How Garden Design Turns Ideas Into a Practical Plan
Summary
A successful garden design starts with how you want to use the space, then works around the conditions already there. Sunlight, soil, drainage, levels and access will influence the layout, while your budget and maintenance preferences help determine the right materials, planting and features. Planning these elements together from the start creates a garden that is practical, cohesive and suited to your home.
Key Takeaways
- Think about how you want to use your garden before deciding on specific features, materials or planting.
- Work with the conditions you already have, including sunlight, soil, drainage, levels and access.
- Choose a garden style that suits your home, your tastes and how you plan to use the space.
- Plan hard landscaping and planting together so the finished garden feels connected rather than pieced together.
- Set your budget early and decide which parts of the garden are most important to you.
- Professional garden design can be particularly useful for awkward spaces, level changes and projects where several different elements need to work together.
Every garden we work on at Beautiful Spaces has its own requirements. The size and layout of the space, sunlight, soil, drainage, levels and access all influence the design, alongside how you want to use and enjoy your garden.
Good garden design brings these elements together from the start. Whether you’re planning a complete redesign or looking for ideas for your existing garden, understanding what works for your space will help you make better decisions about the layout, materials, planting and features you include.
In this post, we’ll take you through the key stages of planning a garden, from understanding your existing space and developing the layout to choosing materials, planting and setting a realistic budget, so you know exactly what to expect
Where Should You Start With Garden Design?
Before choosing paving or planting for your new garden, the process should begin with getting clear on your intentions. At Beautiful Spaces, we start every garden design project by understanding what you want from the garden and how you plan to use it, as this gives us a clear direction for the design.
Consider who will use the garden and what you need space for. This could include entertaining, children’s play, outdoor dining, relaxing, storage, or simply having more room for planting. It’s also useful to identify what isn’t working in the existing garden, so it can be addressed during the garden design to make best use of the available space.
This is why working with a professional garden designer from the outset is extremely beneficial, as opposed to doing it alone. To learn more, see our post DIY vs Professional Garden Design: When to Call the Experts.
Understanding your priorities early allows us to develop a garden design around the way you want to use the space, rather than trying to fit your requirements into a layout later.
Turning Your Existing Garden Into a Design Plan
Once we understand what you want from your garden design, we then look into what you’re currently working with, because this will influence every decision moving forward. This includes looking at:
- Sunlight and shade: Where the sun falls throughout the day can influence planting choices and the best positions for patios and seating.
- Soil and drainage: Existing ground conditions can affect what you plant and the preparation required for hard landscaping.
- Levels: Slopes and changes in height may need to be incorporated through steps, retaining walls, terracing or changes to the layout.
- Existing planting: Mature trees and established plants may be worth retaining and working into the new design.
- Boundaries and privacy: Fences, walls, neighbouring properties and views into and out of the garden can all influence the layout.
- Connection to the house: Garden features, such as patios or seating areas, should be positioned so the garden works naturally with the property.
- Access: We consider how machinery, materials and waste can move through or around the property before landscaping begins.
With these practical details established, we can start planning how the different areas of the garden will work together.
In a larger garden, this could mean creating separate areas for dining, play and quieter planting while maintaining a clear connection between them. Smaller gardens require a different approach, with each area carefully planned to make good use of the available space.
Our post Maximising Small Gardens: Space-Saving Ideas for Style and Function explores more ways we get the most out of a small garden.
Developing the Look and Style of Your Garden Design
Once the practical side of the design begins to take shape, we can start looking more closely at how you want the finished garden to look and feel. You don’t need to choose one particular style, but having a sense of the overall character you like gives us a useful starting point.
Some of the most popular garden design styles we see include:
- Contemporary gardens: Clean lines, defined areas, a coordinated material palette and structured planting can create a simple, considered finish. If you are interested in creating a modern garden, see our post Modern Garden Plants: 12 Stylish Choices for Surrey Gardens.
- Traditional gardens: Classic materials, established planting and softer layouts can work particularly well with older or more traditional properties.
- Cottage-style gardens: This is an extremely popular garden design in Surrey which features informal layouts and generous planting. To learn more, see our post How to Design a Cottage Garden That’s Timeless.
- Naturalistic gardens: These gardens have a more relaxed feel, with looser planting schemes featuring grasses and more organic forms.
- Outdoor living gardens: This garden design can be developed around dining and entertaining, with features such as patios, seating, lighting and planting used to create comfortable areas that connect with the house.
At Beautiful Spaces, we’ll take the time to understand what you like rather than trying to fit your garden into one particular style. We can then bring those ideas together with the planting and materials to create a garden that feels right for you.
Bringing the Garden Design Together
With the layout and overall style established, the next step is choosing the materials, planting and features that will make up the finished garden. These decisions need to work together, both visually and practically, so we look at them as part of the overall design rather than making each choice separately.
Hard Landscaping and Materials
Paving, patios, paths, walls, steps, fencing and decking provide much of the structure within a garden. The materials chosen for these areas need to complement the property and each other, while also being suitable for how the space will be used.
