First-time Gardener

Even a small area can supply you with plenty of fresh herbs and vegetables.

It is possible to have the sound of running water without a pool to maintain.

Objects best left hidden away

Some essentials are not that attractive to look at, so it’s best to decide where these are to go early on in your planning and work around them.

Dustbins: These are a particular eyesore and need to be tucked away somewhere out of sight but also not too far from the house door.

The garden shed: An essential for most gardens, providing storage for garden tools, the lawnmower, bicycles and a portable barbecue, and also overflow storage from the house. Sheds really need an all-weather pathway to them, preferably without any steps to negotiate. New sheds are often the strong colour of new timber and staining yours a very dark brown will help it to stand out less. Shrubs are useful for screening sheds from view, and if trellis is attached, climbers may be used to cover them too.

Washing lines: These fall into the same category as sheds, although they are, of course, best sited in a sunny position, close to the house. They may still be screened off from view using trellis and climbing plants, brushwood screening may be added too for an instant screening effect.

The essentials of good garden design

Now you’ve done the thinking, it’s time to put pen to paper. Whatever space you have available (even the smallest back yard), with just a bit of careful thought, it is possible to design a garden that will provide you with pleasure and enjoyment.

As you have only drawn a simple plan, refer to the photographs you have taken or go into the garden to remind yourself of other important factors that need to be considered. Slopes (see here), overhanging trees and existing trees and shrubs all need to be taken account of and, indeed, those you want to keep should already be on your plan.

As you decide on the layout of your new garden, you can start to add some more details. You may need to put up new fences or plant hedges for extra privacy, security or shelter. Shelter can affect the type of plants you can grow, and how well your plants do. It also affects your comfort in the garden (see here).

Of course, the plants are the stars of most people’s gardens, but from a design point of view it’s best to tackle the layout and arrangement of the garden first. On your plan, just be general to begin with, thinking about, for example, where you would like to see a mass of shrubs, climbers for screening, or suitable trees. Keep referring to your photographs, too – when you consider how you are going to arrange the layout of the garden, ask yourself how it will look from each window.

KIM’S TIPS

 Balance is all about equilibrium and producing visual stability between all aspects of the garden, from design to planting. For instance, a tall pergola needs an equal mass to balance it, either another tall pergola or tree, or a horizontal feature that is as wide as the pergola is tall. In planting, a balance of evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs, or small, medium and large-sized foliage, will be more pleasing to the eye.

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