24 tips for planning the perfect garden

Die-hard gardeners will tell you that a garden is a work in progress. Even established gardens require a little tweaking from season to season. But if you thoughtfully plan before you plant, your landscape will beautifully endure for years to come without costly and time-consuming alterations or additions.

With some trees and shrubs showing only bare bones, winter is a fine time for spotting ho-hum holes in your landscape. Check for areas that could use a punch of winter interest – consider adding evergreens, berry-bearing shrubs and trees with interesting forms or bark to boost year-round appeal.

Spend a day or two checking how many hours of sun your gardens receive each day to ensure you incorporate light-appropriate plants into your design. Keep in mind that full-sun plants require at least six hours of sun, partial-shade plants need between three and six hours and shade-tolerant plants benefit from two or three hours of direct light or from receiving indirect or filtered light all day.

Sketch out an overall picture of your yard, including entertainment areas, your house and other buildings. Enlarge the sketch and mark off existing landscape features like trees, shrubs and gardens. Pencil in proposed plantings to see how they fit within the existing landscape. Only got a small space to work with? Head here to find out how to design a small garden.

Design extra-deep borders large enough to house an array of low, medium and tall plants and that allow you extra space to add more plants as the mood strikes.

Before you sketch, estimate the amount of space you wish to dedicate to a planting bed. Use the measurements to draw a blueprint to scale on graph paper. Keeping in mind plants’ mature sizes, pencil in desired plants to get a realistic idea of how many you can fit into the space.

On your plan, use markers, watercolours or coloured pencils to colour in existing plantings. Then colour in your planned additions to make certain that the old and new hues complement each other. Find out how to create a garden retreat in your backyard or courtyard.

Design gardens that carry the eye from earth to sky. Anchor borders and beds with structural plants, such as trees or tall shrubs, and then layer in climbing vines, smaller shrubs, varying-height perennials and sprawling ground covers.

Determine whether you’re going for a clipped formal look, casual cottage appeal, a native garden or a combination of styles.

Are you partial to pastels? Do red-hot hues get your creative juices flowing? Working within a colour scheme will help you set a cohesive scene and prevent you from buying unsuitable plants in weaker moments.