by David Isom; guest contributor
Start with your vision
Those of us who are lucky enough to have a garden should ask ourselves are we really, really enjoying our garden?
It could be designing a new garden, restoring a neglected garden, choosing materials, collecting plants, a garden for the family or a garden for entertaining family and friends or just your own self-indulgence and very private space.
However, gardens never stop and are a lasting pleasure if you get it right and develop the dream you had in your head.
The only gardens that come to an end and stop, are the amazing show gardens you will see at the major garden shows as eventually these are dismantled, unlike your own garden.
So to really, really enjoy your garden for the years or decades to come there is much to think about and consider.
Think about your future plans
Let’s start by asking ourselves how long we plan to live in the property that has the garden. If short term you may not want to spend a lot of money on the garden so this may influence how you can really, enjoy it on a limited spend. If you plan to live in the property long term you will have endless ideas spreading the costs and enjoying the garden as it evolves.
Enjoy the view from indoors
Step back inside the property and look out of all the windows, you can enjoy the garden by what you see from the inside, you will have to look at this all year round so focus strongly on what you see immediately from your windows, armchair, kitchen or dining table, so plan and plant accordingly.
Look at the garden from outside
Step out into the garden look all around, is there a landscape you can borrow and merge your garden with, or is there something not so attractive that you can hide or disguise with the right planting. Remember you don’t own the view but you can influence it with plants you enjoy.
Create places to sit and relax
We will all work in our gardens but need to take time to sit down and enjoy the surroundings that we are creating and caring for. Create seating areas wherever you can around the garden to enjoy it from different aspects, these can be fixed or covered seating, or cleared away in the colder months but capture what the natural world gives us, like sunny spots, shade, a favourite view and or a tranquil spot.
Make the most of outdoor dining
If you enjoy outside dining in your garden the choices are pretty endless, give yourself only the amount of room you think you really need and surround it by the plants you really enjoy. One word of warning here, avoid decking if you can as it makes the perfect rat hotel underneath, and none of us want vermin in the garden.
Choose the style that suits you
Enjoying your garden, may mean open spaces, a lawn, a low maintenance dry gravel garden, planted with alpines or a pond or water feature. A container garden that you can have fun with planting containers according to the seasons and moving your containers around to add interest.
Add features you will enjoy
You may enjoy your garden because it’s a structure that entices you into the garden. This could be play equipment for children, a garden shed, an office space, a hot tub, or a summerhouse or arbour. These all have a place in the garden if someone enjoys them, especially the summerhouse which can extend the spring and autumn months for the garden to be enjoyed. Just give some thought how they are placed in the garden.
Make your garden accessible
Making the garden as accessible as possible will add to the enjoyment of the garden. Carefully graded slopes rather than steps, wide paths and careful choice of paving will encourage those who have limited mobility or safety needs, to get out and enjoy the garden.
Plant what you love
Plant the plants that you enjoy the most, ensuring the right plants for the right place and conditions. When choosing plants think about their habit, flowers and foliage, the ongoing care they may require to fully enjoy them. Consider shrubs and trees, do your research and plant them at the right time and they will give you structure and pleasure for the long term in the garden.
Enjoy the rewards
Ask yourself if you are not enjoying your garden why not and how you can turn this around, it will help keep you, physically healthy, help mental wellbeing so you can really, really enjoy your garden.
About the Author
David Isom is an experienced self employed gardener working in gardens of all sizes for regular customers in and around Creaton and surrounding villages. He works closely with his customers all year round to maintain and develop their gardens both large and small and has a particular interest in traditional country and cottage gardens and perennial planting.