How to layout your garden- 10 points to consider
Garden layout with steps and raised planting beds
Are you becoming confused when trying to plan a new layout for your garden? Clients often come to us when they feel like they have tied themselves in knots, trying to work out where the different elements in their outside space should go. Here are our top tips and points to consider when planning a new layout for your garden.
Most gardens include a patio and it is important to find the best place to site this. Many people choose to have their terrace close to their house, for easy access and so that they can bring out food and drinks when entertaining. However it is also important to think about the best sun spots in your garden. If you like to relax in the sunshine, it may be that you need to include more than one patio area, in order to make the most of your outdoor space.
It is also important to consider how large your patio terrace should be? Think about how many friends and family you might want to entertain regularly and look at the size of garden furniture needed to accommodate this number of people. Also ensure that you have plenty of room to move around the furniture, so that the space does not feel ‘pinched’.
Do you need an area of lawn and how large should this be? Whilst it is common for gardens to have an area of grass, particularly if the house is home to small children or pets, this is not absolutely necessary. If the garden is too shady for grass to thrive, would you be better devoting your garden to other types of soft landscaping? Would you prefer wider planting beds which might allow for a more interesting planting scheme?
How large should your planting beds be? We find that one of the most common reasons for clients’ dissatisfaction with a garden is that the space feels unbalanced and lacking in interest. This is often because planting beds, particularly on the boundaries, feel too narrow and possibly just a little bit ‘mean’. The depth of your planting beds should always be in proportion with other elements of the garden and we find that in a typical, medium sized garden, planting beds which are at least 1.5 metres wide allow for more attractive planting options, which will create interest throughout the year.
Think about possible focal points in your garden, which will draw your eye to a particular section. This may be particularly attractive tree or possibly a garden sculpture. It may even be a well placed bench towards the end of your garden, which draws the eye and reminds you to visit areas of your garden further away from your house.
Do you need to include garden storage in your outdoor space? If you are intending to be involved with the maintenance of your garden you will probably need a shed in which to store a lawnmower, rake and possibly spades. Also are your family keen cyclists who would like secure storage for their bikes? Will your shed need to be large enough to accommodate garden furniture and cushions, particularly over winter? If you do have storage requirements, whether it is a shed, bike store or cushion box which best suits your needs, make sure to plan where these will be positioned in the garden. Ideally storage should be placed so that you can easily retrieve the items you need (nobody wants to try to find the furniture cushions, squashed right at the back of the garden shed…) but equally they may be best placed so that they are not directly in the line of sight.
Would you like to include practical garden accessories such as a washing line? This should be sited so that it is easily accessible from the kitchen or utility room, away from planting areas and ideally so that you can stand on a hard surface to peg out and retrieve your laundry.
Would you like to include a vegetable patch in the new layout of your garden? We find that this is on many clients’ wish lists, particularly if they have young children and want to inspire the next generation of budding gardeners. Ensure that your vegetable patch is in a sunny part of your garden ( ideally it should benefit from 6 hours of sunshine a day) and that the ground is level. If you are new to vegetable gardening, our advice would be to create a growing plot which is large enough to inspire you to get growing - but not so large that you become overwhelmed with the necessary gardening maintenance.
You may also want to include an area where rubbish and composting bins can be hidden from sight. This is definitely something which it is best to plan for, rather than being an afterthought at the end of your garden works.
Finally, think about how you will move around your garden and plan some well positioned paths. Make sure that you can easily reach the shed and the rubbish bins as well as the more obvious patio areas. Think about what are called the ‘desire lines’ in your garden and the route which you would most naturally walk. If paths are too far removed from these desire lines, then you may find yourself wearing a muddy track in the lawn when you need to bring in your laundry.
It is important to carefully consider all of these points and to plan your new garden layout, before you begin carrying out any garden landscaping. It may seem that there are many factors to be considered, so if you would like some help with planning the layout of your garden, we are only too happy to help. Do get in touch for an initial informal chat.