Garden landscaping ideas to ensure you plan the perfect garden

Designing - or redesigning - your outdoor space can be a fun and creative process, but can also be overwhelming. Make things that bit easier by firstly exploring your garden landscaping possibilities.

When planning what garden ideas you wish to explore, you'll find that garden landscaping is at the heart of most - of not all - of them. By understanding the best ways to approach this, the less fuss you'll have in creating your dream space.

In order to understand how to landscape a garden, we have to understand what it actually means. 'Landscape design is just the outdoors version of interior design -albeit with rather different materials,' says Tabi Jackson Gee, founder, TJG Gardens.  'The actual landscaping bit itself refers to any changes you're making to your outdoor space – from creating new plant beds to building walls or terraces.'

 'Both the hard landscaping and the soft landscaping (plants) need to be designed carefully to be functional and beautiful, and with budget, site and future uses all taken into consideration,' continues Tabi. 'Designers then work with landscaping contractors to make these ideas a reality. There's so much that goes into the process which people don't see - choosing the right materials, the right finishes, the right lighting and so all is all a skill that adds up to a beautiful garden.'

 'Most good designers can do both - you need an incredible amount of knowledge not just of plants but of materials, building practices, costs, supply chains - and it's this knowledge which allows a designer to help a client get the most from their garden.'

Garden landscaping ideas

Do you wish you had somewhere to sit, relax, entertain or let the children play? Maybe you are just a little bored and want a garden design that is more colourful, varied or maintenance friendly.

Garden landscaping is the ideal way to craft an attractive space to grow plants that give you a beautiful environment and design a practical layout that allows you to use your garden how you want. Take a look at some of our favourite ways to get that garden into shape this summer...

1. Plant at varying levels

Keep things interesting no matter where your eye is directed by experimenting with different planting. Think in-ground flower beds cut into grass or tiled areas, pots filled with plants, climbers up walls and taller trees. This form of garden landscaping is also useful is helping to zone your space as you can use plants to create different areas.

2. Mix materials

Even the most supposedly simple elements of garden landscaping can be used to create interest. Cheap DIY garden path ideas, for example, can be much more dynamic than you might think. Allow one path material - such as wood, to seem to organically transition into another, such as stones or gravel.

3. Work with different levels

While you can of course use garden landscaping to level out your space, it's sometimes just as interesting to work with what you have. If your house is higher than your garden then you've got a perfect spot for decking ideas or an outdoor dining space. It can seem jarring to have a large gap between the hard landscaping and the lawn below. Soften this by creating full and dynamic beds for year round colour and depth.

4. Add in raised beds

Raised beds can benefit just about any outdoor space, especially when you're looking for great garden border ideas. From a practical, gardening point of view, you're making things easier on yourself as everything is self-contained. Also, it's easier to collect cut flowers or herbs. Additionally, you have a better view of your planting, meaning your hard work will be on display for all to see.

5. Incorporate in-built seating

When landscaping your garden, really consider your needs. If you love to entertain, then make sure you build in seating to your walls or raised beds. It's cheaper than doing it later on, and you won't have to worry about how to choose outdoor furniture. If you're short on space, create versions which have integrated, waterproof storage to tuck away your outdoor cushions and seat pads.

6. Raise pathways

Beds aren't the only element which can be raised to create interest. Choose a pathway that sits a good couple of inches above the ground. It will appear to float, and the surrounding plants at ground-level will appear larger than they actually are by tricking the eye.

7. Go large to make a statement

Play with scale to create impact with small garden ideas.  Use oversize containers filled with a glorious mix of trees, shrubs and perennials to create an impressive oasis. Make the plants work extra hard by choosing those which are known for attracting wildlife.

'Include multi-stem birch trees underplanted with evergreen Ferns and spring flowering Crocus,' says Butter Wakefield. 'Beech balls with Erigeron daisies and Muehlenbeckia and shrubs and perennials including Syringa microphyllia ‘Red Pixie’. Euphorbia schillingii, Geranium pyrcenaicum ‘Bill Wallis’ & Cirsium rivulare ‘Blue Wonder’.'

8. Soften a sloping garden with grass steps

If your garden is on different levels but you're not keen on hard landscaping, you still have solutions. Instead of incorporating stone steps, opt for grass treads, integrating them into the existing lawn to connect the lower area to that above.

This is a lovely way to achieve a softer, more organic feel to your garden.

