If you are upgrading to stay, it will be as much about functionality as well as the aesthetics. You will need to make some decisions about how you want the garden to function. More about garden design.

Is it a gardener’s garden, is it to be an outdoor entertainment area for family and friends, a children’s play zone, a place for the cat and dog, or all of that?

Color and texture will be an all important consideration, and cannot be underestimated in the ability to add value. Whenever we seek to enhance our homes, we paint them to revitalise and modernise them. Generally we feel better and are re energised as a result. It is the colours that we choose which have a HUGE impact on the outcome. And so it is with the garden.

Color is very visual, it inspires, it is sensory and it stimulates.

It provides a focal point, drawing attention to a key element, as does an art piece.

The selection of the plant palette will be as much about the adaptability to the micro climate of the site as it is about appearance viz leaf color, size, texture and flower. Coupled with the hardscape selection, plants can make the garden look and feel hot, or cool and relaxing, busy or tranquil, stylish or confused.

If your garden is a small courtyard garden or a balcony garden, chances are you will want it to look and feel more spacious than it really is. The ‘less is more’ approach is therefore a must. For example, choose large pots, but only a few of them, rather that a mixture of smaller pots that only create a sense of clutter and mess. Fewer plant choices mass planted will also evoke a sense of spaciousness.

If your garden is a larger front or rear garden, you may want to add to it’s character by developing some garden ‘rooms’, rather than leaving it a massive lawn. Adding some individuality to each ‘room’ will create interest and invite all who visit it to enjoy it for longer.

The decore inside your home will be a consideration when it comes to choosing the outdoor items such as furniture, pots, paving styles and color. Preferably, a seamless transition from inside to outside will add the most value.

If your garden does have the space, the introduction of water will always add a sense of tranquility.

A professional Garden Designer will also want to recognise the value of the borrowed landscape. The inspiration for the ultimate garden design goes far beyond the fence surrounding it.

The following pics show the before and after difference to a contemporary courtyard garden as a result of a budget effective garden design. Just wait until the plants grow!!

Contact Brian, he would love to show you how it’s done..