Design a Small Garden Around How You Live

Start with what you will actually do outside. A garden drawn around habits gets used; one drawn around a picture gets admired from the window.

Ask the human questions first

• Where does the sun fall when you are home?
• Do you eat outside, or only mean to?
• How many hours a month will you really spend on upkeep?
• Who else uses the space: children, pets, neighbours?

Give every square metre a job

In a small plot nothing can be vague. Mark out a place to sit, a route to walk and somewhere to store things before choosing a single plant.

Draw it at full size

Lay hoses or string on the ground and live with the outline for a week. Paper plans flatter; string does not.

Decide the hard surfaces last

Paving is the most expensive thing to change. Settle seating and circulation first, and the surface follows.

Leave something unfinished

A garden improves with a season of use. Hold back a corner and a little of the budget for what you learn. See also planting for low maintenance.

Last tended 2026-10-14