How to successfully landscape a garden
Get a landscape gardener on board to design a stylish and functional outdoor space.
Landscaping can be just as complex as a room design, whether you are working on a new outdoor space or making changes to an established garden. Here’s how to approach your project.
Image: Sarah Naybour Design
Putting forward a detailed landscaping design at the early stages of a self-build project will impress the planning department. It will also ensure you get the best results, including taking drain covers and utility supplies into account.
Consider what you require from the space. Do you want somewhere to sit, a place to cook and eat, a play area, a vegetable patch? And for the front garden, you’ll need a plan that’s practical, will enhance your home and provide privacy.
Get the right advice
By employing a landscaping expert or garden designer you’ll get help with planning issues, building regulations and the construction, along with a beautiful plot. Seek a recommendation and check whether the designer is a member of the Association of Professional Landscapers, the British Association of Landscape Industries or the Society of Garden Designers.
After a visit to your garden, which may be free, they may offer anything from a day’s consultancy to a full survey, construction drawings, planting plans, quotes and tenders for services and project management. Payments can be staged. ‘For a small garden, the design process could take two to three months, then the build might take five weeks,’ says Sarah Naybour of Sarah Naybour Design.
