How to start designing a new or remodelled garden

A great starting point for creating a new garden or restoring an existing one is to envision the ideal style for your space. One effective method to collect and organise your ideas is through creating a visual reference board. Pinterest, a popular online platform, serves as an excellent tool for this purpose. By assembling a Pinterest board, you can easily gather and categorise images that resonate with the garden style you aim to achieve. This digital collage not only inspires but also helps communicate your vision clearly to others involved in the garden design process.

Inspiration, Style and practical considerations

Leveraging Pinterest for Garden Inspiration

  • Begin by creating a Pinterest account if you don’t already have one, then start a new board dedicated to your garden design.
  • Search and pin images that capture elements of the garden styles you are drawn to, including plant arrangements, hardscape materials, colour schemes, and layout designs.
  • Utilise Pinterest’s broad network of garden enthusiasts and professionals to explore and discover a vast array of garden designs, from the traditional to the avant-garde.
  • As your board grows, look for recurring themes or elements that stand out; these will be key indicators of your preferred style and essential features.

Your Personal Garden Vision

  • Acknowledge that your garden is a reflection of your individuality—your sanctuary and narrative space.
  • Strive for a design that genuinely represents your preferences, ensuring the garden is tailored to your lifestyle and aesthetic desires.

Finding Inspiration

  • Source inspiration from a variety of contexts: admired gardens, literature, digital media, and everyday observations.
  • Keep a detailed record or digital portfolio of aspects that inspire you, noting why they appeal and how they could be integrated into your garden.

Choosing a Style

  • Early decision-making about your garden’s style provides a coherent direction and facilitates design decisions.
  • Consider diverse styles, reflecting on what each may signify personally or aesthetically to you, and select one that feels harmonious with your vision.

Defining Style Elements

  • Distil your chosen style into its fundamental elements, understanding these as the building blocks of your garden’s design.
  • Each style’s signature features—be they the whimsical accents of a cottage garden or the sleek lines of a contemporary landscape—should guide your design choices.

Adapting Style to Space

  • Tailor your chosen style to fit the spatial realities of your garden, ensuring the design feels integrated and proportionate.
  • Draw inspiration from practices like Japanese garden design, which adeptly manipulates scale and perspective to convey expansive narratives within compact spaces.

Integrating Practical Considerations

  • A garden must balance beauty with usability, considering factors such as soil, access, and environmental conditions.
  • Plan thoughtfully to incorporate these practical aspects seamlessly into your design, ensuring the garden is both enchanting and functional.

By beginning with a digital mood board on Pinterest, you establish a clear and visual foundation for your garden project. This approach not only streamlines the design process but also enhances collaboration with designers and contractors, ensuring the final garden aligns with your initial vision.