7 Rules That Help Get The Best For Your Garden

We know that rules are meant to be broken but these seven rules will help you design your garden, maximising it to its full potential. What are these golden rules?

#1 Work on what you see from the house first

As you sit in your living room or enjoy a meal in the dining room, what do you look at in your garden? In most cases, it is the far reaches of your boundary wall and so starting work on this area of the garden first makes sense.

#2 Patio and lawn – if in doubt, stick to straight lines

Fancy round lawns are all well and good but they can make a garden feel small, especially if by doing so, you increase the depths of your flower borders. If in doubt, stick to straight lines but a safer option if you want to add shape, is to stick with geometric shapes for both lawn and patio. Angles and lines are welcoming in a garden, especially if you want to embrace simplicity.

#3 The rule of three

Just like interior design, a garden that promotes cohesion between the materials used as hard landscaping is what gives it a designer look. This means sticking with three ‘flooring’ materials e.g. grass, sandstone and gravel or decking, gravel and stone.

#4 Three colours

The rule of three also applies to the colours you use including the colour of fencing, accessories and furniture. Limit the palette of colours for the hard landscaping and garden furniture and you’ll find that green foliage and colourful flowers stand out even more.

#5 Lighting really matters

The penchant for lighting the garden is nothing new and yet we miss the best bits of the garden because it is shrouded in darkness. Layer lighting in the garden so that means spotlights and up lights, soft lighting and brighter lights. Use it to highlight features such as the tumbling water of the waterfall. Keep a similar hue of colours otherwise it will look like a disco…

#6 Privacy

A garden is a space you will only use if you feel comfortable for doing so. An open garden may seem like a great idea but are you happy to sit on your deckchair sipping your evening cocktail with the rest of the street watching you? Maximise privacy with fencing, as well as creating smaller nooks for when you want to relax and enjoy a good book, in peace and privacy.

#7 Garden furniture

For many of us, the garden is a place to relax and that means giving some thought to the garden furniture. From al fresco dining to sun loungers, to outdoor sofas to pretty patio café sets, consider how you use your garden and what furniture fits your needs. You also want to place it in the right place. It may be lovely to watch the sun go down with a cocktail but you don’t want to each lunch in the full glare of the sun.