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Garden
Design Part One
by Brendan Little
26
June '02
 It
can take many years to create a successful garden
so it is important to consider the time factor
before embarking on any design. If you are young
and intend staying in the house for the rest
of your days, well then time is on your side.
If on the other hand this is a retirement home
and you are pushing on in years you may not
be around to enjoy some of the slower growing
plants. Indeed a formal garden of beech and
yew hedging will not be for you unless you intend
leaving it for somebody else to enjoy, and there
is no harm in this at all.
The other time dimension which must be considered
is the actual amount of free time that you have
to garden. This will in no small way shape the
overall design. There is no point trying to
emulate your favourite National Trust property,
if you are not prepared to meet the real substantial
demands that this will make on your time.
Regardless of how much planning you do, always
be prepared to make alterations as the garden
develops and matures. What may look well on
paper can look very off key-as the plants mature.
Be prepared to respond to changes in the garden
as the plants mature and remember that alteration
and modification will be required at a later
date.
A successful garden will have a strong sense
of identity and every element contained therein
has a purpose, be it aesthetic or practical.
This is especially true for small gardens which
can accommodate only one vision. A larger garden
on the other hand can have room for a variety
of moods. Look at the architecture of your house
and the neighboring
Gardens, observe the plants that grow in your
area and you will learn a lot about what will
and will not grow in the soil.
How
will the garden be used?
Prior to embarking on any design list in order
of importance what you require from the garden,
will it be a haven for wildlife or a shady retreat
from a hectic office or the supplier of cut
flowers for the house. Now add to your wish
list the drab necessities of life, things such
as the oil tank, cloths line and car parking
space. Now comes the tricky bit, try to marry
these two lists together!
It
is now time to make a scale drawing of your
garden. Get some help for this task, as you
will need somebody to hold the tape. I always
make the main axis in the garden from the main
windows of the house. Go out into the garden
and take a look back to the house and consider
how you might improve its appearance. Training
some climbing plants to the walls may soften
the walls. The next stage in the process will
be to mark out the beds, paths and lawn areas
using canes and string. You may find you will
alter and reshape the beds and paths before
finally settling on your final plan. Sit back
and live with these shapes, when you are quite
satisfied with you the bones of your garden
let the fun begin. Enter the plants!
Part 2:
Planting the Garden to follow
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