This is the first in a series of articles produced by our Landscape Designer, Christine Wilson.

The project will allow you to understand the fundamental steps involved in designing your own garden.

Step 1 is detailed through the link below and other sections will follow shortly. The complete guide will cover:

Step 1. Preparation - Defining the Brief and Site Measurement

Step 2. Planning

Step 3. Form and Structure

Step 4. Materials and Texture

Step 5. Colour and Planting

Entire books have been written on these subjects, so this is a taste of the main aspects involved and we will be looking at them in greater depth in the future.

Professional designers visit the client to discuss their needs (the briefing stage), and this, taking into account the attributes and limitations of the site, forms their approach to the design.

The plan is the most important element in the scheme. It positions the client's requirements within the boundaries of their garden, bringing together practical and aesthetic considerations.

Planning involves thinking about the three-dimensional forms of plants and structures, also their colour and materials while laying out the two-dimensional plan. However, for simplicity we have broken the process into steps, going from the broad overall picture and hard landscaping to the soft landscaping and planting scheme.

This guide relates to small to medium-sized gardens on a reasonably level site. More complex sites and specialist gardens will be discussed in later website postings.

Please let us know if there is anything you would like us to cover.

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