Design Your Garden
Step 2: Exploring Your Options
You wouldn't dream of building a house without carefully designing it first so it's amazing how many gardens are just left to their own devices. However, you control your garden's destiny and with a bit of thought, the average garden can offer its owner far more flexibility and pleasure. You can even design a garden that's a lot less work. Below, we've set out some things you need to think about as you explore your options towards having a garden of your choosing.
Starting out
Your garden may be formed from the remains of a previous owner's ideas or from the ruins of your own efforts. If you've just moved into a newly-constructed house, you may even be lucky enough to be beginning with a blank canvas.
Whatever your starting point, you need to decide what you want from your new garden and these days, there are a vast number of options in garden design, encompassing everything from a traditional cottage-style garden to an ultra-modern layout of hard landscaping. As a result, you should think very carefully about how you're likely to be using the space.
Wants, needs, desires
There's a lot to consider. Do you long for lazy afternoons, sitting in the sunshine? Then you'll be wanting somewhere comfortable to sit that catches the most sun. Do you have energetic kids? Then you'll need to include an area where they can let off steam. Do you like to potter? Then maybe a greenhouse will be right for you. Do you have pets? Is security very important? How much time will you have to maintain it?
Then aside from all these practical requirements, you of course can't neglect your aesthetic needs! Do you yearn for your garden to be a lush oasis of colour and scent or would you prefer something far more minimal and designer? All these issues will point you in the direction of the garden you're after help you to decide what features you wish to include.
Get practical
So, if you've got kids and want them to play in the garden as much as possible, and be safe, read Creating a Child-Friendly Garden and Children's Garden. Creating a Pet-Friendly Garden will help you to take measures to ensure any pets you have will be safe and secure within your new space. Having a family and/or pets will also mean that Safety and Security in the Garden is very important to you.
Your garden may be formed from the remains of a previous owner's ideas or from the ruins of your own efforts. If you've just moved into a newly-constructed house, you may even be lucky enough to be beginning with a blank canvas.
Whatever your starting point, you need to decide what you want from your new garden and these days, there are a vast number of options in garden design, encompassing everything from a traditional cottage-style garden to an ultra-modern layout of hard landscaping. As a result, you should think very carefully about how you're likely to be using the space.
Wants, needs, desires
There's a lot to consider. Do you long for lazy afternoons, sitting in the sunshine? Then you'll be wanting somewhere comfortable to sit that catches the most sun. Do you have energetic kids? Then you'll need to include an area where they can let off steam. Do you like to potter? Then maybe a greenhouse will be right for you. Do you have pets? Is security very important? How much time will you have to maintain it?
Then aside from all these practical requirements, you of course can't neglect your aesthetic needs! Do you yearn for your garden to be a lush oasis of colour and scent or would you prefer something far more minimal and designer? All these issues will point you in the direction of the garden you're after help you to decide what features you wish to include.
Get practical
So, if you've got kids and want them to play in the garden as much as possible, and be safe, read Creating a Child-Friendly Garden and Children's Garden. Creating a Pet-Friendly Garden will help you to take measures to ensure any pets you have will be safe and secure within your new space. Having a family and/or pets will also mean that Safety and Security in the Garden is very important to you.
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