Features in your garden

Before any work is done in the garden, have a think about what features you would like to include .

Here are few points to look at when starting to plan your ideas. 

Garden use is it another room? : Do you want a patio, water feature? Do you want parties or just a place to relax? Check out 41 shed designs here.

Children’s play area : will this include tough grass, swings, sandpit and non-spikey plants?

Pets: do the pets need to be enclosed in the garden?

Disabled or elderly: do you need to include ramps instead of steps if there will be people with mobility restrictions using the garden?

Will you need sensory or aromatic plants and raised beds?

Any difficult features to consider: such as slopes or rocks and will they need to be excavated?

Low maintenance or labour intensive: gravel beds, polythene, container-grown plants or open soil.

Views: Is there a view that needs to be screened such as an oil tank or even the neighbours house?

Themes: If the garden is large you might want to section it off and have different styles. Are

there any features that must stay such as telegraph poles, sheds or washing lines?

Budget : Work out a budget for the work and give yourself a time scale. Do you want to do the work yourself or get in a contractor?

Planting to soften the hard landscaping: Do you want to attract wildlife into the garden? Do you want to include fruit and vegetables?

Do you want year round interest or a burst of colour in summer?

Take your time deciding on features. Your ideas will change all of the time but it is better to alter things on paper before the garden is built.

The images are some of the fabulous gardens at the National Gardens Exhibition Centre in County Wicklow

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