What is Garden Design? A Green Vision

The question:

“What is Garden Design?”

is both simple and complicated.

The simple response would be something like: –

“It is the vision to see and the ability to implement the creation of various disparate garden elements into a cohesive well planned whole.”

A more complicated answer would involve: –

delving into a brief resume of garden history from the Ancient Persian empire through Renaissance Europe and onto the so called “pocket handkerchief gardens” of modern urban living
considering the practical, scientific and analytical requirements – including, for example, horticulture, soil, changes in level, landscaping materials
being aware of legal requirements affecting the garden and the adjoining neighbourhood
acknowledging and potentially utilising the wider landscape
exploring the creative, artistic conception of the finished vision from the first tentative sketches through to the finished 4D garden – or 3D plus if you like (I’ll explain in a bit)
recognising the end user and their needs or potential needs and requirements – this is true even of show gardens

Much of the above might benefit from further definition, and I look at some of this in more detail below. But I’ll stop there for now, as I don’t want this to turn into a ‘lecture for garden design students’. If you are interested in digging down into more detail, do please drop me an email.

What is Garden Design? A Green Vision

At this point, you may be asking how the above definitions translate into your needs for your garden. Well, I wanted to give you a flavour of what is involved in garden design, of the many faceted knowledge that your garden designer needs in order for you to (hopefully) have the garden of your dreams.

Yes, I said hopefully as for most of us the restrictions of garden size, adjoining properties and specific budget may limit to what extent our dream garden can be achieved. But being practical and pragmatic are two of the essential characteristics required in the designer for the design to achieve the desired result.

Many people are not fully aware of what garden design is, or should be. And in all honesty, if you’ve never had anything much to do with garden designers, why should you know? Watching garden makeover TV programmes gives an unreal expectation as they rarely if ever show the full process; all the ‘behind the scenes’ work of checking local bye laws for example. And they certainly do not reflect the true cost of a garden design.

Getting the garden design wrong can be costly. Even ‘just a patio’ can cost thousands of pounds and it would be a shame to spend your money and not get good value and the garden you would like at the end.

Yet all too often the garden becomes an afterthought. The last priority in home improvement budgets rather than being considered as part of the whole ‘let’s improve and renovate our home’ process.

Garden design is important in helping you get the best out of your garden, whatever its size. A properly designed and landscaped garden will increase your pleasure – and add value to the property when you come to sell.

History of Garden Design

A topic to delight many and have others running to make another cup of coffee! I suggest you have a look in the Garden History and Legends category (list is on the righthand tab) and have a read of whatever takes your fancy. There are articles on Lancelot Capability Brown and Humphry Repton which would be particularly relevant to ‘what is garden design’.

Practical, Scientific and Analytical Requirements

It is critical for a good garden design outcome to garner all relevant data. If you are a surveyor you’ll understand how essential measurements are. On larger or complex garden sites we would use a specialised land surveyor to make an assessment and survey. I would still go round and make my own assessment of particular items.
For example: –

the health of plants which are to remain, will they need pruning and when is the correct time to prune is important; will they remain in situ during the build or do they need to be lifted, stored and re-planted
soil – acidity or alkalinity may be similar across a garden or may radically change. Are there reasons for this and is it an issue that will affect the planting design
changes in level – do these need to be overcome? This may involve not ‘just’ a digger and moving soil around but also potentially involving neighbours (privacy, fencing) supporting walls, legal requirements and so on

After surveys and any tests have been carried out and results assessed then decisions on the suitability of paving materials and digging out of ponds can begin to be made.

Garden Design, Landscaping and the Law

The legal requirements affecting the garden and the adjoining neighbourhood need to be researched. For most gardens, the first ones to query will be –

is the garden in a Conservation Area, National Park, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, etc
the presence of any Tree Preservation Orders
bye laws and restrictive covenants affecting the height, type and indeed existence of fencing

And there are plenty more for rear gardens, side garden and front gardens!

What is Garden Design? The Wider Landscape

If we wander back to the Eighteenth Century, we can see Repton making full use of the views beyond his client’s small estates to make them seem bigger than they were.

For most of us, the wider landscape is likely to be either making use of the ornamental trees in a neighbour’s garden as part of our view from the new seating area. Or finding ways to disguise the ugly wall and car park on the other side of our fence at the end of the garden.

