For many homeowners, garden improvements start with a picture of a sunny afternoon: doors thrown open, furniture outside and plenty of time spent enjoying the space.
But Daniel Rada, director of My Wooden House, says this can lead to a common design mistake, with outdoor spaces planned around the few months when the weather is at its best rather than how the garden will actually be used for most of the year.
“It’s very easy to design a garden around the weather you wish you had all year, but that isn’t how most of the year is going to look.”
Beyond sunny weather
Rada says the first thing homeowners should consider is what they want the garden to be used for outside of summer. Rather than waiting until spring to discover what does and doesn’t work, she recommends paying attention to the garden as autumn arrives.
“Autumn is actually quite useful for looking at a garden because you start to see what you miss when summer disappears. You notice which areas are sheltered, where you lose the light and which parts you stop using altogether.”
Rada says this is particularly important when homeowners are considering a permanent addition to their garden. A structure should fit the space and its intended use, rather than being chosen first and then squeezed into whichever part of the garden is available. That could mean thinking carefully about:
- where people will sit;
- how they will get to the structure from the house; and
- whether the area remains comfortable when the weather changes.
When summer is over
Transitional months are also a useful time to think ahead, with gardening experts recommending the months for planning and preparing for the next spring while the soil remains warm and workable.
“If you’re thinking about making a bigger change next year, spend some time using the garden as it is now. You might find that the place you thought would be perfect for a seating area is actually the first part of the garden you avoid when the weather turns.”
The aim isn’t necessarily to make every part of the garden usable in every season. Instead, Rada says homeowners should think about whether the areas they invest in will still have a purpose once summer has finished.
That could influence everything from the position of an outdoor structure to the way different areas connect with the house.
With garden projects potentially representing a significant investment, considering the space properly before building can also help homeowners avoid having to rethink the layout later.
TimesLIVE
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