Planning a gardenChoose a place where the land is loose, rich, level and well drained. Don't choose low-lying areas where water stays or the soil stays moist. Don't plant where weeds don't grow; vegetables won't grow well there either, vegetables need sunlight to grow well. Hyland adds that “it's important to consider routes before planting flowers or trees to be able to move around the garden easily”.
Paths can be made of brick, stone, or concrete and must be at least 18 inches wide so you can walk comfortably on them. Some garden designers will recommend spending 5 to 15 percent of the home's value on the garden, which, in turn, will add a similar, if not greater, amount to the value of your home, as mentioned above. With that in mind, always have a contingency fund. Ideally, between 5 and 15 percent of the total budget should be, but the higher the better, especially if you're tackling the project yourself.
While savings will be made in some areas, mistakes will inevitably be made in others. For most garden projects in the UK, you don't need to apply for a planning permit, but in certain cases, you'll need to do so. The extension of the boundary heights, the spacious terraces, the terrace platforms of more than 30 cm and the new pavements in the front garden are common examples of what you will need to obtain permission. Similarly, if you live in a conservation area, the rules can vary greatly, so always check with your local authority.
It is helpful if new plants and trees are not covered by planning permission, although existing trees may have a tree preservation order to protect them. Contact your local authority to find out. We take a look at Canon's fun SELPHY CP1300 photo printer, which aims to reintroduce physical prints into our lives. To start planning your garden, think about what you want to use the space for and what you would like it to look like.
Before you know what you want, you need to figure out what you have. Start by drawing a map of your garden with trees, shrubs, slopes, patios, and anything else there is. The map can be as formal (a scaled version on graph paper) or casual as your need for details dictates, but the more accurate it is, the more complete your garden plan will be. The Japanese influence in this garden designed by Ramon Smit and presented by Paramount Plants goes far beyond the whining Japanese maple that reflects on the water.
What gives a sense of Asian style is the meticulous maintenance of all the shrubs. Plants should be perfectly shaped, but look natural. Even floor coverings need attention to detail. Instead of grass, use moss and gravel.
If you want to include some flowering plants, make sure they reflect the color of the harsh landscape. If you want to use a border to break up a large expanse of grass, you can do without a traditional bottom and plant an island bed instead. An island bed stands alone, surrounded by a sea of grass. To be effective, it should generally be large, but in scale with the overall landscape, and should contain tall plants (4 feet or more) in the back or center of the garden.
These tall plants act as a background for their lower neighbors and give the bed the kind of presence that a small circle of compact plants lacks. However, if you're designing a new garden from scratch, you should try to do it no closer than 4 feet deep. A 2-foot wide strip along a fence or deck barely allows for a row of plants. A depth of four feet or more allows a difference in plant height between the front and back and just enough variety to maintain your interest throughout the season.
In a few years, you may decide to deepen the border to eight or ten feet. Sixteen or 20 feet isn't too much if you want to put large shrubs along the back. The necessary drawing materials are available at most stationery and art stores. You'll need a few sheets of graph paper (8.5 x 11 inch sheets with gin squares are suitable for everything except the larger edge), a straight edge, sharp pencils and an eraser.
You should also consider investing in clear tracing paper, a set of colored pencils and a compass (the kind used to draw circles and arcs), or a plastic template that artists use to draw perfect circles. Tracing paper allows you to doodle without having to redraw the basic outline of the border over and over again. Colored pencils are useful for organizing plants on the border according to the color of the flower. The compass (or template) simplifies drawing precise circles.
The easiest way to proceed is to choose a scale that allows you to adjust the entire border on a single sheet of paper. There are 44 quarter-inch squares that run along the long side of a sheet of graph paper, 8 inches high by 11 inches. If your border is 20 feet long, you'll have enough space for a two-square-per-foot scale of your garden (2 squares per foot x 20 feet %3D 40 squares). If your border is smaller, you can assign a scale with more squares per foot; if your border is larger, you'll need to use one square per foot, or perhaps give each square a value of two or more feet of space in the garden.
Other high-cost practices include the desire to achieve an instant impact, such as complex shapes and curves at garden edges; extreme precision requirements; fixed design details with no capacity for on-site adaptation; and hiring specialized retailers who have to travel a certain distance. His love for interior design grew out of a childhood spent dreaming of strange and wonderful ways to renovate his grandmother's house in France (it was a greenhouse roof) and it was spending time around attractive indoor plants and in a hard-working garden that gave him a green touch. A vegetable garden, where vegetables, fruits and herbs are grown for the table, is an essential part of a garden plan for many. Take time to talk to family and friends about why you're undertaking this project, before diving in and outlining your specific garden design goals.
This expert tip provides inspiration for all aspects of plot design, from garden decorating ideas to planting tips, and more. For example, the wide edges of a cottage garden can limit the grass area for children to play, while the plants themselves can be crushed too easily by the balls sent to them. So, accept the challenges, enjoy the surprises, and read on to discover great garden plants and design ideas for your own backyard. Establishing a design summary of what you want and need from your garden space is essential and should therefore be done early in your garden planning process.
A garden changes over the seasons, and as it matures, it's also vital to develop strategies for year-round interest and for the future. Hyland continues: “You should draw an outline of your garden on graph paper and make a list of plants, flower beds, paths and other elements that you would like to include in the design. If you're working with a large garden space and have never done a large garden project before, or don't have experienced friends or family to call when you need to know how to place a terrace, for example, consider hiring a garden designer. A landscape analysis that takes these and other factors into account is an important first step in garden planning.
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