9. Pave the way

The trend for creating garden zones is hugely popular, meaning the need for having a garden path is great. A link that unites the different areas is not only highly practical, it can also be visually appealing as this example demonstrates.

Without a pathway you'll soon find that you tread an unsightly channel into the lawn – which will ruin all your hard work with the overall garden aesthetic.

10. Favour environmental choices

If you're concerned about the environmental impact of your garden and looking for ways to make it more sustainable, you're in luck. You can create an oasis that can benefit the planet which still bursts with texture and visual interest.

'Uses a rich palette of drought-tolerant planting including native seaside plants, grasses and Mediterranean shrubs surrounded by a stone mulch in different sizes and set amongst paving of locally reclaimed York Stone,' suggest The Society of Garden Designers.

'Try plants like verbena bonariensis, eryngiums, euphorbias, lavender, achillea, ballota, miscanthus nepalensis, pennisetum, verbena and thymus. Make sure you use permeable surfaces to allow water to be released naturally into the ground.'

11. Plant for privacy

Planting works hard in our gardens to satisfy all our senses. In addition to everything else they aid with, clever planting can be used to create privacy from neighbours, your own house, or both. Laurel hedging is a great choice, but you can also play with willow trees or climbing plants up garden trellis ideas.

12. Create a flowering roof

Green roofs, living roofs, vegetated roofs, — whatever you call them, planted roofs are sprouting up everywhere! The growing new trend can be home to an array of plants from grasses to flowers, as well as being the perfect way to bring biodiversity into your garden.

'Create a stunning sedum roof in pastel powdery pinks to add a softness to the surrounding garden' suggest The Society Of Garden Designers. 'You can create a green roof on any flat surface or unsightly roof - from bin stores to bike sheds, and if you're not sure what to plant simply lay a ready-seeded wildflower turf.'

13. Hard landscape dedicated levels

Use hard landscaping to make a feature of a sloping garden, allowing the incline to create dedicated, defined levels for different zones.

Allow the zones to take on very different purposes – from a dining area to a relaxing lounging zone that makes the most of garden shade ideas.

14. Stick to a simple scheme

'Simple, elegant detailing is often the key to a successful space,' says garden designer Robert Myers. 'People often over-complicate design by putting too many ideas and patterns into a small space, making it look busy and fussy.'

15. Go hard on the detail

There’s no shortage of hard landscaping styles, from rustic to sleek and modern. In general, hard landscaping tends to be the star of contemporary designs, and the range of materials for such spaces is more extensive – mirror, metal, concrete and painted walls, to name a few – but there is nothing to stop you using these in traditional herbaceous gardens. The trick is to create a single, homogenous design.

16. Change the shape

Create more space by breaking free of a symmetrical layout. It's easy to think in straight lines when it comes to garden landscaping, especially when it comes to the flooring. Adding curved lines and elongated sections can help to soften the transition from hard landscaping to planting or lawn.

Think about reshaping the lawn to allow for a sweeping shaped decking to give the landscape an interesting shape, or going for completely grassless garden ideas.

Elements to consider when first planning garden landscaping ideas

• Walls and boundaries
• Hedges and fences
• Paths and patios
• Lawns
• Water features
• Zoning areas (dining, playing, shading)
• Planting: trees, shrubs, pots
• Lighting Out-buildings

Next consider your plot. Look at the size and shape and take into consideration the direction if faces, the style of your house it will be framing and the surrounding area. Achieving balance is a strong aspect of good garden design; pay equal attention to all areas and remember that plants and shrubs will change size and shape throughout the seasons.

Do you prefer formal or informal gardens? Formal gardens tend to be tidy and geometric with lots of straight lines and clipped hedges, whereas informal gardens are made up of organic curves and planting is much more relaxed.

Landscaping materials your garden will need

Select your materials with care and check the quantity and condition upon delivery. Common landscaping materials are:

• Bricks
• Timber and decking
• Paving and block paving
• Aggregates and sand (check that the chemicals included are suitable for horticultural use)
• Concrete, mortar and render
• Damp proof membrane and landscaping fabric
• Exterior paints and finishes

You’ll need to consider waste removal. There are two common methods; skip hire or muck away. Consult your local council and waste removal companies to find the most appropriate method or if hiring a professional to carry out your project talk to your contractor to establish whether clearance is included in their service.

Every construction project involves a fair degree of upheaval, so plan meticulously to smooth the way.