How to Design Your Garden

To design your garden well you should let your imagination run wild. Mark the proportions between plants and solid elements and make informed choices for the types of materials and plants you want to include.
How to Design Your Garden

Last update: 23 July, 2021

When it comes to the design of your garden you have to let your imagination run wild. Let your ideas emerge! Mark the proportions between plants and solid elements and choose which materials and plants to include.

It’ll be very useful to follow standard design patterns since many ideas will arise from this, which you can adapt to your tastes and needs. As we know, designing a garden isn’t an easy task, so we’ll present you with some tips that’ll be very useful.

Your starting budget to design your garden

Budget money of a family.

In most cases, not a lot of money is usually allocated to designing outdoor spaces since it’s often an afterthought and the last area of the home that’s completed.

The priority will be to invest in good quality soil since it’s the most important element to base a beautiful garden on. The second most important investment will be the trees and plants that you want to include.

Draw your garden design

Plan to decorate and design your garden.

Draw a preliminary sketch that allows you to visualize your garden. This will help you to make decisions regarding the space you want to allocate for each item. To make it easier for you, follow the instructions below:

  • Draw the dimensions of your garden.
  • Mark the areas where you want to plant shrubs and trees.
  • Include the four cardinal points to know the orientation.
  • Include the places you want to use for leisure and rest.

You can also watch programs that allow you to digitally plan your garden. Some programs let you upload an image of your house or patio to give you a more realistic idea of the space.

Control the space

IKEA gardening.
Gardening IKEA / ikea.com

Once you have the structure, you have to start assessing the distribution of the space you want to give in a way that is as functional as possible. For that, you must first consider the use you want to give it or how you’re going to move around the space.

For example, if you want to include a small flowering area, place it where you have the most hours of sunshine. If you want an area for relaxation, locate this in a pleasant place where it doesn’t get too much sun or excessive shade. If you decide to place a pool in your garden, locate it where it fits in comfortably with the rest of the environment.

Check the plan and double-check it to make sure you’re totally comfortable with it before you begin work on your garden design.

Look for references

Small garden distributed in areas: rest area and area for pots and plants.

Look online, research decorating catalogs, DIY magazines, and visit gardens that inspire you. You can even sign up for a course or guided tour of the most beautiful gardens in your city.

Find the balance

garden with doghouse

The important point for any garden design is to search out and find a balance. If you have a garden that’s symmetrical, without any contrast, it can cause visual fatigue.

In the same way, a space full of too many contrasts and movements can create stress or eye strain. The idea is to make it as balanced a space as possible.

Color, texture and shape will be key in this process. Knowing how to combine it well will add variety to your garden. It’ll bring movement to the design and generate visual contrasts.

Decorate with plants

Plants for your garden with colorful flowers.

First of all, educate yourself on the maintenance and needs of the plants you choose. Depending on how they’re maintained and the types you choose, you’ll achieve a flowering space all year round.

If you want a flower garden all year round, you should choose perennial shrubs. However, the plants that bloom with colorful schemes are determined by the different periods and seasons of the year.

The use of colors in your garden design

Blue house in contrast to the green garden.

It’s essential to keep in mind the colors that your home and garden are surrounded by. You have to take into account the wall colors of the house, the ceilings, and the neighboring buildings. The color point will be set by the flowers and accessories that you want to include.

If your starting point is unity, different ranges of one color can be used to create a monochrome garden. To achieve contrast, it’s best to choose opposite tones.

The garden design process must be very creative. However, it’s also a process in which everything may not turn out as you want. You must be patient and correct any mistakes you make as soon as possible. Hence the importance of reviewing everything on paper and having everything under control.