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Garden Design Guide

Garden design is all about preparation and making the right decisions about what is achievable with your outdoor space.

Before you start your design, take a look at the garden itself. Even if you're not a seasoned gardener you can make one or two decisions based on simple logic. For example, if your garden doesn't get showered with sunlight because it is surrounded by trees, fences or anything else, it isn't going to be a good idea to plant hundreds of flowers. Flowers need light from the sun to live.

Once you've properly assessed your land, you're ready to start your garden design. A good starting point is to pick a style, as it means you won't get confused with all of the products available on the market and you'll maintain a consistent image, which is important for any garden. So whether you want a contemporary garden, a Japanese style garden or traditional garden, make your choice and stick to it. If you're not sure about what styles of garden design you like, then do some research online as there are many websites that can advise you on this.

Once you've got a style in mind, get your tape measure out and make a note of the dimensions of your garden. This is important as you'll more than likely need to know how much space you have to work with at many different stages of the design process.

With your style and measurements in place, you can now start drafting out your initial design. To keep it simple to start of with, just use a pencil and paper to produce a crude sketch, detailing where you'd like certain objects and features to be. Once you've figured out an arrangement you like, consider whether it is feasible and realistic with the time, space and budget you have available. Without all three of these things in place, you might have to think about refining your design.

Once you've got to this stage, it is worth downloading some free garden design software from the internet to take your planning to the next level. Use your sketch and create a more detailed 3D image of your new garden to make sure it will work as you'd initially hoped. This software will allow you to see things from different angles, offering insight you might have otherwise missed out on, and ensuring you minimise the amount of costly mistakes you make.

Garden Design Ideas For a Beginner

If you haven't got green fingers, don't really have a clue about DIY and need some help planning your new garden, here are some garden design ideas to consider.

The most important part of any garden design is the initial planning. Get this right and everything else becomes far easier. Get it wrong and you're left facing an uphill struggle, having to solve all kinds of problems along the way.

Start by wandering around your garden and jotting down the things you like about it and the things you're not so sure about. What do you want to change? Are your changes realistic? Are they easy to do? Do you have the time and money to invest? All of these questions need to be considered and answered before you do anything else.

Once you've got passed the initial review, list all of the essential items you want or need in your garden design. Then start sketching out a rough outline of where you want everything to be positioned. Once you've planned somewhere for all the essentials, you can start adding the other more luxurious or personal items to your design. However, don't fill your garden with all kinds of things to start of with as you'll end up with a cluttered and busy design. Unlike interior design, it is a good idea to the skeleton of your garden designed and built and then add to it gradually over time.

To move your sketch up a level, use garden design software which can be downloaded from the web for free. This will give you far more in-depth ideas about what you can achieve with your garden and what the finished product will look like.

Once you think you've got your design worked out, stay online and use the internet to get prices on all the new things you need for your garden design. You'll probably find the choice available to be far wider. Even if you prefer to visit high street shops, the web is a great place to look for ideas and get inspiration.