How To Renovate Your Garden, Part 1

How to renovate your garden – not a topic that can be covered in one blog! But this is should help to get you started on the first steps of renovating a garden. Because it is a large topic and one which many of you are interested in, I will be writing other Plews Potting Shed blogs to cover various aspects. Some are already covered in the blog links below, and on the website. For example, ‘Should you use a garden designer?’ and ‘Pruning fundamentals’.

Firstly let us decide that we are talking about your own private, domestic garden. It could be the front garden or the back garden, but it is your own space. What it is not is a shared or communal garden. Although some of the fundamentals are similar, there are differences, not least in ownership and use.

How To Renovate Your Garden – Starting Off

Where do you start? Do you put together a Pinterest board? Write a list? Or do you get out a measuring tape and contact the local planning office?

Arguably, it’s not critical which way round you do it. What is crucial is that planning, dreaming and inspecting your garden happens before you start taking down trees and digging up ponds. The adage “fail to plan and you plan to fail” is very true whether you’re altering a few elements or clearing (nearly) everything and starting over.

Do you need a garden designer?
Have a read of the blogs below for why you may or may not need a designer.

A quick way to look at the question and find the answer is this:
Ask yourself whether, if you were planning to carry out this amount of work to your house, would you get an architect involved?

It is largely about the scale or type of work involved and using experts where you and your property benefit from their expertise, and avoid costly mistakes. For example many garden designers offer a design advice type meeting. This can be hugely beneficial as they can give you an idea of what is achievable and likely costs.

Legal matters – ownership of the garden

If you are renting the property, then anything above and beyond basic weeding and necessary pruning should be discussed with your landlord. Or you could find yourself with a bill for the clearance and renewal costs plus owing the landlord money too.

Perhaps you have a leasehold property with a private garden as well as, or instead of, a communal garden. You will need to check the terms of the lease, but there hopefully won’t be anything draconian in there.

However, if you have the freehold, things are easier, although there are still laws which have to be taken into account. More of these in a later section. Because you have ownership, you do have a certain amount of freedom within the confines of your garden boundaries. This does not mean you do not have responsibilities to your neighbours and the wider community. We all have those, some may only be moral, others have legal clout, as we shall see.

How To Renovate Your Garden – First items to check

These are not the only items to check, but they are critical. There are other relevant laws, for example with regards to paving or rather not paving over your front garden. I will write you a law and the garden primer soon, as part of this garden renovation series.

who owns the garden (you’d be surprised – you may not own all of it!)
and who has ownership and / or responsibility for the boundaries
are there rights of access across the garden
do you live in a Conservation Area, National Park, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty or other designated land
Tree Preservation Order/s (blanket coverage in some areas, others may be for specific trees)

The title deeds, Land Registry and other legal documents are the first place to check these things. The local authority’s planning portal is also useful.

For example, boundaries are a good place to start. Look at the plan from the Land Registry. A T-shaped mark on the boundary line shows that it is owned by the person within whose property the mark appears. A double T-shaped mark means that ownership / responsibility for the boundary is shared. The boundary may be open, a fence, wall or hedge.

NB This is a simplified example, there may be specific clauses in the deeds or lease which relate to boundaries. There may also be local by-laws which are relevant to your property.

Why do you want to make changes to your garden?

Now we’ve sorted those critical matters, let’s get onto you and your garden! Why do you want to make changes? What is it about the garden that isn’t right for you?

It may be that you’ve moved into the property and want to put your own stamp on the garden.
Or it could be that you’re starting a family, getting a puppy, need to make wheelchair access.
Perhaps the mess of overgrown shrubs has just snuck up on you and now you have the time and energy to do something about it.

Whatever the reason, as a designer I find asking my clients to focus on these is a good starting point:

What are the 3 things you like most about the garden?

And the 3 you like least (or hate)?

With a large garden you can have 5 things. A really large garden, divide into sections and have max 3 per section.
Now you’ve got the loves and hates, walk round the garden and see if you need to amend the list. No, you’re not allowed to add more than 3 because we’re looking at priorities first. The others can be added later.

