A bare plot of land, where everything has to be built from scratch, can cause as much anxiety as a blank canvas does for a painter. Where do you begin? The temptation is to start doing something immediately, but resist it. It is true that looking at the space around the house covered in dirt, rubble, and leftover materials can be discouraging. Still, no matter how difficult it may feel to hold back, the first step—absolutely essential if you want to turn that space into the garden of your dreams—is to observe and think.
Once the garden plan has been drawn up, the different areas must be marked out on the plot. Trees with deep or spreading roots should be placed below ground carefully. The type of trees and their location in the garden should be assessed and decided calmly, not rushed.
Step 1: Observe and Think Calmly
Begin by studying your plot carefully without losing sight of everything around it. Decide whether there are things you do not want to see from your garden. Some views are worth highlighting, while others are better hidden. Among the views you want to enjoy, pay special attention to the ones you will experience from the garden looking outward and the ones visible from inside the house looking into the garden. Those interior views matter all year round, even during the months when you are not spending much time outside. As for the views to conceal, the goal is both to hide anything unattractive and, if needed, to preserve your privacy from outside eyes.
A well-planned garden is an endless source of satisfaction. It is worth resisting the urge to plant a line of conifers everywhere or sow grass in every empty corner. Give yourself time to decide. Step by step.
Also observe how the sun moves across the plot and how it hits different areas throughout the day and across the seasons. West- and north-facing areas, for example, can be very shaded in winter yet receive intense sun in summer.
Think carefully about how you want to use the garden. It can become a true extra room for the house, a green room to live in, or it may be designed more as a decorative setting to be enjoyed from indoors or perhaps on the way in and out of the house. If gardening is an important hobby for you, the way you use the space will be different from either of those two approaches.
Step 2: Draw a Plan
Measure the plot. Once you have looked at the land closely, understood its strengths and weaknesses, and decided what you want the garden to do for you, it is time to make a scaled plan. To do that, measure the plot properly. It is a straightforward task unless the terrain is uneven or the boundaries include awkward angles.
Draw the plan. On the plan, the first thing to mark is the access points to the plot, the house, and any other structures integrated into the land you are going to work on. Do not forget to indicate the windows that look onto the garden and any views to or from outside that you would rather avoid.
Zone the space. This is the point where planning becomes most decisive for the success of the garden. Mark the paths that are essential and the ones that will be used most often; define the living areas and where they will be reached from the house; decide where you need a screen for privacy or which part of the garden you want to feature most prominently; identify where you want shade and where the ideal place would be for a pool or sunbathing area. If you have young children, locate their play area so that it is sunny, visible from the house, and, if possible, away from the entrance.
Bring the plan back to the plot. Once the drawing is finished, go back outside and imagine each area in place. This helps confirm whether the layout is truly what you want and whether it will be comfortable in everyday use.
Step 3: Choose a Style
What style do you want for your garden? This is the moment to decide what atmosphere you want to create, identify the style that best reflects your personality, suits your taste, and fits the architecture of the house. Style shapes not only the overall look of the garden, but also the form of the spaces and the way they relate to one another.
Modern styles, especially suitable for smaller spaces, are defined by geometric lines and a simple design with few but carefully chosen elements. They are highly functional, easy to maintain, and convey a sense of order that encourages rest. For some people, though, they can feel a little cold.
Rustic styles tend to look deliberately relaxed, informal, and slightly wild. They can also be used to create very attractive small gardens, although, despite appearances, they often require more dedication than modern ones.
Landscape-style gardens, where sinuous forms dominate, work best in larger spaces. They demand a lot of commitment, but the result can be spectacular.
Step 4: Choose the Materials
Once the style has been decided, choose the surfaces for the living areas, steps, and paths. How much use they will receive is key.
Pavers, whether laid on a screed or directly on a bed of sand, are highly practical and comfortable. If they are installed over a concrete base, the shape and dimensions must be very clearly defined, along with any water and light passages, because later changes are extremely difficult. The second option is simpler and less expensive, and it allows grass to grow between the slabs.
Wooden decking is warm, comfortable, and clean, and it does not require as much maintenance as it may initially seem, but it is relatively expensive.
Gravel and crushed stone are very easy to install and allow changes to be made without much difficulty. They are clean, help reduce the appearance of weeds, and help retain soil moisture. They also offer considerable flexibility when integrating planting. Edging is usually made with metal sheets or wooden sleepers. If the route is long or the area will be walked on frequently, stepping stones over gravel will make movement easier.
Pine bark covers the base of plants well and retains moisture, but it is not as clean as gravel and needs to be replaced over time.
Jabre, widely used in parks and promenades, is a mix of crushed granite and clay that is compacted into a hard surface; it looks like sand. It is easy to sweep and comfortable to walk on, although it does leave footprints when wet.
Grass is not recommended for areas with heavy foot traffic, because it suffers greatly from constant trampling. It is also not a good option for living areas with fixed furniture such as tables and chairs, since it makes irrigation harder and mowing more difficult. If you are planning a lawn, think in advance about sprinkler irrigation and adapt the size of the lawn to the reach of the sprinklers or nozzles so that it uses as little water as possible. Narrow or irregularly shaped areas encourage water waste and also make the irrigation system considerably more expensive. Defining grassy areas with edging or strips level with the soil makes mowing much easier, because there is no need to trim the borders.
Ground-cover plants are an alternative to grass, but only for areas with light foot traffic.
Step 5: Plan the Planting
This is the final step. If you have a weakness for a particular plant or group of plants, find the ideal place for them so they can meet their needs for sun, light, and water. More generally, plants should be treated as components that serve the wider goals you want the garden to achieve.
Place the trees. Consider their mature size, the shape they will take, the shade they will cast in each season, and whether that shade matches what you want. Also assess whether, once grown, they will block too much light from any room in the house or create problems with their roots. It is usually better to plant a tree with a small crown and let it grow naturally than to choose one whose growth will need to be controlled through constant pruning. If you do not want branches close to the ground, a tree with a high crown is better than a pyramidal tree whose lower branches can be removed later. Decide whether you want evergreen or deciduous trees, bearing in mind that the latter will mean more work in autumn.
Choose shrubs. They play a major role in the structure of the garden because they can form screens and masses of different sizes and densities, while also adding colour throughout the year through their leaves, flowers, and berries. Do not forget to take the mature size of each plant into account.
For hedges, you can choose between formal hedges, which need trimming at least twice a year; informal hedges made of the same shrubs or a mix of different ones, which can be integrated more naturally into the design; or climbers, which take up the least usable space in the garden and can sometimes add the fragrance of their flowers.
When planning your planting, remember that every type of plant needs a specific irrigation approach, and this is one of the most important factors in the garden’s success. Once you know which trees, shrubs, hedges, and other plants you want, ask for advice from your local garden centre as well as on the irrigation system that will suit them best.
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