Designing and Planning your Garden

Planning and designing your new garden can be quite an exciting prospect. Whether you are redesigning it from scratch or overhauling your current garden, careful planning will result in the beautiful garden of your dreams.

The first things to take into consideration when designing your garden are :-

• Where does the sun fall? This will determine any areas of shade or full sun in your garden. All plants need sun to grow, but not all plants have the same requirements. Brunnera, Astilbe, Heuchera and Hostas thrive in full shade, whereas Roses, Asters and Helianthemum perform best when they are in full sun. It's not only the plants you need to consider when planning your garden, you don't want your dining area to be dazzled with the bright glare of the sun all day, nor do you want your sunbathing area to be in deep shade! You'll also need to take into consideration any large trees or buildings which cast shade over your garden at certain times of the day.

Aspect is an important consideration

• What is the soil like? Determining your soil type will help you to decide what you can plant and where. Testing the pH of your soil will help you to decipher what yours is. The easiest way is to collect two samples of soil from the same place. Add 50ml of vinegar to one, if it fizzes then your soil is alkaline. Add water to the second sample until it is very wet and muddy. Sprinkle baking soda onto this sample. If it fizzes then your soil is acidic. If neither fizz, try adding more vinegar and baking soda to the respective samples. If there is still no fizzing, then it is likely that your soil is neutral. Rhododendrons, Acers and Callunas grow best in acidic conditions, Syringa and Corylus prefer a more alkaline soil, whereas Abies, Epimedium and Daphne will grow in any neutral soils.

Soil type is a key consideration when planning your garden

Soil type 

• Do you need privacy? If you are overlooked by your neighbours or by passersby, you may wish to consider planting a hedge, such as Privet plants, Rosa canina, beech trees or Buxus sempervirens. You could also create a screen with tall grasses and bamboos, such as Phyllostachys aureosulcata f. spectabilis, Fargesia murieliae or Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus'.

Hedging as a privacy screen

• How much time can you give to your garden? You need to be honest with yourself and think about how much time you can dedicate to your garden. If you can only spare a few hours at the weekend, then you don't want a huge lawn with lots of intricate flower beds and fruit trees to attend. The more time you can spend in your garden, the more elaborate it can be. Even if you can only spare an hour or two a week, you can still have a fabulous garden full of low maintenance plants.

Although it is important to ensure your garden looks good in terms of design, unless you take into consideration the plants optimum locations and needs, you could end up with a garden full of unhappy, unhealthy plants.

Choosing a theme

When choosing a theme or style for your garden, it is important to take into consideration the actual size and location of your garden. Although you may want to create a large wildflower meadow, a second-floor balcony doesn't easily lend itself to that. This doesn't mean you can't have the wildflowers you dream of, you just need to go about it in a different manner.

Oriental Themed Garden

Chic and sleek, oriental gardens can bring the taste of the orient to any garden, no matter the size. Whether you have a large plot to play with or a container garden, this style can be achieved. Peace, tranquillity and nature are all essential in oriental garden design, with rocks, water, plants and ornaments being the key elements. 

Japanese-themed oriental garden

Larger garden oriental theme

If space is not an issue, then a water feature would make an excellent focal point for your oriental garden. If you already have water on your plot, perhaps a stream, then consider adding an oriental bridge to complement the design. Choose simplistic and naturalistic paving materials to mark a path or defining areas, such as gravel, natural stone or exposed concrete. Groundcover plants can be used to disguise any harsh lines or edges. Japanese figures can be nestled in among your plants to create added interest or consider adding a pagoda if you have space.

Suggested plants

Aucuba japonica 'Crotonifolia'

Acer palmatum 'Katsura'

Fargesia nitida

Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris

Hamammelis x intermedia 'Diane'

Wisteria sinensis ' Prolific'

Smaller garden oriental theme

No matter how small your garden, you can still bring the Orient into it. Plain terracotta pots can be filled with small grasses and bamboos, with stonewashed pebbles used to disguise the base. Specimen Japanese Acers, flowering cherries or larger Bamboos can be used in your borders or beds to create a statement. You could even include a small water feature to add an extra dimension.

Suggested plants

Astrantia major 'Claret'

Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'

Pieris japonica 'Valley Valentine'

Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'

Rhododendron azalea japonica 'Explorer'

Pleioblastus pygmaeus Distichus

Low maintenance

If you can't dedicate as much time as you'd like to your garden, then consider a low-maintenance garden. Keep your planting areas small with plenty of hardy, evergreen shrubs which require little to no pruning. Lawns can be quite time-consuming so consider either downsizing yours or replacing it with gravel or a paved area with pots and containers. Choosing plants which provide year-round interest will also remove the need to change your planting depending on the season. 

Cornus are low maintenance plants that will tolerate wet soils

Suggested plants

Mahonia aquifolium 'Apollo'

Cornus alba 'Sibirica'

Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet'

Hebe 'Youngii'

Berberis darwinii

Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow'

Wildlife garden

With bees in decline, many people are choosing to turn their garden into a haven for wildlife and nature. You can achieve this whether you have acres of land or just a few pots and containers. Having a pond encourages pond life into your garden, such as frogs and newts. Wildlife habits can be made for lacewings and ladybirds. Lawns provide little benefit to wildlife, so you may want to consider replacing it with a wildflower lawn. Birds love berries, so having fruit bushes or winter berrying shrubs will encourage them into your garden all year round.

You might be surprised what you can attract to a wildlife garden

Suggested plants

Sedum telephium 'Purple Emperor'

Helenium 'Moerheim Beauty'

Sorbus commixta

Pyracantha Saphyr Orange 'Cadange'

Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red'

Malus x robusta 'Red Sentinel'

Cottage garden

Bring that whimsical feeling of times gone by back into your garden with a cottage style. The key points to consider are creating an informal feeling, having your borders, beds and pots bursting with colours, combining ornamental with edible and it's also worth considering fragrant plants. Climbing and rambling plants help to create that informal feeling, as does playing with the heights of your borders. If you have a smaller garden, consider using alternative items as containers, such as old watering cans, chimney pots or even old pallets and wooden boxes.

Colourful flowers in a cottage garden

Suggested plants

Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote'

Rosa 'Albertine'

Aquilegia 'Blue Barlow'

Delphinium 'Blue Bird'

Kniphofia 'Royal Castle'

Allium schoenoprasum

No matter which style you choose, careful planning and consideration will result in a beautiful garden for years to come.