Assessing Your Garden
Whether you have the blank canvas of a new garden or are trying to make improvements to an existing design, the first step is to decide exactly what you want as well as what changes you will have to make to achieve your ideal garden.
This may seem a simple question, but in practice it can prove problematic, especially if there are two gardeners in the house.
The easiest way to decide what you really want is to make several lists.
Write down all the things in the existing garden that cannot be changes, such as the position of an established tree or a pond, as well as other features you want to keep.
Then make a list of everything you really want in the new design.
Invariably, you will have to prioritize this wish list to establish which items are most important.
Remember to include utility items, such as a rotary washing line or compost heap.
If you find prioritizing difficult, then score each feature as either essential or desirable.
In this way you can be sure to include all the essential features as well as some of the desirable ones if there is the space.
The next step in planning a new garden or making alterations to an existing design is to asses what the current garden has to offer and to consider its limitations.
The best way to do this is to draw a rough plan of the existing plot, by eye at first, on a piece of paper and record its overall dimensions.
Small rectangular gardens are very easy to measure, and sometimes the boundary can be calculates simply by counting fence panels and multiplying by the length of a fence panel and a post.
In most cases, however, you will need to measure the plot with a tape measure.
A long surveyors' tape measure is extremely useful.
Having someone else to hold the other end of the tape will make measuring a lot easier.
Note down any changes in level from side to side or down the length of the plot.
Hammer it pegs at three feet intervals, and then work out the direction and extent of the gradient, using a piece of straight timer and a spirit carpenter's level.
A greenhouse takes up a lot of space in a small garden, so consider whether the use you make of it would make it worthwhile.
Use a ten feet retractable tape measure and pegs to measure a small area.
For larger areas, it would be easier to hire or buy a 100 feet surveyor's tape.
This may seem a simple question, but in practice it can prove problematic, especially if there are two gardeners in the house.
The easiest way to decide what you really want is to make several lists.
Write down all the things in the existing garden that cannot be changes, such as the position of an established tree or a pond, as well as other features you want to keep.
Then make a list of everything you really want in the new design.
Invariably, you will have to prioritize this wish list to establish which items are most important.
Remember to include utility items, such as a rotary washing line or compost heap.
If you find prioritizing difficult, then score each feature as either essential or desirable.
In this way you can be sure to include all the essential features as well as some of the desirable ones if there is the space.
The next step in planning a new garden or making alterations to an existing design is to asses what the current garden has to offer and to consider its limitations.
The best way to do this is to draw a rough plan of the existing plot, by eye at first, on a piece of paper and record its overall dimensions.
Small rectangular gardens are very easy to measure, and sometimes the boundary can be calculates simply by counting fence panels and multiplying by the length of a fence panel and a post.
In most cases, however, you will need to measure the plot with a tape measure.
A long surveyors' tape measure is extremely useful.
Having someone else to hold the other end of the tape will make measuring a lot easier.
Note down any changes in level from side to side or down the length of the plot.
Hammer it pegs at three feet intervals, and then work out the direction and extent of the gradient, using a piece of straight timer and a spirit carpenter's level.
A greenhouse takes up a lot of space in a small garden, so consider whether the use you make of it would make it worthwhile.
Use a ten feet retractable tape measure and pegs to measure a small area.
For larger areas, it would be easier to hire or buy a 100 feet surveyor's tape.
