Any keen gardener will tell you, nothing quite beats the satisfaction of growing a plant from seed. Knowing that you have created life and watched it grow from its first true leaves to the mature plant you now see before you. 

When designing a new garden, its important to consider seasonal interest. By that I mean how your garden will look during each season.

With some careful planning you are able to create a garden that will not only look good during the summer months, but also during the cold dark winter months.

Welcome to the wonderful world of nomenclature, which is a system used by botanists to categorise plants. Plants have both a scientific name as well as a common name, but why is this the case?

Did you know that there is more to the soil in your garden than you may originally have thought? It is important to give your plants the right growing conditions so that they can thrive and are more resistant to pests and diseases. 

It is important to consider how we move through an outside space. Practically you could place a straight path down a lawn to get from one end of the garden to the other, but where’s the interest in that?

A much more interesting way would be for the garden designer to control how we physically move through the space, or how our eyes move across the space.

What you need to do this month to keep your garden looking beautiful - read on!

When designing a garden there are several design principles which act as a guide throughout the design process. When viewing a garden, we automatically evaluate what we see to try and make sense of the space. 

When re-designing a garden I will always try to incorporate healthy plants that are on site into the design, although possibly relocate to a different area in the garden. We must make the decision whether to keep a plant where it is, move or transplant it to a new location, or to remove the plant completely.

Unity and repetition are important aspects to consider when designing the garden of your dreams. In essence, this is where each area of your garden feels that they unite with one another, which is achieved through repeating similar colours, materials, textures and plants throughout the design.

Often when describing garden structures, people will use the words pergolas, arbour and gazebos interchangeably when in fact they are different structures. Let me explain the difference.

Focal points are a useful tool to guide visitors around your design. These can be strategically placed so that you are encouraged to walk towards a focal point.

Upon reaching the focal point, there may be another just around the corner that you catch a glimpse of, but can’t quite see - encouraging you to walk about the next corner.