What constitutes as a well designed garden?

A well designed garden considers how the space will be used by the clients and what they want out of the space – example, do they like to entertain, or do they want a kids haven, or are they wanting to invite wildlife into the garden. The way the space is used will drive the main design elements in the space.

Who will be using the garden, is also just as important. If the client has elderly parents living with them, there will need to be design considerations – example, hand railings at any steps, or solid landscaping chosen for any pathways, so they can move around the garden with ease.

Ensuring the layout and proportions works well with the size of the garden will also dictate whether a design is aesthetically appealing or not.

Things like the gardens location, the natural surroundings, the topography of the space, aspect, and micro climates need to be taken into account throughout the design process to ensure the design works in the specific space.

The final design should meet all of the client’s needs and wants but still offer an element of surprise and excitement.

It is my personal belief that it is the responsibility of all garden designers to plan their designs with the environment as the main priority. I think if a design harms the natural environment in any way; example, using artificial lawn, or choosing to use an invasive alien plant, or laying hard landscaping over an entire garden, then the designer has failed in creating a design which truly works. There are simple and accessible design elements and plant choices which have a massive impact in reducing the effects of climate change, and support the native wildlife. This to me is what creates a design which works.

Written by Kim Graham