When should you start planning your new garden?

There is no set time of year that we can say is a good time to start just when you are ready. Larger gardens are often more time consuming to design and also to build so will take much longer than a small urban garden.

If the garden is part of an entire house renovation then it is wise to speak to a garden designer about putting a design together once you have received planning for the works to the house. Once the design has been completed you can choose to progress with it at the same time as the renovations or wait a few years until you are ready to progress with the garden.

There are a number of benefits of working in this way. The main one being that sometimes builders will include some hard landscaping around the house or new extension as part of the build cost. There is then a rush to decide how bit it can be or where it should be without considering the rest of the garden. This then leads to compromises when designing the garden. These compromises could include material choice or a missed design opportunity.

When is the best time to build your new garden?

There is never a bad time of year to build the garden as works can take place all year round. The best time to plant is October – April. However, you can plant thought the summer (plants will need lots of watering) and winter.

Planting can often be in phases. For example Perennials, trees, shrubs may be planted in April and then bulbs to provide spring could could then be planted after. Best time to do bulbs is October – December.

If you want your garden completed by next summer when should you start planning it?

As a result of the disruption caused by BREXIT and the increase in demand for gardens brought about by the pandemic there is long lead times for certain materials, plants and contractors.

This has made future planning essential when planning your new garden. In short if you want your garden completed by next summer then you need to start giving it some thought now! From initial meeting the production of a design can take 6-7 weeks particularly if a land survey is required. However, if you may be keen to get going and we appreciate that. It is still important not to rush things though as a good design and details takes time and thought to evolve.