How to plan a garden design before you build anything

Survey what you have

Measure the garden and sketch it roughly to scale, including the house, doors, windows, trees, drains, manholes, changes of level and any parts that hold water. Note which boundaries are yours and what condition the fences are in. Access matters too: if materials must come through the house, it affects how the work is done.

Follow the sun

Look at the garden at breakfast time, midday and early evening. Many people put the patio next to the back door by default, when the sunniest evening spot is at the far end. Shade from trees and neighbouring buildings changes through the year, so a spot that is bright in June may be dark in October.

Zone the space by how you use it

List what the garden needs to do for you, then give each use a zone.

• Eating and relaxing: patio or deck, ideally where the evening light falls.
• Play or lawn: open space with good drainage.
• Working or hobbies: a garden room or shed, with a route for power.
• Storage: bins, bikes, logs and tools, kept out of the main view.
• Planting: beds that suit the light and soil in each area.

Hard landscaping first, planting last

Build in order: groundwork and drainage, retaining walls and levels, paths and patios, structures such as decks, pergolas and garden rooms, then fencing and screening, and planting last. Planting before the heavy work almost always ends with plants trampled or buried.

Phasing if you cannot do it all at once

A good plan lets you build over several seasons without undoing earlier work. Lay ducting for future lighting or power under a new patio, even if you will not use it for a year. It is far cheaper than lifting paving later.

Materials that tie the garden together

A small palette of materials used consistently usually looks better than many different ones. If the fence, pergola and decking are all in one timber tone, and the patio stone repeats in the path and edging, the garden reads as one design even when it is built in stages over several years.

Think about maintenance honestly. A large lawn needs mowing, timber needs treating every few years, gravel needs raking and planting beds need weeding. Choose features you will actually look after, and put low maintenance surfaces in the areas that get the most wear, such as the route to the shed or the bins. It is also worth thinking about wildlife, drainage and privacy together: hedging, trellis and planting can screen a view while letting rain soak away naturally.

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