THINK OF YOUR GARDEN IN SECTIONS
Every garden will have features that can become the basis of a room. Existing shrubs and trees may be the framework. Stairs, pathways, and topographical changes can create flow from one room to another.
What features already exist in your garden or landscape?
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flat areas, which could be divided;
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slopes, which could form a path or wall;
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rocky spots that could be a feature;
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grass that could become a meadow;
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a view you want to protect.
For example, a small front garden could be a series of flower beds separated by low hedges, to retain views from the house.
Another consideration is how you use your garden. For example, the north-facing side of your house might become a series of rooms:
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an enclosed patio for entertaining;
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a children's play area;
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a private retreat for a spa;
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a vegetable garden;
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an orchard.
THE WALLS
What you use depends on:
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your budget;
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what you're trying to achieve;
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how quickly you want to achieve it.
Plants
Plants can be used to create walls and are usually the most economical option (especially if you grow them yourself), but they'll need a few years to reach a decent size.
Some fast-growing hedges take less time but tend to require more clipping.
Good low hedging plants:
buxus, lonicera, coprosma, lavender, hebe, corokia.
Good medium-tall hedging plants:
griselinia, pittosporum, Camellia sasanqua, Choisya ternata, Ficus Tuffy, Photinia Red Robin, Syzygium australe Brilliant, Olearia paniculata, osmanthus, viburnum, Yew (Taxus baccata),
Portuguese laurel (Prunus lusitanica).
Other plants options
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fast-growing climbers or vines on a trellis or pergola;
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plants in containers;
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espaliered fruit trees.
Structural options
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wood or steel panels
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trellis
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brushwood or bamboo fencing
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marine plywood, painted or stained
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recycled materials (eg, old doors, windows, shutters, posts, fallen branches)
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neatly stacked woodpiles
The unusual option
These are pleached trees, effectively trees on stilts. The tree trunks are bare until about 1.8m high, with a full, leafy screen of foliage above.
The quickest option
It's more expensive, but ready-made fence panels with wooden, PVC, decorative steel, bamboo, or brushwood fence panels or trellis give you instant walls.
The garden pictured below uses stacks of wooden planter boxes to create a pretty screen. However, depending on your climate, you'll need an irrigation system to keep it looking good.
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IF you have a low brick wall that isn't making enough impact, top it with trellis for height, then soften the look with climbing plants.
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IF your timber is a mish-mash of woods and sizes, paint them the same colour to unify a space;
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LOOK at the view you want to keep, then build 'walls' around it, such as a low hedge, or a window frame within a fence.
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IF a solid wall will block much-needed sunlight, use trellis instead.
THE FLOORS
Plants and landscaping at ground level can also help to define a space.
A hedged, paved, tiled, or concreted area adjacent to the house provides an indoor-outdoor room for entertaining.
Large grassy areas can be broken into a series of rooms using meandering pathways of brick, paving stones, shells, pebbles, or mulch.