Designing a Suburban Garden

Designing a suburban garden, large or small, can be a demanding task. However with a bit of imagination, a lot of free time and maybe a bit of help from a professional garden designer you can achieve the garden you've always dreamed of, possibly with a few extras thrown in as well.

The initial idea

You will undoubtedly have an idea as to how you want your garden to look -- perhaps a mental image of your perfect garden -- or a sample picture from a magazine. Before you begin however, you need to decide if the idea is practical and if it will fit the intended purpose of the finished garden. For example, you may have always wanted exotic plants, a large water feature and an ornamental pond with expensive fish. If you have young children running around and pets that love to dig then maybe this isn't the garden for you right now. You need to match the design with the intended function so that it continues to look good years down the line.

What to include

Your design will need to show any structures you want in the garden, such as a decked area or a pagoda in a secluded area, a lawn, walkways, flowerbeds, trees and shrubs and anything else you may want to include. When completing the initial design think about the amount of space available and try to balance the garden so that all of the focal points aren't grouped in one area. A professional garden designer can help with this part of the design process and can often suggest alternatives that you haven't thought about which may improve the overall look of the finished garden. You will also need to add measurements to the design so that you can easily work out how many plants and shrubs you will need for each area.

Choosing your plants and flowers

Most people have a number of favourites when it comes to flowering plants and shrubs. That said, if you don't have the right type of soil or your garden is facing the wrong direction for the sunlight then these plants may not thrive in your particular plot. You need to take local weather conditions into consideration when choosing the majority of your plants, particularly if you have a shaded garden or one that is prone to high winds and rain. There are plenty of plant species that grow well in shaded gardens and again a professional garden designer may be able to suggest a number of plants that will do well. Once you have chosen, all you need to do is place them on the design so that the garden maintains a balanced appearance. It often helps to augment the design with the colours that will show when the flowering plants are in bloom so that you can get an idea as to how the finished garden will look before you visit the nursery.

Conclusion

A lot of people design their own gardens. Others get help from a professional. In either case, although it may take a few attempts to get the design exactly as you want it, it is well worth the time. Start with an initial idea that suits the purpose of the garden and work from there. Before you know it you'll be sitting in your dream garden taking pride in your handywork.