Garden design is a very personal thing and is often an expression of your

personality. What I like you, you may not and vise versa. Some people like neat and
tidy gardens where there are no surprises, others love the thrill of windy paths,
lots of different plant material and not knowing what is around the corner. There
are three main styles of gardens formal, semi formal and informal. They can then be
divided into many types of gardens and that depends on what you would like. Garden
design can be intimately tidied to the style of your house as in example of the
grand french chateaux where the geometric patterns of the garden mimic the
geometric construction of the house or it can have no connection to your house at
all.

Some people are lucky and have this innate gift of knowing how to design space,
making it a pleasing place to be in. Others don't have this gene and find it very
difficult to visualise how the space will work. To create a good design it is
important you understand that design is about managing space and people moving
around it. The core of good garden design centres round patterns and the space
within these patterns. By using geometrical shapes, circles, triangles, rectangles
etc. you can achieve a unified feel to your garden. So you need to think about
ground patterns and movement around your garden. Where would you like people to go?
Ground patterns can be achieved with the use of bricks, paving and plant material
such as cut grass etc.

Formal gardens are symmetrical and geometrical and are strict in terms of repeating
patterns and plant materials on either side. It is very controlled, plants are
clipped, shaped, manipulated regularly and today is often suitable for small
gardens like court yards. Urns, balustrades, stone, gravel paths, parterres, formal
pools and framed views are all part of the formal garden. There are no surprises,
you know what to expect.

Informal designs are asymmetrical and not as regimented. Plant material is allowed
to spill over the structural elements such as walls, steps and paths. Plant
material is allowed to self-seed and wander around the garden. Informal garden
design is softer, full of surprises thus you don't know what to expect.

And semi formal is the combination of the above two. Usually it is the built
structures such as retaining walls, paths and steps that are formal and the
informal element is the plant material which is allowed to spill over them,
softening their hard outlines.

Within these three types, there are many different styles of gardens to choose from
such as contemporary, Japanese, Mediterranean, cottage, courtyard, kitchen garden
or secret garden.

Contemporary is a modern style that likes to reflect the surrounding but also use a
wide range of plant material. Form and texture of foliage are as important as
flowers. Hard landscaping is woven into geometrical shaped buildings; all of which
flow into the wider landscape. Plants are used as focal points to highlight the
architectural forms.

Cottage was a late nineteenth-century ideal to return to the simple cottages of the
country. They were planted with hardy bulbs, flowers, fruit bushes and herbs and
vegetables. They were geometric, colours were harmonised and luxurious as plants
grew well as they were heavily manured regularly.

Mediterranean is not limited to one particular area but are defined according to
hot summers and low rainfall. They encompass entertaining areas, shade, good views
and dramatic shadows. Hot colourful plants are used and lots of lush green foliage
plants to create a cool atmosphere. Plants need to be drought tolerant. Evergreen
plants are popular because they cast shade on hot days. Walls are white washed to
reflect the sun, pergolas built to create shade and use terracotta pots. There is
often a water feature and water provides cooling vibes.

Japanese gardens encompasses religion and Japan's cultural history. Japanese

gardens are very symbolic often the symbols relate to nature. Plants are 'tamed'
and there is an emphasis on evergreen trees and shrubs. They are very controlled
and often minimalist. True Japanese gardens are contemplative a place of meditation
and great calm.

Planning

If you feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start when designing your garden, I
suggest you break it up into areas called rooms thus dividing one big space into
several smaller spaces. For example: there is the front garden, the side garden and
the back garden. Once you have decided where they begin and end you can then divide
each of those areas up again. For example in the back garden you could have the
entertaining area, the grass/children's area, the utilities area (includes the
compost heap and shed), the pool area and the vegetable/orchard area. Once you have
defined the areas/rooms you can tackle one at a time, thus making a huge project
into several smaller projects.

The Three Planning Stages

To create an interesting and exciting garden there are 3 sets of plans (may be four
if you need an engineer's structural plans) you need to devise:- Site Analysis
Plan, Concept Plan and Planting Plan, usually all drawn to scale.

The First Steps

To design a garden that works there are several things you need to do before buying
plants and planting them. If you follow these steps you are more likely to have a
successful garden.

