation

Will you need an irrigation system, or will hand-watering suffice? Plan for proper drainage and always an outdoor tap!

Paths and access

Ensure there are pathways for easy movement and maintenance.

Lighting

Think about ‘task’ lighting ie lighting to eat by, or lighting level changes and ambient lighting ie soft lighting hidden in the plants or uplighting trees

Once you’ve covered these basics, you will be well on your way to creating your dream garden! Or a brilliant brief for a Garden Designer! We are always happy to talk about gardens and plants. If you are thinking this is the year to enhance, improve or re-design your garden then do contact us for an initial chat.