If you were a professional designer, this stage would be referred to as the Client Brief. In this case you are the client and the designer!

You need to consider what you want out of this garden but keep your budget in mind. If you don’t have a lot of money to spend you might want to consider how you can implement works over time. We will discuss this further in a later edition of Cuttings.

Needs

Write a list of everything you need in your garden. For example, a garden shed, and the size you are thinking of. It’s a good idea to have catalogue information for these sorts of items, so that you have accurate dimensions.

You might need an area for the kid’s trampoline and swing set. So you need to work out how much area to set aside – remember to include plenty of surrounding area for sliding off slides, jumping off swings and trampolines etc.

If you are including a vegetable garden, you need to think about the size. If you are new to vegetable growing, start small but perhaps have a plan to increase its size should you find you can cope with growing more. Vegetable gardens can be quite time consuming.

And because vegetable gardens will require regular water, remember that any other high water use plants you might want to include, such as fruit trees should be planted in the same area. But be mindful of future shading of the vegetable garden. Think about the size of the tree when it has grown, as its canopy might be several metres in diameter.

There are smaller fruit tree varieties available now that are small in stature but produce quite a lot of fruit.

Then there are the other utility items such as clothes lines and storage areas.

Do you need a cricket pitch?

And if you have a courtyard sized garden, you better prioritise your needs. We’ll get onto some design solutions for smaller spaces in a later issue.

Wants

This could include the style of the garden. Garden design books and magazines will help you narrow in on the look that appeals to you.

We will get onto plant selection in another issue of Cuttings, but keep in mind when thinking about what style of garden appeals to you; you can achieve it using drought tolerant, native or indigenous plants. SGA has prepared information showing just how this is possible, and with examples of plants from the local Melbourne area that would be appropriate. Download a pdf (about 1 meg) of our Garden Plan examples for some ideas.

Make a list of your favourite plants, textures, foliage colours and flowers.

Sculpture and artworks might be considered. Even a very small budget can cope with a bowl of water on a rock and this can be as effective in the right surrounds as any expensive sculpture.

Take Your Time

Take your time to think about what you really need and want in your garden.

Some more questions to get you thinking…

Do you like winding paths and surprises around corners, or do you prefer a vista of a garden?

Do you entertain outdoors a lot? If so, you may need to consider an entertaining space as a need.

Do you have pets and how might you cater for their needs, especially rambunctious dogs and young plants?

Are there any other considerations relating to the wider landscape that you might need to consider, such as bushfire, heritage and tree overlays?

If you are considering built structures, contact your local council to find out their requirements regarding permits etc. And while you’re at it, ask for their list of garden weed plants in your area.

Click here to read Sustainable Design Part 1 – Getting Started

Click here to read Sustainable Design Part 3 – Drawing up the Design

Click here to read Sustainable Design Part 4 – Choosing Plants

Click here to read Sustainable Design Part 5 – The Soft Landscape

Click here to read Sustainable Design Part 6 – The Hard Landscape

Click here to read Sustainable Design Part 7 – Water Gardens