Site Analysis

It is important to make an inventory of the area you are designing. Things to

include are:

Levels - steep/flat
Aspect - North/south
Sun/shade
Sun Summer/Winter
Shadows
Existing trees and buildings
Wind
Views - good and bad
Soil conditions
Entrances - Front/back doors
Power lines
Underground cables and pipes
Clothes line
Fences
Sheds and garages
Paved and unpaved areas
Patio/BBQ
Lighting
Drainage - runoff of storm watered
Once you have noted the above, it is time to draw up the space. You can draw it
roughly (not to scale) but eventually you will have to draw it to scale. Start by
measuring the area you are designing, draw it to scale ie. 1:100 and put all the
above points onto your drawn plan. All these influences need to be drawn on paper,
so that you can gauge any trends. For example there might be a paved path from the
back door to the garage, but everyone takes a short cut across the lawn, creating a
desire line. No - one uses the paved path. So perhaps pave the desire line and make
it the official path.

The next step is the concept plan and this is the plan where you put down you
ideas. It can be as wild and as adventurous as you like. Forget cost, enjoy your
creativity. This is the stage where you put down your dreams of what you have
always wanted. Later on, you hip pocket will decide for you whether you can have
them. Anything is possible, so don't be shy, dream away. Again this can be roughly
drawn or to scale, it is up to you.

The third and final plan is the planting plan and it is preferable that it is drawn
to scale as this allows you to know exactly how many plants you will need. It
incorporates all the ideas you have decided upon and shows you how the finished
garden is going to look. It is the road map which will guide you to building your
new garden.

There may be a fourth plan if your site is steep or you are having major elements
built, as you may need the advice of an engineer.

Points to Consider

Think about your soil conditions, is it heavy clay or light and sandy? What plants
will grow in these conditions? Are some areas boggy and some always dry?

Sun conditions

The sun is higher in the sky during spring and summer and shadows are shorter.
Whereas in winter, the sun is lower in the sky and casts longer shadows. So a plant
might be in full sun in summer and complete shade in winter. Can it tolerate this?
Also think about the conditions the plants require. Are they full sun plants like
roses or shade loving plants like azaleas?

Wind

You also need to think about wind direction. Which way does the prevailing wind
come from? Screens and hedges are one way of managing this problem but what
problems are they going to cause? Making the block feel narrow, casting shadows
etc? It is important to know because some plants don't like wind and it is no good
putting the BBQ/entertainment area in an uncomfortable spot.

Views

Views out your window or from your garden are very important. Some are intrusive
while others are desired. If you wish to block out flats/neighbours etc. you may
need to put in a higher fence or a hedging screen of some kind. Or you may want to
design your garden to enhance the view of the mountain, ocean etc.

Utilities and Service Lines

You also need to be aware where your services and utilities are; things like
clothesline, overhead power lines etc. If you damage the gas, telephone or
electricity lines, you are liable to pay for their repair.
Principles of Garden Design

To create a well designed garden, it is important to put the right plant in the
right position. This means considering the cultural requirements of the plant. For
example putting a full sun plant such as rose into a shady position isn't going to
work, because the rose won't be receiving the right amount of sunlight for it to
grow. The idea of good garden design is to follow this philosophy, using the
placement of plants to create mystery, tension and surprise by using tricks of the
eye, colours and textures.

Tension, mystery and surprise make a garden interesting. One way to create these is
to use hedges, low walls, screens, paths, steps to make individual 'garden rooms'
with tension points that captures your attention on the way. For example a narrow
oblong garden can be made more interesting if you can't see the back fence - that
there is a feature (plant or statue etc.) that obscures the fence. It also becomes
more interesting if the path way is narrow then opens up into another room. A
winding path adds mystery to the garden if you can't see what is around the corner.
Surprise comes when you go around the corner and discover a focal point.

A focal point is something like a seat/statue/water feature that leads your eye
directly to it. For example - a pergola that has a statue at the end of it. The
statue is the feature and is the reason why you look/walk to see it. Another
example of a focal point is a pathway leading through a door that is open and shows
a vista of the wider landscape.

