How To Let Your Garden Flourish

Turning your backyard into a peaceful retreat – or a cool hangout for entertaining, or a veg patch, or any combination of the above – starts with careful planning. Here’s how to let your garden flourish…

What is the key to planning a garden well?

Holly Nairn: You must have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, and you must be realistic about what is needed to attain that, be it time, money or labour, and whether you need help from a professional such as a garden designer, a drainage company, a lighting expert or even a water feature specialist. Paying for professional services means paying for knowledge and experience, which may save you making costly errors.

The Greenhouse People: The key to planning is practicality. There are many fun aspects of garden design, like choosing your plants and poring over garden books and websites for inspiration. More serious aspects include creating a budget for the changes you intend to make and finding out if you need planning permission to remove trees, build walls or lay paving. Even if you only have limited space, it doesn’t mean your options are limited. This is especially true if you take the time to plan your garden properly. If you’re unsure what to do, lean towards a classic layout that uses clean lines and symmetry to create the illusion of extra space.

When should I start planning?