What to consider

Before going ahead with a design it is a good idea to ask yourself the following questions:

• What is my budget?
• How easily maintainable do I want the garden to be?
• What type of feel do I want to the garden? Mediterranean? Structured like a Victorian garden? A less structured more ‘natural’ garden?
• Do I want any kind of seating area? Will this be built in to a decking area or stand alone seating?
• Do I like soft, colourful planting or architectural plants?
• Do I want a water feature?
• Do I want lights in the garden?

Don't worry if you are unsure. Give us a call and we will be able to talk you through the advantages and disadvantages of different themes. Below we have briefly explained a few of the themes. Click here to see our showcase with lots of interesting and unique designs.

Oriental gardens usually include Acers, Rhododendrons, Bamboos and Azaleas. An oriental garden design is one of the harder gardens to design. Careful selection is required when choosing shrubs. It is possible to create a traditional oriental garden using plants that would be in a cottage garden such as Crocosmias, Hostas and Camellias. This will add some superb colours to your garden whilst retaining the oriental theme.

If you want bright, colourful borders with lots of textural difference then a cottage garden is definitely one to consider. There are two main colour schemes; one being vivid use of purples, oranges and reds and the other utilising pastoral colours such as light creams, yellows and light blue. We recommend that you have 75% pastoral colours and 25% vivids which creates an excellent border. One draw back that comes with having a cottage border is that the plants die back in the winter; to avoid the garden from looking bare during this time, include evergreen shrubs that produce silver, yellow and red leaves all year round.

Mediterranean gardens are also good if you are trying to create a contemporary feel and minimalistic look. The plants of a Mediterranean garden tend to be very architectural and if well-planted produce breathtaking displays. A few examples of plants that are used in a Mediterranean garden are Phormiums, Cordylines, Bamboos and tree ferns.