For many people, the garden is their outdoor retreat, the place they can relax.  Or it is something they put a lot of effort into maintaining, keeping it in great condition and making it beautiful to see.  Whatever your approach to your garden, if you are planning a redesign then here are some of the top expert tips to think about.

1.  Be generous with paths

One of the first things to plan out is the paths or walkways around the garden.  It is a good tip to leave a bit of space for these, don’t make them into thin and narrow paths.  By making paths wide enough that two people can walk on them, not only do you leave room to walk together but as plants naturally overhang a little, you still have plenty of room.

2.  Have gentle steps if needed

If you feature a garden on different levels and you need steps, make sure you have lots of small ones rather than a couple of larger ones.  This makes it easier to walk and reduces the chance people will trip when walking up them.  If you need 10 or more steps, consider having a landing every 4-5 steps to break them up.

3.  Get help with the turf

There are lots of areas of the garden design you can do yourself, but you definitely want to work with turfing contractors when it comes to the supply of quality turf for new lawns.  A turfing company will also be soil suppliers and supply wild flower lawns if you are looking for something different for turfing in Sussex.  Some even do lawn insurance work if you are designing after an accident or incident.

4.  Give plants plenty of room

It is tempting to plant everything close together to create an instant look, but this doesn’t leave the plants any room to grow.  Instead, consider giving them plenty of room and use a mix of quicker and slower growing plants to fill the space.  Quicker growing plants will often live a shorter time but by their end, the slower growing plants will have filled in for them.  Just make sure they don’t take over too much and strangle the slow growers.

5.  Don’t limit yourself to flowering plants

There’s no doubt that flowering plants are the stars of the show, but you want to combine them with other types of plants to give something to look at while the flowering plants are dormant.  Trees with their leaves changing colour by the seasons are one example while evergreen plants and shrubs will offer all year round colour.  Also, consider the seasons and pick plants that flower or have the most colour at different times of the year.

6.  Have somewhere to enjoy it all

Don’t forget to create a space to enjoy your efforts!  A patio is a perfect example where you can place a table and chairs set or a couple of recliners and look out across the garden.  It is important to relax and enjoy all the work!