First Steps To Planning Your New Garden

1 List all of the things you love about your garden.
2 Now list the things you’re not so keen on - the things that keep you indoors and stop you from using your garden.
3 Think of all the ways you would use your garden if you possibly could.
4 Visit public gardens to get a feel for the style you might like.
5 Set a budget for your garden makeover.
6 Contact an APL garden designer to help you design and craft the  garden of your dreams.

What Do You Love About Your Garden?
No garden is all bad - in fact most people will agree that there’s no substitute for having speedy and FREE access to outdoor space.  Somewhere that you can feel the sun on your face, breathe in the fresh air and just ‘be’. 

No matter how awful you think your garden is right now, It’s a good thing to start the process of planning your new garden its potential.  When you can see a glimmer of hope, you’re more likely to be determined to make more of your outdoor space.

You may need to think hard about the answers to this question. But here are a few possibilities.
Great views of the sky and/or the surrounding area
Sun trap - lovely and warm even if the weather is slightly chilly
Sheltered from cruel winds
Beautifully exposed so that you can enjoy all weathers
Saves you money by offering somewhere to dry laundry without using the tumble drier
Ideal space for storing bikes, bins, toys etc so they don’t clutter up the home
Visited by wildlife
Allows you to grow fruit and veg
 These are all points that your garden designer will take account of when planning your new garden.

How Would You Like To Use Your Garden?
It doesn’t matter if your garden is tiny or enormous, nothing should stop you dreaming of the ways you’d like to use it. And you may be surprised, even if you think a particular activity would be impossible in the space, your garden designer may well be able to come up with an innovative solution.  Sometimes if we stand too close to a problem we can’t see a solution.

When you are writing your list of how you’d like to use your garden please don’t forget the mundane stuff.  You may dream of a hot tub with an outdoor cinema and space to entertain friends. But where will you put the wheelie bin? Make the list as long as you like - the longer the better. And keep returning to it to add more activities as they spring to mind.

At this stage of planning your new garden, your focus should be on function.  Don’t worry about choosing patio tiles or selecting light fittings just yet.  Your garden designer needs to work out which features to include in your concept plan and where to position them in the garden.

For example, your wish list of activities might include drinking a G and T in the garden at 8pm on a Sunday evening before another weeks work.  That implies a mood as well as a garden feature.  Your garden designer might suggest a small patio, with a covered area and lighting, an outdoor dining area and perhaps surrounded by scented plants that give a great fragrance to evening.

Visiting Other Gardens To Set The Style.
What would you like your new garden to look like? Are your tastes minimalist or do you lean more towards a romantic look and feel? Do other members of the household have different tastes to your own?  Planning a new garden means creating something for all the family to enjoy. That’s not always easy but an experienced garden designer will be able to help.

Visiting other gardens will give you a good idea of what has been done in the past.  You’ll be able to evaluate different styles and features and maybe even find something that everyone in the house can agree on.

Take photos and use them to create a mood board.  Use Pinterest too - it’s a great resource. And look for inspiration on social media. Ultimately planning your new garden has to be about creating a space that’s uniquely tailored to your tastes and your needs.  But there’s nothing wrong in borrowing ideas from gardens that you admire.

The charity Perennial has some beautiful gardens around the UK which help raise funds for the gardener’s benevolent fund.  Take a look at their website and see if there’s one near you.