The Property Magazine Oxfordshire Spring/Summer 2019

Once you have made your list on how you want to
use your garden and who you are designing it for,
it’s time to get some practical ideas. Magazines,
catalogues, books, ‘Pintrest’ and the TV are all a
great source of inspiration. Here you can glean
insights into some of the top gardens in the
country from the comfort of your own sofa. Visit
some gardens. Friends and neighbours are often
pleased to show off their horticultural delights and
thousands of private gardens are opened every
year under the National Garden Scheme. Look for
gardens that are open to the public in your area
and pinch some ideas! Go to a garden show, it
doesn’t have to be Chelsea, there are lots of local
garden shows in summer months that make a
lovely day out.
Once you have some ideas and a list of
your needs, you can start to design
your garden on paper or using a
CAD package. Draw out the
outline of your garden to scale.
The first things to include
onto your drawing are the
‘must haves’ drawn in to
scale. These could be the
garden shed, children’s play
equipment, vegetable beds,
a seating area or a water
feature. A note on sheds...a
common mistake is to put them
at the bottom of the garden, thus
creating a focal point of the garden
shed. Unless it’s a very attractive building
this is not ideal. Try and think of another place
for it in the garden, preferably to one side. If this
is not possible, then design a trellis with climbers
in front to disguise it. Decide how many people
are likely to use your garden for outdoor eating
and entertaining and allow enough room for
everyone, including a table. If you haven’t already
got an outdoor table, this is a good opportunity to
design it the correct size and draw it in. The usual
place to choose for seating is outside the back of
the house.
However, if
that area is
north-facing
it’s unlikely
to get much
sun. Consider
putting your
main seating area
in a west-facing
position to catch the last
rays of evening sunshine.
Easy-care plants that provide interest throughout
the year are an essential part of any garden. The
quality of your soil will affect your choice of plants.
Many plants will not grow in wet, heavy
soil, for example. If you have a
new garden or a neglected
one the quality of your
soil may not allow
your new plants to
thrive, so it’s very
important to improve the soil
before planting anything. Try to
include at least three evergreen
shrubs for permanent colour and
underplant with low perennial
plants to cover the bare soil. To
begin, use plants that you are
familiar with, look them up online
or go to a garden centre to see the
type of thing that appeals to you, create
a ‘shopping list’ first to ensure that you have
the correct range and balance of plants. You
need to consider all year round, not just at the time
of buying. There should always be something of
interest to see in a garden, no matter what the time
of year, so choose various plants for various seasons
and enjoy the results of your work.
Sheena Marsh is owner and designer at Oxford
Garden Design.
See oxfordgardendesign.co.uk or email
sheena@oxfordgardendesign.co.uk
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