Landscaping your garden

Landscaping is the perfect spring project – whether you want a practical, picturesque or child-friendly space – it’s time to get your garden ready for summer now.

Spring is the best time to revamp your garden

“If you want to get your garden landscaped ready for summer, spring is the best time to start planning,” says Martin Gomm of Wycliffe Landscapes Ltd in Dorset. Landscaping, or even just sprucing up your garden can be a daunting and time-consuming task, which is why some people choose to hire a professional. Heidi Cornish, from Island Landscapes Ltd in Essex explains their garden design process: “We visit the site and discuss designs with the client first. Some people have fixed ideas, others say ‘we’ve got a bland garden that we want to improve, what can we do?’”

Everyone uses their garden for different reasons; you might want a safe place for kids to play, an area for adults to dine, somewhere for storage or space for growing produce. Landscaper Martin points out that: “When designing a garden the most important thing is to know what the space is going to be used for,” he adds that: “budget is also an important factor.” Consider not just the initial cost but how much time and money you can afford to maintain the garden, this will heavily influence the design. Landscapers will typically sketch out designs or produce them using 3D software before providing a quote.

Some of the other questions you need to consider are:

• What plants are suitable for your gardens soil type?
• Which areas of the garden get the most sun?
• Do you want to match the style to that of rooms leading out to the garden?
• Which materials and colour schemes do you like?
• What kind of garden design suits the period of your home and other gardens in the area?

Hard landscaping – this term refers to garden features made up of ‘hard’ materials like brick, stone or wood. This might include: patios, decking, paving, fencing, ponds or paths. Hard landscaping also covers sheds or greenhouses which need to be allocated space first when designing.

Soft landscaping – this covers all the plants and trees in your garden. Choosing the right colours, textures and heights of soft features can make or break a garden design. Try using plants which grow in different seasons for an attractive garden all year around.

Planning permission

For best results hire a professional landscaper

Before starting any landscaping work or carrying out major changes to an existing garden, it is important to check that there aren’t any restrictions. For example, trees might be protected by a Tree Preservation Order, you might live in a conservation area or tall plants could block sunlight to other properties. “We have a landscape architect who will find out if planning permission is required when drawing up the garden design,” says Heidi.

Garden maintenance

Once your garden is redesigned and looking great, you need to think about how to keep it that way. Weeding, mowing, watering and pruning can be time-consuming and as Heidi points out: “Gardens can begin to look untidy very quickly.” Larger garden maintenance tasks like repairing fencing or weatherproofing outdoor furniture and buildings can also be difficult to keep on top of, so you may want to hire a professional. Bear in mind that some jobs like cutting down or tidying trees need to be done by a qualified tree surgeon.

Hiring a landscaper

It is a good idea to hire a professional who is registered with a trade body like the British Association of Landscaping Industries (BALI) or the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL).These associations check companies have properly qualified, insured and competent staff, who work to a set code of conduct. “I would recommend hiring a garden company registered with BALI if you want the best quality service,” advises Martin.

Cost of landscaping

“The price of garden landscaping or maintenance really depends on the size of the property, what you want done and how often,” says Heidi. For landscaping projects expect a fixed quote upfront, whereas you may be charged an hourly rate for maintenance. As