Planning a New Garden

If you’ve always wanted to try gardening, or want to give your oputdoor space a revamp, but are flabergasted by where to start – here are some tips!

Its all a bit daunting but…

If you can, actually outline the space on the ground, or if you have access, go sit in the garden with paper and pencils. Coloued ones are good for indicating plants / colour you want.

If not draw a scale shape of the garden ( i.e 2cm = 1 meter) on a piece of paper.

Look at where the sun comes into the garden (use a compass if theres no sun!), and draw this on the corner of the drawing.

East ( morning) sun is weaker, South (midday) sun is strongwst, and west (afternoon) sun is middle strength, but best when combined with southfacing sun. Don’t forget about the trees around your garden, or outside your garden that might block sun and suck out water from the soil.

Sun = good for plants, veggies, and sunbathing, so take all these things into account.

Shade = good areas for ferns, woodland plants, and a storage area if done nicely.

Try to visualize how you enter the garden, and what you would like to see, keeping in mind its always good to break up the garden into rooms – it gives a feeling of size, and fun to the space.

Don’t worry if you don’t know plants, or their names. Draw blocks in colour, and shape, and by feel for the overall design. Take pics for the next few months of plants you like, and see if they would work in your design!

Use tissue paper or tracing paper over the scale shape of the space. I tend to use one for the hard ground, one for water and soft features, and a couple more for plants and trees.

Just have fun, and if you don’t like it, try again!