I have always enjoyed gardening and have built my own from the bottom up! I have done a lot of research and been given many different pieces of advice into what comprises a 'good' garden. Yet I often worry whether I am doing things right or not. Having spent a lot of time discovering how best to design gardens myself, I thought I would collate my experiences and hopefully help others design their gardens too.
Understanding the cost
Before you even consider a plan you have to think about the cost. It will without a doubt cost more than you expected, especially if you are paying for labour time as well. Depending on how big your plans are, think about how do-able it will be to look after all the plants you are aiming to include. You may need to consider commercial grounds maintenances if the time commitment seems too overwhelming or if the grounds you are working on are too large for one person to manage alone. Especially because a half-finished garden can actually look worse than one not worked on at all. If you do not wish to spend any additional money on your gardening, Pinterest has some great boards with creative money saving tips for your garden here.
Have a plan
Once you have established a realistic budget you need to create a plan. It often helps to imagine what it will all look like together before you do it, using a model or any kind of design gardening app will make your planning easier. This offers an overview even at the design stage which is really helpful, especially if there is a key image or personality that you want your garden to show. I often find checking in with other people’s opinions at this stage very useful as they can spot things that become easily missed when you are used to the design.
Colour clashing
This should fall together in your plan but make sure it is in mind! Although sometimes an inconsistent colour theme can work, often it looks unsightly and messy. Be sure to follow gardening trends throughout the year, gardening forums and magazines are excellent for picking up inspiration for your garden and a great way to see which colours work well together.
Animal encounters
I am sure any level of gardener is aware that it is never ust
you in your garden! Many other different forms of wildlife will be there too.
Be prepared and think about what your plants, soil, fertilisers etc will
attract. For example, brightly coloured flowers will undoubtedly attract bees,
so if you are not a fan of this be sure to avoid them. Pretty looking flowers can
attract deers, so you may want to put in some bitter tasting flowers to prevent
them from coming back. Also think about how
to attract the creatures you need and want in your garden, this can largely
depend on which region you are in and the wildlife local to you so be sure to
research this first.
See everything
By this I mean see all your areas of the garden, look at all
the angles and places your garden will be perceived. This may seem like an
obvious tip but its really crucial to achieve a professional finish, and you would
be surprised with the amount of people that don’t fully do this. Look at your
gardens from different parts of the house etc. Following on from my earlier
comment again, it is helpful to ask for opinions and advice at this stage as
your intention of the design will come through but you can still make
amendments.
I hope this article has triggered some thoughts you can add
to develop your own garden… Feel free to add your own thoughts and experience’s in the comments section!
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