How to Create Your Garden: Ideas and Advice for Transforming Your Outdoor Space

Description

"Creating a garden doesn't need to be complicated." This is the promise from Adam Frost, BBC Gardeners' World presenter and winner of multiple Chelsea Flower Show gold medals. Regardless of your experience or budget, with Adam's help and know-how, you can design your dream garden, whether it's a small urban garden, a classic cottage garden, a suburban front garden, a low-maintenance space or a city roof terrace. His practical, no-nonsense approach strips away complex garden design concepts and focuses on your needs and preferred garden style to help you plan and build a garden that works for you. Starting right at the beginning, Adam takes you step-by-step through the whole process, inspiring you with simple garden design ideas to tackle a full garden makeover or a simple revamp of just one part of your garden, perhaps a tired herbaceous border, a neglected vegetable patch, the patio, or a water feature. Learn how to design a garden that reflects your practical needs, lifestyle, budget, personality, soil, and climate. Build it yourself following the clear, uncomplicated, easy-to-understand instructions that show you everything from laying turf to terraces, planting trees or building a raised bed or water feature. Enjoy gardening month by month with Adam's simple checklist of what to do when to keep your garden in shape at every point throughout the year. How to Create Your Garden is about designing an outside space that is real, achievable, and right for you. CONTENTS GETTING STARTED DESIGN UNDERSTAND YOUR SPACE Introduction Get to know your space Map out your space Get to know your soil Assess your garden’s climate Think about your setting Ask Adam DESIGN FOR PEOPLE Introduction Who is your garden area for? What is your garden area for? How much time do you have? Ask Adam FIND YOUR STYLE Introduction Finding the right materials Terraces Designing terraces Paths and walkways Designing paths and walkways Steps and level changes Boundaries Furniture Water features Lighting Features Structures Build a mood board Ask Adam CHOOSE YOUR PLANTS Introduction Find your planting style Think in layers Upper and lower canopy of trees Midlayer shrubs Perennials Bulbs Climbers and wall shrubs Annuals, biennials, and short-lived plants Hedges A mixed border A shady border A hot, dry border A damp border Review your planting wish list Ask Adam BRING IT ALL TOGETHER Introduction Step 1: Start the process Step 2: Explore options Step 3: Find the right balance Step 4: Add some detail Step 5: Finalize your plan Step 6: Build your layers Step 7: Plot your plants Ask Adam BUILD BUILD YOUR GARDEN Introduction Basic tools for hard landscaping Preparing the site Creating a good base Lay a gravel path Lay slab paving Lay brick paving Build a low brick wall Build steps Concreting posts Erect fencing Build a plant support with rope swags Build a raised bed Build a water feature PLANT YOUR GARDEN Introduction Basic tools for soft landscaping Preparing the ground for grass Lay sod Plant trees and shrubs Plant perennials Plant bulbs ENJOY Introduction January February March April May June July August September October November December Useful information Measurements and calculations Glossary Basic building materials Index Acknowledgments About the author