Plan Your Garden

If you’re looking for ideas for your garden or are interested in reading about our garden design topics, you will find them all here. Use the drop down menu for specific design topics or simply browse or use the search box in the bar above. Enjoy!

 

Alison

How To Cope With Wet Soils and Gardens

Plants, Plan Your Garden, Drainage, Design Challenges

If you constantly find yourself battling a soggy, wet garden, you're likely wondering what you can do about it. This… Read more.

Katie

Perfect Pond Plants

Plants, Plan Your Garden

A pond can be a wonderful feature to any garden and an important part of a successfully designed pond are… Read more.

Katie

Environmentally Friendly Choices for your Garden Design

Wildlife, Plan Your Garden

If you're thinking of re-designing your garden or an area of it, it is well worth taking some time to… Read more.

John

ALDA’s Garden Drainage Guide

Plan Your Garden, Patios, Drainage

Whilst garden drainage may not be the most riveting of gardening subjects, it is nonetheless an important factor in any… Read more.

John

Paving Comparison Guide

Plan Your Garden, Patios

Choosing paving materials for your new patio can seem a little daunting - and understandably so. The decision you make… Read more.

Katie

A Quick Look At Lawn Shape

Lawns, Plan Your Garden

Whilst you might not always notice it, your lawn shape can greatly affect the look and feel of your garden.… Read more.

Katie

Plants for Winter Wildlife

Wildlife, Plan Your Garden

We can all give wildlife a helping hand this winter by planting some of these wildlife friendly plants in our… Read more.

Katie

Designing with Balance

Plan Your Garden, Shape & Form

We are all looking for balance in our lives and this is also reflected in our outdoor spaces. In this… Read more.

Katie

Ideas for a Beautiful Winter Garden

Plants, Plan Your Garden

Read on for tips on how to make your garden extra special this winter. Read more.

Katie

Designing with plant shape and form

Plants, Plan Your Garden, Shape & Form

Considering the shape and form of plants is essential for any good garden design. Here we look at how plant… Read more.

Alison

Patio Design Guide

Plan Your Garden, Patios

It is easy to underestimate the impact a new patio can have on your garden. This patio design guide takes… Read more.

Katie

Lawn Positioning

Lawns, Plan Your Garden

A lawn is usually a vital element to a garden design and often a key part of a client’s brief.… Read more.

Katie

What are the best lawn alternatives?

Lawns, Plan Your Garden

Traditional lawns lack biodiversity and can sometimes be tricky to maintain if your garden is shady or particularly small. In… Read more.

Katie

Using colour in your garden

Plants, Plan Your Garden

Colour is an important part of any garden design. In most designs, it's the plants that provide the colour, so… Read more.

Katie

Long Flowering Perennials For Your Summer Borders

Plants, Plan Your Garden

A well-designed garden provides interest from early spring through to late autumn. If clients are looking for a low maintenance… Read more.

Alison

Really Useful Little Plants

Plants, Plan Your Garden

Every designer has a "go-to" list of trusty plants that they use many times and love because they will always… Read more.

Katie

The Planting Plan Process: How it works

Plants, Plan Your Garden

With the weather starting to warm up and having spent a lot of time on designing and implementing planting plans… Read more.

Katie

Using Planting Texture in Design

Plants, Plan Your Garden

This post looks at an often forgotten tenet of garden design - texture. If you're looking to add some texture… Read more.

John

Patio Design: Frequently Asked Questions

Plan Your Garden, Patios

At this time of year, we have a stream of enquiries flooding in! We get lots of questions about paving… Read more.

Katie

How to encourage wildlife into your garden

Wildlife, Plan Your Garden

However hard it is, lockdown does have it's benefits. On several of my recent visits, clients have mentioned that they've… Read more.

Katie

What to consider before your garden design consultation

Plan Your Garden, Design Challenges

January is often the time when we start to make plans for the new year. 2020 has highlighted to many… Read more.

Katie

Shrubs to add winter sparkle to the garden

Plants, Plan Your Garden

The festive season has begun and as the temperature falls the garden is often seen as gloomy and dull and… Read more.

John

Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea)

Plants, Plan Your Garden

The copper beech, also known as purple beech, has to be one of my favourite trees - I'm fortunate enough… Read more.

Alison

Plant Focus: My Two Favourite Asters

Plants, Plan Your Garden

If Salvia ‘Caradonna’ is one of my go to plants for early-mid Summer, then Aster amellus ‘Violet Queen’ & Aster… Read more.

Katie

Using Curves in Garden Design

Plan Your Garden, Shape & Form

Have you ever noticed how the majority of gardens are rectangular in shape? It can be rather a headache for… Read more.

Katie

Plant Focus: Ornamental Alliums

Plants, Plan Your Garden

One of the most widely recognised and used perennials, the ornamental Allium is a tough, easy to grow plant with… Read more.

Katie

Keeping It Simple

Plan Your Garden, Shape & Form

After the recent completion of a beautiful front garden in Newbury, I thought I would highlight how a design -… Read more.

Alison

Plant Focus: Salvia ‘Caradonna’

Plants, Plan Your Garden

This is definitely one of my “go to” plants when preparing planting plans as it is so reliable, well behaved,… Read more.

Like what you see?

From planning a new border to a complete garden remodel, we pride ourselves on transforming ideas into beautiful reality, with minimum disruption. If you’re based in or around the Reading and Newbury area, we’d love to meet and discuss your project in detail – book your free no-obligation garden consultation today. We do get pretty booked up, particularly during the Spring, so plan ahead if possible!