Time for some garden planning

By Julian Brandram

If it is too cold to go outside, why not take time to think about the layout of your garden? You may have inherited a garden which was not quite what you wanted and never got round to changing it.

Consider what kind of garden you really want. Is it one with lots of intriguing corners and hidden surprises or is it one with a more open aspect? Look at the view you get from inside the house as well as outside.
 
If you want to grow fruit and vegetables give them an open position, don’t tuck them away in a shady corner.
Trees and shrubs can provide focal points and they are also the skeleton of the garden in the winter when herbaceous plants have died down. If your garden slopes, then the natural thing to do is to terrace it, this will give you walls which can be clothed with tumbling plants which will look great in spring or summer. A slope will require some steps, these can be focal points in themselves and they are also a good place stand pot plants as well as being a pleasant place to sit. Don’t make them too steep, you need to be able to push a wheel barrow up  or down without losing the contents.

Pots, pieces of sculpture or recycled junk can all add interest and complement the plants.

Don’t forget to include a few seats in places which give you a good view of the garden, you must have somewhere to sit back and enjoy the results of your labours.
       
If you have small children, a play area with a sandpit needs to be near the back door or kitchen window, where you can keep an eye on them.

Herbs also need to be close to the house, if they are down the bottom of the garden you just never seem to use them.

I will be running a gardening course after Easter and there will lots of practical opportunities to try out your ideas.