Appearance is only part of the decision. Durability, maintenance, drainage and budget all need to be considered, along with practical details such as levels and how different surfaces meet.
To learn more and make an informed choice on what your garden needs, see our post Decking vs Patios: A Complete Guide for Garden Renovations.
Planting Design
Planting can completely change how a garden looks and feels. As well as adding colour and interest throughout the year, it can create privacy, soften walls and paving, and help different areas of the garden feel more connected.
To learn more about using planting for privacy, see our post How Do I Make My Garden More Private? 8 Expert Tips.
We choose plants based on the conditions of the garden, as well as the amount of maintenance you’re comfortable with. If you want to create a garden with minimal upkeep, see our post Low-Maintenance Plants: Easy Choices for Your Garden.
Garden Features and Finishing Details
It’s often the smaller details and added features that make a garden feel like your own. Once the main layout is in place, we can look at what would make the space more enjoyable and useful for you, whether that’s somewhere to cook and entertain, a quiet place to sit, or features that simply add more character to the garden.
Depending on your space, this could include:
- Pergolas and seating areas
- Outdoor kitchens and fire features
- Garden lighting
- Water features
- Raised beds and planters
- Screening and storage
Not every garden needs a long list of features. We look at what will genuinely add something to the space and how it can be incorporated without making the garden feel overcrowded. A smaller number of well-positioned features will often work better than trying to include everything at once.
How Much Does Garden Design Cost?
There isn’t one figure that applies to every garden because the cost depends on the space, the design and the amount of work involved. A relatively simple redesign will have very different requirements from a garden that needs significant groundwork, level changes and new hard landscaping.
Some of the main factors that can affect the cost include:
- Garden size and layout: The overall size of the space and any changes in level will influence the amount of work involved.
- Site preparation: Clearing the existing garden, excavation, levelling and drainage can all add to the groundwork required.
- Access: Restricted access can make it more difficult to bring machinery and materials in and remove waste.
- Hard landscaping and materials: The amount of paving, walls, steps, fencing and other hard landscaping, along with your choice of materials, will have a significant impact on the cost of garden design.
- Planting: Costs will vary depending on the scale of the planting scheme and the size and type of plants, shrubs and trees chosen.
- Garden features: Lighting, pergolas, outdoor kitchens, water features and other bespoke additions will all add to the scope of the project and therefore the cost.
Setting a budget early helps us understand where your priorities lie and where it makes sense to invest. It can be useful to separate the features you definitely want from those you’d be happy to compromise on, while allowing enough of the budget for groundwork and preparation that won’t necessarily be visible once the garden is finished.
It’s also worth thinking beyond the initial cost. Material choices and planting can affect how much maintenance the garden needs in the years ahead, so these decisions should suit both your budget now and how you want to look after the garden long term.
For a closer look at pricing and what can influence your overall spend, see our post How Much Does a Garden Makeover Cost in Surrey?
How Beautiful Spaces Can Help With Your Garden Design
Planning a garden involves a lot of decisions, from getting the layout right to choosing materials, planting and features that work well together. At Beautiful Spaces, we can guide you through the whole process, starting with understanding what you want from your garden and assessing the space you already have.
Our garden design service can help with:
- Planning the layout around your garden, property and how you want to use the space.
- Solving practical challenges such as levels, drainage, access and awkward layouts.
- Choosing materials, planting and features that work well together and suit your budget.
- Taking the design into landscaping, so the ideas planned at the design stage are carried through into the finished garden.
Having the design and landscaping considered together also means we can think about how ideas will actually be built from the beginning.
This is particularly valuable for larger or more complicated projects, but it can make just as much difference in a smaller garden where every part of the available space needs to work well.
Conclusion
Good garden design is about much more than choosing paving, plants or individual features. It starts with understanding how you want to use the space, then bringing the layout, site conditions, materials, planting and budget together into one practical plan.
Taking the time to consider these decisions before landscaping begins can make a real difference to how well the finished garden works, both now and as it develops over the years.
At Beautiful Spaces, we’ve been designing and building gardens across Surrey for over ten years. We take the time to understand what you want from your garden before developing the design and carrying it through into landscaping.
Contact Us Today
If you’re starting to plan your own garden, get in touch with our team to talk through your ideas.
FAQs
What should I consider when planning a garden design?
Start with how you want to use the garden, then consider the existing layout, sunlight, soil, drainage, levels, access and privacy. Your budget and preferred level of maintenance will also influence the materials, planting and features you choose.
What should be included in a garden design?
A garden design should bring together the layout, hard landscaping, materials, planting and any additional features such as lighting, seating or pergolas. It should also account for practical considerations, including drainage, access and changes in level.
Is it worth using a professional garden designer?
A professional garden designer can be particularly useful if you’re planning a complete redesign or have challenges such as awkward layouts, limited space, level changes or drainage issues. They can also help ensure the different parts of the garden are planned together before landscaping begins.
