Home Gardener's Garden Design & Planning (UK Only). A. & G. Bridgewater
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Author’s Foreword
The moment you take people out into the garden, they immediately become more relaxed and expansive. Their smiles get bigger, they talk more loudly, their hand movements are broader, and they generally stride around looking happier. Whoever said that the great outdoors is our natural habitat certainly knew what they were talking about. Gardens are uniquely wonderful.
What could be better after a hot, sticky day at work, or a long drive home, than to relax in the garden? Gardens are all things to all people – a place for reading, a place for growing tasty vegetables, a place for playing out private fantasies such as building a log cabin, digging holes, building ponds or breeding chickens, a place for whatever takes your fancy. Patios, ponds, sheds, chalets, barbecues, vegetable plots and lawns … there are so many exciting options.
Your garden might not be much bigger than a small room, but this does not mean that you cannot turn it into the best room in the house – a room with a ceiling that stretches right up to the sky. This book will gently guide you through all the stages, from planning and making drawings through to selecting tools, digging, building walls, planting, stocking and much more besides. No more dreaming … now is the time for turning fantasies into realities.
Measurements
Both metric and imperial measurements are given in this book – for example, 1.8 m (6 ft).
SEASONS
Because of global and even regional variations in climate and temperatures, throughout this book planting advice is given in terms of the four main seasons, with each subdivided into ‘early’, ‘mid-’ and ‘late’ – for example, early spring, mid-spring and late spring. These 12 divisions of the year can be applied to the approximate calendar months in your local area, if you find this helps.
About the Authors
Alan and Gill Bridgewater have gained an international reputation as producers of highly successful gardening and DIY books on a range of subjects, including garden design, ponds and patios, stone and brickwork, decks and decking, and household woodworking. They have also contributed to several international magazines. They live in Rye, East Sussex.
Enjoying your garden
Although you might start out with preconceived notions – the garden has to be formal, or you want to grow vegetables, for example – the finished garden will of necessity be a coming-together of what you dream of having and what you actually have on the ground – the location, the size of the plot, the character of your home, and so on. The best way of getting started is to list your needs, think hard about the possibilities, and take things from there.
How do I get the best out of my garden?
Even the smallest patch can be turned into a gentle, soothing haven.
YOUR NEEDS
List your needs in order of priority. Your needs might be unspoken, but you probably know absolutely for sure what you don’t want. If this is the case, then list what you don’t want, and then, by a process of elimination, gradually work through to what you would like to have.
THE POSSIBILITIES
Look at the size and location of your plot, and the size of your bank balance, and consider the possibilities accordingly. You might want a huge lake, but if you only have a modest-sized garden, with a modest-sized bank balance to match, it is probably better to modify your ‘needs’ and opt for a good-sized pond.
IMPROVING AND EVOLVING
Gardens generally improve and evolve simply with the passing of time. Plants get bigger, new plants can be grown, lawns can be changed into flower beds, and so on.
GARDENING STYLES
Although there are only two basic styles of garden, informal and formal, there are many variations on these styles. For example, you could have an informal cottage-orchard type garden, or an informal wild garden. Much the same goes for a formal garden. You could have a classic garden with all the features relating to a symmetrical ground plan, or you could have a Japanese garden that is formal in its layout.
Informal
A natural patio complete with apple trees and meadow grass.
Wildlife areas introduce a new dimension to gardening, and are perfect for a small, quiet, out-of-the-way position.
Formal
A small formal garden which has been designed so that the plants can easily be changed to follow the seasons.
A single stone ball can be an eye-catching feature.
Themed
Areas of gravel create the perfect base for a Japanese garden.
Assessing your garden
A successful garden is nearly always a marriage of what you actually have and what you would like to have. The first step is to spend time in the garden. Look at the space, the levels, the walls and so on, and then decide what you want from your garden. Do you like gardening, or do you simply want to enjoy being outdoors? Consider your finances and your physical capabilities. Generally think through the possibilities and then slowly begin to make plans.
Where do I start?
Design the garden so that it makes the most of the sun.
SIZE
Garden size is relative. If you are not very keen on gardening and just want a space to relax and read a book, 0.2 of a hectare (half an acre) is a huge area, but if you want to grow all your own vegetables then the same area is perhaps a bit poky. Big, small, long or wide, treat the space like a room in your house and make the most of all the existing features.
SHAPE
Making the most of an unusually shaped space – thin, wide, triangular, L-shaped, or whatever – can result in