Planning a garden is just like building a house. But for mosts people, a garden is an afterthought, and more often than not, they focus on aesthetics rather than function, and this usually leads to problems in the long run. They work without professionals, and turn to books and magazines as references for a look but don't really see the useful potential of their outdoor areas.
Knowing what your garden can be used for matters most. You should treat the garden as an extension of your house, and maximize every available area, especially if space is limited. To get a beautiful yet functional garden, you have to plan it properly.
Prep Work
For starters, ask yourself these questions:
- What's my budget for the landscape design and construction?
- How much can I spend on garden maintenance?
- Will I be holding parties often, and need space for spillover of guests from the house?
- If you have kids, How much play space do they need?
The Plan
Once you've answered these questions, then you can decide on the look you want. If you are hiring a landscape architect or designer, tell them what you want and they should be able to integrate all this ina design, within certain standards, and come up with a landscaping plan for you.
You or your landscape architect or designer should always take the following into consideration:
Ocular inspection of the site and other nearby areas
Visual eyesores that should be covered, if possible. For example: an adjacent lot's water tank that ruins the garden's look and feel.
Lush paintings from an adjacent lot can sometimes be visually used to your advantage. Your neighbor's garden can be used as an "extension" or borrowed view for your own garden.
Architectural plans and elevations
Always base your garden design on current architectural and site developmet plans as they show which areas of your house have direct access and views of your outdoor spaces. This way, you can figure out which areas should maximized (view from living or dining area) or hidden (service areas or pump rooms).
Considerations
Also...
Plans show the house's orientation (where north is), which helps the plant layout.
Elevations show the height and blank walls that can be considered dead spots and/or vertical space, which should be softened and maximized.
Ideally, a landscape architect or designer will start work on a residential project when construction is 50-60 percent done, so there will be time to make two to three schematic designs. When presented, you can study and choose a design best suited to your needs. Once a design is chosen, other design details will follow. In the end, everything becomes easier for both designer and homeowner.