But those trees, whilst beautiful, may cast shade that affects the type of paving which is practical and the varieties of plants to be used. So the effect of wider landscape is twofold.

What is Garden Design? That bit about 4D

No, I haven’t delved into the realms of Doctor Who and his TARDIS (an acronym for Time And Relative Dimension in Space) where the interior of his space and time craft was larger on the inside than it was on the outside.

A garden is, if you will, a work of art, a 3D creation. It has developed from the initial 2D, two dimensional, flat drawings into a (large) living sculpture. This much I hope makes sense.

Where we get into the fourth dimension is where, on one level, we are requesting imagination. But this concept is also about practicality. Because the 4D element of a garden design is that very acknowledgement that it is a living construct. As such it will change as the seasons turn and evolve as the years pass. The “finished” garden will need maintaining. The garden design concept should include not just the snapshot of when the landscaping and planting has been accomplished, but also what is to happen after.

You, the Client

As the client you are the end user, at least of the initially finished design. If you were open about your needs and budget at the beginning of the process then the garden design should meet those needs. Alongside any amendments that were required due to issues that arose during the construction, or changes you and the designer agreed on, of course.
As well as the next section, do have a read of the relevant blogs below. In order to achieve a dream garden, planning is essential.

What is Garden Design?

Your garden may be the biggest “room” you own and deserves the same thought, design and budget as is afforded to the kitchen, living room or bathroom. A courtyard garden or a small roof terrace needs a good designer so the best use is made of restricted space. A full garden design will look at the existing garden in all aspects, for example: –

what your ideals are
whether these are achievable on your budget
how to manage the budget and project, for example, would a staged approach be more suitable
it deals with hard landscaping, for example, patio, decking, fences
soft landscaping – turf, planting
the use of garden space, ie how you use it now, how you would like to use it, how this might change, for example, as the kids grow up or if you have a house extension
and sundries, for example, greenhouse, shed, fire pit, statuary, lighting

“Outdoors and indoors are inseparable; they are complimentary and supplementary, two sides of the same door…”
Garrett Eckbo

House and Garden Renovation

If you are having a total rethink of your whole home environment, then your garden designer should be included from the beginning. If we / they are part of the early conversations that you have with your architect, this will ensure that your house and garden flow together seamlessly.

Your garden designer should be included in conversations with your house builders and can suggest garden landscapers. Asking the garden designer to create a level area behind the house after you’ve narrowed the side access, is like asking someone to shut the stable door after the horse has bolted. Unless of course you have the budget for the mini digger to be craned over the roof of the house?

Garden Renovation

It may be that your house is fine, but you’re thinking about refurbishing your garden. Once again, garden design is the first stage to consider. A good garden designer will consider you and your garden from an expert’s viewpoint to enable you to get the best garden possible. It involves a lot of listening and asking of questions. And also includes other aspects as we’ve looked at above.

What is Garden Design – ‘Just tweak or two’

At Plews, we understand that you may not always want or need your whole garden designed and landscaped. So we also offer Planting Design and planting, where your borders need a rethink but your patio is just fine.
Plews also includes a partial garden design, for example, for a vegetable garden or wildlife habitat within the existing garden in this category.

What does having a garden designed actually involve?

In order to get the whole process moving, we offer, as do most garden designers, an Initial Design Visit. This is an opportunity for you to ‘dip your toe in the water’ and find out more about whether your hopes for your garden are achievable; and what other things may be possible, without committing yourself to a huge outlay.

If you would like to read more about some more about the garden design and the process, then click the blogs below.

You could also have a look through our Portfolio (still being updated, but there are a few on there) and download our free What is Garden Design eBook

For further gardening advice and inspiration, ideas for bee friendly gardens and more, check out Plews Potting Shed blogs, including the selection below and our monthly Tipsheet You could come and find us on Instagram – @plewsgd Pinterest and Facebook too.

And on that note, you can have a peek at my new garden in the (new) Instagram account @spitfiresandslowworms and for those of you who prefer Facebook – Spitfires and Slow Worms

And if you’d like some personal help, perhaps learning how to design your own garden, we offer a mix of practical sessions and theory in our bespoke Gardening Lessons and Courses. There’s a blog link below plus a pdf download with more info