Whilst the process of landscaping has many practical considerations and elements to it, we must not overlook the level of thought that has to go into it. This is especially true of the person that the landscape garden is being designed for. We say “for”, however, it is the case that homeowners will play as much a role in discussing, amending, and agreeing upon the final design as anyone, including the landscape design team.
This is why we are discussing the issues of thinking about landscape design. You will find that rather than taking an all-encompassing approach and trying to think of everything at once, it will be more appropriate to think about your new landscape design in steps or stages. You can have as many of these as suits you, but to help you get started, we have identified five key thinking stages concerning landscape design.
Thinking Step #1 – Discover Your “Why”
The first thinking step, and one which surprisingly many homeowners seem to struggle with, is to discover your “why“. You do not have to find some spiritual reason, although if you do you will join many homeowners who find their new garden gives them a place where they can be still and relax.
Beyond that, there may be many more straightforward reasons such as your garden being old and in need of a huge makeover, the desire to entertain more in your garden, or you may see your new garden as an investment in your property.
Thinking Step #2 – Learn Your Garden
What we mean by “learn your garden” is for you to take time to explore and assess your garden as it currently is. It is often the case that a homeowner has barely looked at their garden in detail, and when they do, they discover much about it they did not realise existed before. Having looked, you can first decide if there are any aspects of your current garden that you wish to keep. Next, assess some of the practicalities such as soil type, drainage, and dimensions.
Thinking Step #3 – Determine What The Limitations Are
The most obvious of these limitations is going to be the dimensions of your garden, however, there are others. These include the types of plants you can have based on the climate and soil type, water sources for ensuring the plants get moisture, any planning limitations which exist in your area, and a limitation that almost everyone will have, which is your budget. Give some thought as to how some of these limitations can be overcome, or at least mitigated in some way.
Thinking Step #4 – Ensure Your Design Ideas Will Work
You are now at the stage where you can start thinking about specific design elements and the features which will be included in your new garden. One of the prime tasks is to give thought to each of them to ensure that they will work. This applies both to the practicalities of each element and to the aesthetics of them too. You must find a balance between appearance and functionality to avoid focussing too heavily on one to the detriment of the other.
Thinking Step #5 – Know Your Landscape Design Team
Unless you are an expert gardener and landscaper, we hope you are not going to attempt this project on your own. Instead, you should call upon the services of local professional landscapers including landscape design and construction teams who can create your new garden. It pays to research local landscaping companies to ensure you choose the right one. Get to know them well as this will help ensure the finished landscaped garden is all you hoped it would be.