How do you start with planning a garden?

[parrotonmyshoulder]

We have a grass square with scruffy borders. Some good plants in place - a pear tree, a nice ‘damp corner’ that works, some honeysuckle along one fence. Currently there is a swing set that the children want to keep. There is a decking area on a different storey - I suppose a key is making the garden look good from there, an aerial view.
This will be a long term thing, obviously. Where do you start?

No chance of it becoming a nice lawn - DH fights it every year and it doesn’t want to grow. So I’m thinking that breaking it up and not trying to have a lawn will be much better. Low maintenance though! Not enough time to garden often.

Yes, try and take a view from upstairs or from different angles. Particularly what you see when you look out from the house or from any seating areas.

-Measure it
-If you can, draw it to scale and put all the current features in (particularly any large plants or trees - they often cover more area than you think)

• What aspect is it? North/south facing?
• What sort of soil is it? You might think about taking a sample and doing a test to see if it is acid/alkali
• How much maintenance/gardening do you want to do? Something like meadow turf can be lower maintenance, you only need to strim it twice a year or so.
• How else will you use the garden? Entertaining? Working?
• How can you encourage wildlife? Not being too tidy or decked over, having a wildlife pond (or even a bucket.
• Lower maintenance plants - things like lavender, marjoram, sage and a lot of alpines. Hardy native plants and shrubs. Slow growing shrubs like Acers. Bulbs once you've gone to the effort of putting them in.

Now is a good time of year to plot where the sun goes in your garden at different times of the day. Which areas get full sun, where is it shady, where does it get morning sun and evening sun.

From there you can think about areas that you want to use, and why. Play areas for children, seating/eating area , garden storage etc. That way you don’t end up putting your shed in the sunniest part of the garden. I didn’t realise for years that the area of my garden that got the best late afternoon and early evening sun was covered in lilac. When I got them cleared it was a revelation!

Then you will see what space is available for planting, and what conditions are like. Think about what the planting is for and what you want out of your plants. Privacy, vegetables, herbs, interesting plants, ground cover, view from the house,low maintenance etc.

As others have said, and once you’ve got the aspect sorted I would look on Pinterest at garden ideas, you’ll find loads of lovely ideas there.

A lot depends on what you want and like.
Are you the type that wants a colour scheme with neat rows and borders?
Do you want easy maintenance or do you have the time to maintain a more labour intensive scheme?
Where do you live? South or north have quite a difference in weather so where I am in the south I might be happy to put in bedding plants in April but the same plants might need to wait until later in may the further north you go.
I am a if I like it I plant it type of gardener. I don’t mind if something pink sprouts up in the middle of a bunch of yellow or orange but that would drive other gardeners crazy. I like lots of curves so no straight line flower beds, lawn or patio. Others might want straight lines and squares.
Gardens are a matter of personal taste and lifestyle and once you have got the basis of what you like then the rest tends to evolve around it.

Thank you for all your comments. I have spent some time on Pinterest! I don’t have a lot of time but am also not a perfectionist when it comes to things like gardens. I will pretty much want to plant things I like, so will need to check they’re going in the right area and will suit the soil etc.

Lots of great advice on here.

When considering plants also think about some winter interest (evergreens, seed heads etc). I also think it is important to consider the longevity of plants and when they flower. Some plants are beautiful but only flower for a week, where else some flowers are equally beautiful and will keep going for about 6 months.

I’ve just taken over a garden (because we moved house) and flowers that I am adding to it look good from around July to Nov. I’ve got a few bits that will come out before then but the main ‘show’ is going to be summer and autumn.

You can also binge watch gardening makeover programs like ‘Garden Rescue’ and ‘Your garden made perfect’ on iplayer.

As another pp says, measure it and draw it on a large-is sheet of paper. Also mark in where you have sun and shade at different times of year.

Make a list of what you have, and what you want to keep where it is. Draw the things you want to keep on the plan.

Then make another list of things you'd like to have. See where they would be likely to fit in to the existing plan, remembering things like a washing line, bins, bike storage etc. You could draw them to scale on bits of paper, and move them about on the plan till they fit nicely, like you were reorganising furniture.

Take photos out of all the windows that face the garden. Is there anything unattractive (like a bin store) or a view you want to disguise? That will give you an idea of where you could plant things to draw the eye away from the view, or for screening.

If you are deciding where to put things like flower beds, then you can mark them out with hosepipe or a trail of play sand. Then go in the house and look at it from all angles. That will help you see what looks best.

Start looking at things in neighbouring gardens to find out what grows well in your locality, and that will give you an idea of what to have in yours. Get talking to them, and you never know - you might get given all sorts of seeds, cuttings and surplus plants.

if you want to make the garden seem bigger, plan winding paths through the space. especially if you are getting rid of the lawn, then it can be good to make a sunny patio to sit on, with a not-straight path to get there.

I've just finished watching 'your garden made perfect' on I player.
It's great...loads of ideas and gives a bit on an insight into the design process....I got lots of tips from it.

You could rip out poor lawn and possibly put bark chippings under children's swing. Stop it getting muddy there. Railway sleepers in front of borders hold back soil in place. Plant a few perennials that will come up every year as a cheaper option. Instead of grass you could lay out black membrane to suffocate weeds, then lay a stone circle in the middle put other outer circle stones around. You can get some that look like segments and work out in layers. It looks effective when finished. Pop a table and chairs on there with parasol. Sunflowers planted against a wall with a cord to hold them up straight. They do not need any effort at all. Get the kids involved. They could see who's sunflower 🌻 grows the tallest. Dahlias can be planted and just a bit of water and they will produce a very bright and colourful display that will last from June to September. You can pick for the house too and the more you pick the more flowers will grow. You can buy hanging bags with several layers and they look.stunni g if planted up with Busy Lizzie's and hung down a wall. If honeysuckle grows well in your garden a Budelia (butterfly bush) might be good as they like similar soils.

Why have you reactivated a thread nearly three years old to post your link?