Make smart use of space

IF looking out on your spring garden fails to fill you with anticipation or excitement, it must be time for a redesign.

Long, thin, wide, shallow... gardens come in all shapes and sizes.

But the starting points for a revamp are the same for all – pinpoint problem areas, routes of access and key views from the house. Then figure out how to disguise awkward corners, trick the eye and maximise potential.

Sensuous curves and circles are the solution for most sites.

A circle can be used to wrap around the corner of a house to link the back and side plots.

Use the corner of a house or the edge of the path that works around it to mark the hub of the circle. Fix a post to the wall and using a line tied to a sharp stick, score a circle on the ground – adjusting the line to make one that suits the garden’s scale.

In a sunny spot, position a sundial in the centre of an inner circle of gravel that is planted with pots of herbs or a smattering of ground-hugging thyme.

Courtyard

Edge this with a low lavender or clipped box hedge and fill a larger outer circle with roses or bedding.

Echo this circular pattern throughout the garden, shaping the lawn to give sweeping curves to flower beds.

Knock the corners off the plot with bold planting. You can use taller shrubs in the centre of beds to draw the eye away from the boundaries. Small courtyard gardens can be given similar treatment. Use the far corner as the hub of the design and mark out a series of arcs to create areas for planting, lawn and patio.

Intercept the arcs with diagonal straight lines to deal with any awkward measurements and extend the planting into these slots.

Using a diagonal design and making a feature of one corner will also offer a solution for wide and shallow plots.

Long, narrow gardens are probably the trickiest to design but are the ones where you can have the most fun by making them into different “rooms”.

Each area should be linked by a path, or scented corridors made with plant-clad pergolas, allowing you to meander through rather than seeing everything from your back door.