Since the first edition of this book was published in 2004, our approach to garden design has changed in several essential ways. While creating beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable spaces remains top priority, our growing concern for saving the planet for future generations has made many of us think carefully about what we do with our homes and gardens.
Drawing upon the very latest eco-friendly methods of sensitive design, planting and sustainability can make our gardens, and the experience of working in them, far more rewarding. For instance, we can use recycled household water instead of irrigation systems, seek out permeable and sustainable materials, and encourage wildlife to enhance our garden’s ecosystems. To this end I have added new information, easy-to-follow illustrations and inspirational photographs to show how innovations such as green roofs or rainwater harvesting systems can be constructed, how gardens and planting have been adapted to the challenging bio-diverse conditions that now concern us, and much more.
Garden design is all about organizing and shaping spaces, and in this respect it is closely related to architecture. It covers many different elements, beginning with surveying the site and understanding the soil and the climate, through to selecting the plants, ornaments and lighting. Because it encompasses so many different disciplines, it is also one of the most complex art forms. But just as someone can be taught how to paint, anyone who is new to garden design can be taught how to make a beautiful garden.
Most of what I have written is based on what I practise in the garden and teach in the classroom. Whether you are starting from scratch or revamping a neglected, overgrown or outdated site, my aim is to take you logically through the various stages of planning a garden. It is a process that begins with assessing the site, the soil and the surroundings and involves everything from this initial survey through to constructing pergolas and terraces, using water wisely, choosing plants and placing them to best effect.
To be a good designer, two qualities are essential: firstly the ability to see things clearly and to understand their intrinsic nature, and secondly the ability to analyze the value of what is seen, identifying good and bad points and deciding how best they may be used or concealed. For the professional designer, identifying what is wanted in possible and practical terms results from collaboration with the owners.
Gardens are for people as well as plants, and the space must be comfortable and appropriate for both. Family needs evolve as children grow up, or as the owners find they have less time or energy. A garden should enhance the lives of those who use it, without imposing a stressful burden; it is crucial to understand how much maintenance can realistically be devoted to the garden before beginning the design process. Once you have thoroughly consulted with the owners, take time to consider your new ideas, experimenting with different styles or themes until you find a suitable and workable scheme.
Cost may also be a critical factor. Fortunately, using recycling existing or local materials is cost-effective as well as eco-friendly. Legal constraints now imposed by many civic authorities require the use of permeable and sustainable materials, and in many countries scarcity of water has affected what can be grown.
Choosing the plants is usually the most exciting part of designing a new garden, but it is also the most exacting. Plants have their individual preferences, and it is crucial that you select those that will thrive in your locality. When using plant material, the scene is constantly evolving as the plants’ shapes, colours and textures mature or respond to seasonal changes. This book will show you how to choose, combine and arrange plants to create a display suited to your garden’s climate and soil conditions.
In order to effectively explain and develop your design, it is vital that you present your ideas on paper. This book takes you step-by-step through the process, with a sequence of plans for a large suburban garden providing drawn examples of how a site develops through the various stages. You need not be artistic to draw up a presentable plan; in this book I go back to basics, explaining which drawing materials are needed and how to use them, showing you how to draw a plan to scale and, finally, describing how to create other backup or presentation material, such as details, visuals and mood boards. Very encouraging results can be achieved with no previous drawing experience.
Designing a garden is a gradual process, and the sample plans shown throughout the book chart the different stages. The site survey, site inventory and site appraisal are the first drawings made during the research and preparation phase. In researching them and drawing them up you will become familiar with the advantages and constraints of the site. Concept diagrams illustrate options for reorganizing the site to fulfil your needs.
The design process is then progressed on the drawing board, using the information previously gathered on site. Experimenting with different design themes and relating these to a grid springing from the house will ensure that your new garden sits comfortably within the property.
Gardens are, of course, three-dimensional, and while it is helpful to develop the design initially on a tracing-paper plan, the three-dimensional effects of your ideas must also be considered. The experimental design theme will then probably need considerable amendment before it moves on to the next stage, the preliminary garden layout plan, which includes both areas of hard landscaping, or inert materials, and spaces for plants.
From this evolves the final garden layout plan—the most crucial part of your design. The garden will be built to this plan, so it must be accurately drawn to scale, complete with details of all hard and soft materials, their dimensions, their construction, and how they are to be used. A good garden designer should aim to use the materials most practically suited to the situation, with imaginative detailing.
Although the garden layout plan normally gives a broad indication of planting intentions, often there is insufficient room to detail each plant—hence the next stage of the design process is to produce an itemized and clearly labelled planting plan. This can be used as an inspirational proposal, or as a working document to show where each plant should be placed in the new borders. Sometimes the planting plan is accompanied by an elevation showing the plants’ different outline heights and shapes.
Many people cannot visualize how the garden will look by studying a flat plan, so this book shows you how to produce accompanying drawings to make your intentions clear. For professional garden designers, the resulting illustrations are often key to securing the commission.
Garden design is among the most creative of endeavours, encompassing an understanding of nature and a love of plants. By following the processes described here, you will be well equipped to analyze a site, define its problems and potential, and then develop your ideas into an original and workable design, achieving a professional standard in design and presentation. As you proceed, you will develop a heightened critical appreciation for gardens in general. Above all, I hope that you use this book to create an outdoor space that is beautiful and thoroughly rewarding.