New Gardens

BASICS IN PLANNING YOUR FIRST GARDEN

When confronted with a virgin plot on a newly built housing estate, most people start with a plant here and there and before you know it an unplanned garden begins to emerge which might be a delightful hodgepodge … or perhaps not.

Here are a few guidelines to avoid disaster and help you to plan your new garden:

LinesSoftscape-Cardiff-Poppies

Visual lines are important as they trigger responses from the viewer. Straight or curved, your eye automatically follows a garden’s line. Gentle, curving lines are relaxing and restful. Straight lines create excitement and “tension.” Whatever lines you choose to work into your garden can say a lot about your personality.

Form

The outline of the different plants, trees and shrubs gives form and a variety of shapes gives character to a garden and determines its style whether formal or informal.

Proportion

Keep the size of the garden bed in proportion to what surrounds it. A small round garden in the centre of a large plot will be ineffective and if space is limited, consider using vines on trellises to give an extra dimension to your design.

Scent

Fragrances wafting in the breeze create yet another dimension, so try to locate scented plants near a path or sitting area where they will be most appreciated.

Colour

Use colour to manipulate space. If you have a large area, plant flowers in warm colours like red and yellow to make the garden seem more intimate. If you have a small space, cooler colours like blue, purple, green make the garden seem larger. In a small space masses of one colour are more effective.

Repetition

You can create a more pleasing picture when form, line, colour and textures are repeated several times.

Focal Point Garden Focal Point

This is important and you can use an interesting shrub, piece of garden art, a small pond or a gazebo as the focal point.

Year Round Pleasure

Plan your garden so that something interesting is going on throughout the year. Plant a few autumn blooming plants early in the season and they will bloom with vibrant splashes of colour up until the frosts.