New Year, New Garden
Now that the dust has settled on the Christmas and New Year festivities, many of us finally have time to begin planning for the year ahead. If you are looking out at your winter garden and feeling disappointed by the sparse planting beds, tired and neglected paving and garden furniture which has seen better days, the beginning of the year is an excellent time to plan changes to your garden. These changes will stand you in good stead for creating your dream garden, ready for the summer months.
However, as with many personal goals you may have for making changes this year, planning a new garden can feel overwhelming, particularly if you are hoping to make big changes. If you are looking to completely redesign your garden, it can be difficult to know where to begin….
This is where a garden designer will help you. A designer can help you to think about exactly how you want to use the garden and design the garden layout to make the best use of your outdoor space. They will also help you to consider whether there are any plants which you want to remove and to plan a new planting scheme, which will give you more interest throughout the year. And importantly, a garden designer will be able to introduce you to a reliable garden landscaper, who will be able to carry out any necessary works. In short, a garden designer will hold your hand and guide you through the process, so that it no longer seems so daunting.
Is January a good time to contact a garden designer?
Absolutely yes! This is an excellent time of year to plan any changes to your garden and your preferred garden designer is more likely to have time available to work with you. It is important that you work with a garden designer whose style you like, so take some time to look at different designers’ portfolios of the gardens they have created, to find somebody whose style really resonates with your own.
Creating a new outdoor space will usually take several months, so if you want to work with a particular garden designer, it is a good idea to contact them early in the year so to have the best chance of the garden being ready for the summer.
I don’t need to completely redesign my garden; is winter a good time to plan other improvements to my outdoor space?
Yes, it is also the perfect time to plan more minor changes you might want to make to your garden such as:-
Looking at the structure of your planting; do you have enough evergreen plants and trees to create interest throughout the winter months? Are there parts of the garden where this is lacking where you need to plant something new?
Planting new trees or shrubs in root ball or bare root form. These are usually cheaper than specimens grown in containers and can be planted in winter, when they are dormant.
Planning any flower or vegetable seeds you would like to sow. Even when it is be too cold to comfortably work in the garden, you can keep cosy and get ahead with ordering and planting seeds indoors. Your seedlings will then be ready to plant out at the right time of year.
Checking to see if any fences need to be repainted. Winter is often a good time to look at fences which are hidden by planting in the summer months and you can plan to paint them when temperatures are warm enough.
And finally, would you like to replace some of your garden furniture this year? Suppliers will often have special offers during the winter, so this could be a good time to grab yourself a bargain.
If we can help you to plan your perfect garden for the summer months, do get in touch at sarah@hampsteadgardendesign.com.