How to design your perfect garden.
With over 12 years experience designing gardens, Chris Andrews from CMA Garden Design shares his top tips on designing your own garden.
1. How will you use your garden?
It's easy to get carried away by images of perfect lawns and extensive flower beds but if you have children or pets you need to plan a garden that will be appropriate for your needs. For example, do you need a play area or a trampoline for the children or would you like an area to grow your own vegetables? Of course that doesn't mean a garden can't be attractive as well as practical and, using a few creative approaches, we've had plenty of experience helping people to design gardens that both children and adults can enjoy.
2. How much time do you have?
This is a question that is often overlooked and a garden that needs constant upkeep when you don't have the time can be a big cause of stress. How much time do you have available? Do you want to spend a day every weekend, every month or every 6 months tending to your garden? Or are you able to have someone maintain it for you, even if it is just mowing and tending the lawn.
3. Perspective
The direction your garden faces will have a huge effect on your garden design. For example, in a South facing garden you might want a large seating area for enjoying the summer evenings but this might also mean you need some sheltered areas for the heat of the day. Equally if your garden faces East you'll benefit from morning sun but then your garden will be in shade for a significant part of the day. As well as influencing how you use your garden, this will also affect where the best location is for any planting.
4. Size and shape
The size and shape of your garden will influence the design that you choose. For example a large garden which is surrounded by mature trees and shrubs and not overlooked is likely to require a different design from a garden on a modern house or a courtyard garden. Long, thin gardens may benefit from curves in the design to soften the angles and edges and gardens on slopes may be better if developed on different levels.
5. Think structure
When imagining a perfect garden it's often easy to think of the height of summer when everything is in bloom. But a great garden has year round appeal. In Winter this may be provided by the structure of your garden from the hard landscaping (patios, walls etc) as well as the careful selection of plants for year round interest. It's also worth considering how your garden will look from different areas. Is it equally attractive from inside the house, from the first floor, from any seating area in the garden?
6. What do you like?
We have found that working with clients who have been able to express their personality and preferences in a garden has brought them a huge amount of enjoyment once the garden is completed. Creating a 'mood board' of plants you like, whether you prefer decking or patios, as well as garden furniture ideas can be a great start when it comes to the finishing touches and having a garden that is a real delight. There are lots of garden websites that can provide inspiration and apps such as Pinterest can be a great way to capture collections of images. Working with a garden designer then enables you to benefit from their expertise to bring your vision to life.
If you are interested in finding out more about CMA's Garden Design Service, contact usBy CMA Garden Design and Landscapes By CMA Garden Design and Landscapes and asked about their fixed price garden design.
