How To Start Getting Ready For a Garden Overhaul
To get the best from a garden, particularly if you’re starting from scratch, or at least intending to make some major overhauls, a structured plan is where you need to start. There are certain styles of garden that present themselves more authentically if they appear less structured; such as a wild woodland garden or something with a country cottage style, but generally, a strong theme or recognisable pattern is a major feature of a well designed garden.
If it’s the actual plants that you’re more interested in as opposed to the hard landscaping aspect, it’s perfectly possible and acceptable to achieve this well designed look by making use of clever planting arrangements, well thought out colour schemes and good use of shape, balance and texture. Having said that, it is usually the hard landscaping that provides the framework for the rest of the garden. If on the other hand you’ve taken over an already mature garden, perhaps with numerous large shrubs and trees, and the thought of a major reconstruction job is too much to consider; it is possible to bring in a transformation with a few simple modifications.
Planning the overhaul of an entire garden can seem like a huge task, and indeed, unless you’re an experienced gardener or landscaper, you’d be right. The key is to break the task down into phases. This not only makes it easier on the finances, but psychologically makes the job much more approachable. This way of tackling the task doesn’t just apply for larger gardens; don’t be tempted to underestimate the work involved in a re-work of a small plot either! When you have your plan down on paper, it is then much more straight forward to work out the logistics of what needs doing and when. It is also perfectly acceptable to do a section this year; and the next section next year. I’m assuming that you’re not going anywhere soon!
When you tackle one section at a time, the trick is to complete it in as much detail as you can. There is nothing worse than having a job nearly finished but not quite, then trying to get on with the next section. Before you know it, you’re left with six big projects on the go, the ‘to-do’ list is still so huge and not one thing is finished. This situation will be a major stumbling block to the momentum of your project. If one section is completely finished before you move on to the next, you can at least stand back and admire your work and think – ‘wow, that looks fab.’ This will allow you to mentally tick off one box as finished and complete, and means your hard work journey is one step closer to the end.
There will of course be situations where some part of the hard landscaping for example, such as a path, that maybe winds its way through the whole back garden, will need to be done in one go. It’s at times like these that having your garden plan in place before you begin can save you a huge amount of time, hassle and money. It’s no good spending a lot of work and money on having your path laid, to then remember that the pond was going to go there. In some situations, it is possible to make use of some of what was already there. For example, there may already be a path in the location where you’re going to rebuild one, but it may be very ugly. Might it be possible to lay new paving or flag stones over the top? Could unwanted flower beds be turned into gravel beds? Could a pond be in-filled and turned into a bog garden or sand pit?
To begin your garden plan you need to compile a list of priorities.
- Things your garden must have.
- Things you would like in your garden.
- Things you would love if space and budget allow.
I do have another article about deciding on garden priorities, but meanwhile you need to get your notepad out!