No matter how many gardens landscapers are asked to design and install over the years, certain aspects of each garden will remain consistent, no matter what the garden size or where it is. These “non-negotiables” are so-named simply because no landscaped garden can be designed unless each is given due consideration.
These are not the only decisions that will have to be debated and finalised between homeowners and the landscaping business. In truth, there are going to be dozens of individual decisions and choices to be made for each garden. However, we will focus only on the seven non-negotiables, which you will discover as you continue reading.
#1 – Available Budget
The starting point for each garden is, understandably, the client has a budget for their landscaped garden. The bigger it is, the more scope there is for including features and more advanced landscaping work. Not a tiny budget will deny you the opportunity to have a professionally landscaped garden, with some of the most stunning gardens having been created for a fraction of the cost of others.
#2 – Future Maintenance
This should not be thought about in isolation but instead, as you go through each of your choices concerning your garden’s design. If you love gardening, features and plants that require much maintenance might be OK. However, if you want a low-maintenance garden, your choices will differ, although there is always the option of rehiring the professionals from Garden Spec to maintain it for you.
#3 – Size Of Garden
The next is not so much a variable, given that the dimensions of the property and garden space therein are finite. As with the budget, the more space you have, the more options you will have. However, one of the skills landscapers have is that they can design gardens for a vast array of available spaces, including the space you have available.
#4 – Planned Usage
With this, you will want to have an overriding purpose for your new garden, although no one use should exclude any others. Examples are gardens mainly used as a relaxing sanctuary designed for fun and activities, including for children, an outdoor area with lots of seating and a barbecue area for entertaining guests, or simply a place where a gardening hobby can be enjoyed.
#5 – What Will Grow There
Once you know the uses of your landscaped garden, you can now decide upon the various plants to be included. This means choosing the type of lawn, which flowers, shrubs, and bushes will be planted, the kinds and sizes of any trees, and, possibly, which fruits, herbs and vegetables you plan to have edible plants.
#6 – Permanent Features
The options for these are numerous, but the principle here is these are man-made features and, once installed, are likely to remain static with one or two exceptions. Examples include fences, walls, seating, fixed barbecues, ponds, pools, fountains, and pagodas.
#7 – Walkways
Although these will be permanent features too, they require additional and careful thought as these are what people will be walking on. As such, not only do you want them to look great, but also to be functional and safe, such as being secure underfoot. Options include decking, natural paving, composite paving, and gravel.
