Building a brief

Building a Brief

The first step in designing your dream outdoor space is to work out all the purposes it needs to fulfil, and decide what atmosphere you would like to create. In this lesson we'll go through everything you may wish to consider.

When designing a garden, the first thing to think about is all the things it needs to do for you. This is hardest in a small garden as every little bit needs to earn its keep.

Think about:

• what it's for
• who's going to use it
• where it is
• the landscape beyond – is there anything you can 'borrow' such as a tree in the background? Is there anything you want to hide, e.g. in an urban environment?
• practicalities – sheds, storage, somewhere for a compost heap, bins, how to get from A to B and inside to outside, what's the view going to look like from inside and on different floors.

Decide what functions you wish your garden to perform

Some things to consider

• Which way does your garden face (aspect – north, south, east, west)? If it faces north it will be more shady; south more sunny – you'll need to choose plants accordingly.
• What do you want to do with your garden? Gardening, reading, children playing, work, eat, etc. Make a list and work through to see what can be catered for in what area.
• It may sound like a lot of elements to include, but consider giving features more than one function – e.g. shed doubling up as greenhouse/playroom, or seat doubling up as a sculptural feature/piece of art.
• Who will use your garden and how do they want to use it? How to cater for everyone's needs.
• Maintenance – do you like gardening? Do you have time to mow the lawn? Do things need to be low-maintenance?
• Consider just mowing a path through the lawn and letting the rest grow long or growing wildflowers in it. This is easier than it sounds and benefits wildlife.

Note how you would like parts of your garden to feel

• When choosing where areas will go, e.g. a place to eat, consider how you want that spot to feel.
• For example, if you want summer shade, look for somewhere you can create shade with a pergola or that has shade from a tree/neighbour's tree, or somewhere you can plant a tree that will grow big enough.
• There's usually a darker spot in a garden – this is a good place for sheds, compost heap etc. Put things you may not want to see in a corner you won't use so much.

A fresh start is a wonderful thing

• Including all the features you want while avoiding a 'toy town' feel with lots of separate elements can be challenging.
• It may be easier to start again from a clean slate rather than working around existing features.
• Ask yourself exactly what you need right at the start and resist putting anything in until everything has been planned in. Gather all ideas down on paper and then start planning.

The importance of a plan

• A garden may need to serve many functions, include many different things and fulfil many wishes. Having a list for all these things right from the start is key.