Planning your garden design – where is the best place to put everything?

Think about your view..

Laying out your garden is one of the most important decisions you can make in planning your garden design. Where do you put the seating? Will that plant grow in the shade? How do I get from the house to the bottom of the garden? Here are some handy tips to consider when planning your space.

Consider where in the garden gets the most sun during the day. If you are out for most of the day, you will probably want to place your seating area where the evening sun falls. Similarly if you have a South facing garden and you get sun all day, in most of the garden, you may find that you have too little shade. This can always be achieved with the addition of a tree or a sunshade.

It is common practice, to put a shed at the bottom of the garden, where it can’t be seen and it’s out of the way. This doesn’t make makes sense though if this is the sunniest area of your garden. There is nothing to stop you putting your shed into a shady, more difficult area to plan for. Sheds can always be screened or covered with a climbing plant.

If you have a view to die for, up the anti by maximising its full potential. If you live in a block of flats, weigh up your options with regard to the view and seating. Is it worth being in a more exposed spot as the view there is much better, or do you need to shelter from the wind – can you create seating space for both eventualities if necessary? Similarly if you have an awesome view, you may need to raise the floor slightly in order to maximise its full potential-do it! Make sure any guest to your garden can really see your greatest assets!

It may be prudent to have to seating areas to follow the sun as it moves around the garden. If there is space I think it’s great to have a “soft” area as well as the dining area. Ideally they should be diagonally opposite to allow you to create journey through the garden.