What goes where?

Q My garden is long and narrow, and we want to have areas for growing veg, dining, lawn and plants. Should we split it into three separate areas or try to blend them together? If we do divide it , which section would work best where? A Having a clear idea of the different elements you want is a great start. Personally, I feel it can make a space feel larger and more dynamic when split.

Dining is normally best close to the house for the convenience of fetching food and drinks. Areas for home-grown vegetables can be messy, so are ideally placed further away, although maximum sunshine is also important.

How about a patio area for dining, with some planters or low box hedging to create an outdoor ‘room’? Then you could combine lawn with planting to soften the edges, and perhaps add some trellis with climbers to screen off the area where you grow your vegetables.