When you’re new to gardening, the idea of landscaping your outside space can feel overwhelming. Where do you start? What rules should you follow? And are there any you can break? To shed some light on the dos and don’ts of the design process, here’s ten garden landscaping tips you need to know.
Make space
Although you don’t always need to begin with a blank canvas, it’s a good idea to give your garden a clear out before you start landscaping. Removing clutter and features that are past their best, helps to create more space and makes your garden easier to work in.
Get rid of eyesores that are letting your garden’s appearance down. Cut back overgrown trees and bushes and remove old stumps. Clear out rotten benches, dilapidated sheds and broken pots. Then, use screening to hide things you can’t remove such as bins and LPG tanks.
If you’re removing an old shed or garage, do take care, as these structures can be rickety and sometimes contain hazards like asbestos.
Decide on one style
The main purpose of landscaping is to give your garden a cohesive design. So, start by deciding on the style of garden you want. Pick one theme or type of garden, such as Mediterranean, contemporary, coastal, cottage or gravel, and use that as your guide for the materials and plants you use.
Get the balance right
When landscaping any garden, it’s important to get a balance between hard and soft scaping. This will help you achieve a garden with that’s both practical and interesting. For instance, too large a patio area could create a space that looks dull and grey but having too small a patio will leave your seating area cramped.
That said, you don’t want to end up with two equal squares of patio and lawn. So, try to link different spaces naturally and think about bringing in different shapes and textures to make your design more dynamic.
Think about height
You also want to avoid having a completely flat garden. Not only will it look boring but it can emphasise the size of a compact garden. So, try think about ways in which you can add a bit of height.
Although it’s tempting just to build up around the edges with planting, try to work in some height variation throughout the plot. Perhaps a central seating area with a pergola, some clever terracing or a multi-level water feature could liven up your design?
Spread features out
It’s good to have a focal point in your garden but you needn’t stick to one stand-out feature. You could sprinkle the features out across your garden, so every area is worth exploring and spending time in. For example, you could break up a lawn with an ornamental tree or bird table and liven up a neglected corner with a small deck or wildlife pond.
Don’t be afraid to mix materials
When you’re choosing your landscaping materials, don’t be afraid to mix it up a bit. Not only will this add interest, but it could save you money. For instance, you could use a mix of porcelain tiles and gravel for your seating areas and paths, rather than tiling the whole lot.
Create some privacy
If you’re overlooked by neighbours, you might want to think about increasing privacy. There are multiple ways to do this, so it shouldn’t be hard to work some screening into your design.
Trees and shrubs are handy for directly blocking out the neighbours while tall flowers and grasses can be used close to seating areas to blur the view.
Topping fences with trellis is a great way to add privacy without blocking light but you could also build a pergola over your seating area. A canopy or climbing plants will increase the screening overhead and will provide additional shade on sunny days.
Know what soil you have
Before you start buying plants, it’s a good idea to work out what type of soil you have. Many plants are fussy about their growing conditions and some will only grow in acidic or loamy soils. That’s not to say you can’t have certain plants as you can always enrich beds or grow in pots, but it can save you wasting money on unsuitable plants.
Take your time with planting
When you do start buying plants, take your time. You don’t need to buy everything at once. Start with just a few plants. That way you’ll have time to give them the attention they need.
Plants may be slow growing, so give them time to spread out and fill your borders, rather than trying to stuff your garden with plants straight away. This could save you a lot of money and effort. If you do need to fill some gaps in your borders, look for plants that are naturalising and self-seeding or work as ground cover, to fill those spaces cost-effectively.
Consider future maintenance
Whatever plants and materials you decide to include in your landscape design, it’s important to think about the maintenance involved.
Ask yourself whether materials will need a lot of care such as cleaning, sealing and painting and whether plants will need a lot of pruning and feeding. These tasks all take time, so it’s worth thinking about the amount of work you want to be doing in the future.