Dream Gardens

How to renovate your garden does include dreaming of your ideal garden. The practicalities are not important here, this is wish list central. For ideas, Plews blog has a themed garden and planting design category. This also includes personal dream gardens from various of my family and friends..

Have a look too at Plews Instagram and Pinterest. Make your own Pinterest board; collect pictures from magazines; visit gardens. Plews Potting Shed has a garden visits category too, and remember the design portfolio. Links are at the end or just head for the website.

Apologies if it sounds like I’m sending you mainly to Plews but obviously I know what there is there for you to look at!

Garden Designer Tip

If you have to consider the needs of a family and pets, create more than one dream garden. Firstly just for you. Then another which does let all those other people in. You may find it easier to include your own space in your dream garden this way. I mean there’s no point doing all this work and spending money to not be happy with the end result!

Sit down and Plan

Whether you use a designer or not, there are some items you need to plan. Budget and your preferred timescale are crucial. The wonders of TV garden makeover programmes suggest a garden can be redesigned and landscaped in a few days. In fairness, many are now more realistic than they used to be, but remember their aim is to entertain the viewer and make a profit by renovating a garden. There is lot of editing…

Whilst your aim is to achieve the garden you want, need, dream of and can afford.

How To Renovate Your Garden – Budget

Your garden renovation cost may be –

fixed because that is all the money you have to spend (a smaller or larger amount)
or you may have a figure to start with and can add more on a monthly basis

Either way, allow a contingency budget. Depending on the garden and the works involved this is generally 10 – 20% of your budget. If it isn’t all needed, you can have a party to celebrate!

Do a bit of price research to give you a rough idea of costs for materials. You will also need to add in delivery charges and waste removal (eg a skip). Landscaping labour costs may take up 40% of your budget. Even if you plan to do much of the labouring work yourself, it may work out cheaper and quicker to hire a landscaper to properly lay a patio. Plus fees for any or all of: designer, project manager, land surveyor, tree surgeon, other specialists.

Once you have a list of your essentials, spend time doing a bit of research, for example, on prices of plants and paving.

Carrying out a garden renovation on a budget does not mean being cheap. It means using your money and resources wisely.

Timescales

Allowing a contingency on timing is key as there are many things which may prevent it all happening as planned. When it goes smoothly, you have extra time to sit and enjoy the end result! For example, from your initial decision to restore a small border to the project being completed could take from one week, to four, or possibly longer.

Things which are outside your control and affect the timescale of your garden makeover include –

The weather can limit the type of gardening activity. If you book holiday off work to clear the border, can you change your days?
Preparation of the border – there may be more weeds and roots than expected; shrubs may be difficult to dig out.
Availability of supplies –soil, plants – depending on the time of year certain plants may not be available. Sourcing them, online or visiting various plant nurseries / garden centres may take longer.
When the delivery of supplies can happen – some places have set days for set areas, or book 2 -4 weeks in advance.

How to Start Renovating a Garden

As you can see from where we’ve got to so far, how to renovate your garden is not a weekend start to finish project! But neither should it be. You wouldn’t expect to take out and rebuild your kitchen in a weekend having only decided to do so on the Friday evening. A garden, not least because it involves living plants, which are not static, needs more planning.

Having cast a possible pall of doom over your garden renovation plans, let me cheer you up. There are small projects within the garden which you should be able to achieve in that timescale. And those are open to renters and leaseholders too.
For example, you have a jumble of pots on the patio or balcony. Decide on a colour scheme and buy new pots and peat free soil. Repot your plants (yes you may buy some new ones as well). If the old pots are not broken, donate to a charity or school for them to use. Sorted!

And finally

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

And on that note, you can have a peek and follow how I approach my own seriously overgrown new garden Instagram @spitfiresandslowworms and for those of you who prefer Facebook – Spitfires and Slow Worms

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. Or get in touch to ask about our design and consultancy services.