The success of the focal point can depend on the how successfully the ground
patterns lead you there. If the paving encourages you along this path thus creating
some tension and mystery, you are more likely to follow the path to see what's
there because you have become inquisitive. Narrow paths encourage you to walk
quickly and not to dilly dally along the way, where as wide paths say stroll, take
you time, look at the surrounding vegetation. A gentle curve can be negotiated at
speed, but a tight curve can't be so people slow down as there is risk involved.
Paving is used as a directional tool says don't walk that way, but walk this way.
Edging bricks say don't step over this - this is a boundary. Paving can also be
used to reflect the ground plane of the house or other shapes in the garden.

Long narrow gardens have a strong directional emphasis that needs to be broken up.
Square plots are static. To solve these problems the space's shape needs to be
changed. A circular design distracts the eye from the straight lines of the
boundary fence. You could also use a series of rectangles using the boundaries as
part of the design.

Another method is to turn the garden onto a 45 degree angle. A long diagonal line
will immediately create a feeling of space. The paving near the house could be done
on an angle and high light the diagonal line of the entire garden.

Gardens with a dog-leg in them can utilise the bend by using tension, mystery and
surprise to lead you around the corner to a focal point of some kind.

Unified space is created by controlling the movement around the garden. It is the
way areas are linked together by paths, bridges, pergolas, steps and terraces that
determine whether a garden is successful. Careless placing can ruin the flow of the
garden. If you wish to direct someone's attention to a particular point then there
must be a clear reason in the design for following this pathway.

Ground levels are very important when designing a garden. If a slope is too steep
to walk down safely, steps may be needed and if the entire block is on a slope, the
whole area may need to be terraced. What material you use is also important. Steps
should not be of slippery materials and gravel may wash away. The surfaces need to
be flat otherwise they could be dangerous and people will not want to walk along
them and instead they may create a desire lines.

Levels help to create interest and 'rooms' in a garden because you move from one
place to another by steps/paths/etc. Allow your levels to gently flow into one
another and keep them simple. Don't over decorate them. A slope up from the house
will appear foreshortened whereas a slope down from the house will appear larger.

Choosing Plant Materials

There are 3 types of gardens:- the plants man, the garden designer and the
gardener's (mix of the first two). The plants man gardens consist of lots of
singular plantings, unconnected and often rare and difficult to source. The garden
designer's garden consists of plants that are tried and tested - they use plants
that they know and how they perform. The gardener's garden has learned that their
favourite plants can be more effective if planted in a scheme.

When choosing plants you must consider what the conditions are of your garden.
There is no point putting alkaline tolerant plants in acid soil or vise versa. It
won't work! You need to think about what your plants you have chosen require moist
soils, dry soils, shade, sun, well drained, boggy soils. If you do your research
correctly and place your plants in the right position, you are well on the way to a
successful garden.

The height and spread of your plants also needs to be considered. Tall growing
plants are placed at the back of the garden bed, graduating down to the low plants.
Remember some plants send up flower spikes that may be much larger than the plant
itself, so they need to be positioned according to their flower spike height. Some
plants are bushy so don't forget to leave sufficient room for them to spread. They
may need annual pruning to keep them in check.

Colour

Another trick in the designing tool bag is using colour. Colour is the sensation of
illumination which is light. The way colours inter-react with each other depends on
their position in colour wheel. Manipulating colour is great fun and can create all
sorts of illusions. Colours are divided into 2 groups primary red, yellow, blue and
secondary green, violet, orange. Secondary colours are made of combining two
primary such as mixing blue and yellow together to create green. You can make a
space look cold or create distance by using pale and brown colours. You can also
make a space looker bigger than it really is by using warm colours such as oranges,
reds or yellows. If you want to make a space look closer to you, again use warm
colours. As reds, oranges or yellow are very busy colours to the eye, it is a good
idea to intersperse white flowers or grey foliage plants to calm the visual scene
down. White and grey also intensify blue and pale colours.

One thing to remember about the Australia sun is that the best time to look at our
gardens is in the late afternoon when the sunlight is not as strong. Our hot sun
tends to fade our flowers colours and the glare at mid-day tends to wash the colour
out.

If you are feeling overwhelmed about designing your garden, divide your space up
and take it slowly, completing one section at a time. Don't start another part
until you have finished the section you are working on and very soon you will have
a beautiful garden. Remember gardens are ephemeral, it is a process that is for
ever evolving. You never really finish.