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If you want the project to run smoothly, you need to plan everything out and make drawings. The procedure is as follows: first, make a rough sketch on a scrap of paper, showing the existing garden with measurements. Next, transfer these details onto graph paper to make a “site plan” (drawn to scale). Then, set a sheet of graph paper over the site plan and make a “master plan” of the new garden, tracing the boundaries and existing items as required.

How do I make a working drawing?

MAKING THE SITE PLAN

About graph paper You will need a pad of graph layout paper – meaning thin paper that has been printed with a grid – the biggest size of pad that you can obtain. Look at the size of your garden; say it is 100 ft (30 m) long and 80 ft (25 m) wide, and decide on the scale of your graph paper. Count the squares on the long side of the paper and divide them by the length of the garden. Work to the nearest whole square. So, for example, if the paper is 100 squares long, then you could say that one square on the paper equals 1 ft (30 cm) in the garden.

Measuring your garden Use a long tape measure to measure your garden. Start by measuring the length. Plot this measurement on the long side of the paper. Repeat the procedure with the width of the garden and plot it on the short side of the paper.

Right angles – 90° angles Check for right angles by measuring the diagonals. For example, if your garden is in any way square or rectilinear, then the crossed diagonal measurements should more or less be equal.

Awkward shapes You can plot an awkward shape by drawing a straight line from two fixed points – say between two trees. Step off at regular intervals along the straight line and measure how far the curves of the awkward shape are out from the stepped-off point.

Paths and drives

If the site plan is a record of items and structures that you have no choice but to leave unchanged, you have the option here of whether or not to mark in the position of the paths and drives. You could say that, since the position of the front door and the front gate are fixed, it follows that the paths will also stay the same. This does not necessarily follow, however. That said, it is usually a good idea to draw them in.

Slopes in cross-section

The easiest way of recording a slope is to draw a cross-section view. Draw the length of the slope on a piece of graph paper and label the line “top.” You need a spirit (carpenter’s) level taped to a 7 ft (2 m) long board. Working from the top of the slope, hold one end of the board on the ground so that the level is true, and measure the vertical distance from the overhanging end of the board down to the ground. Mark this in on the drawing. Continue down the slope until you have a record.

ITEMS THAT YOU NEED TO MARK ON THE SITE PLAN

• NSEW

• Midday sun

• Outline of boundary

• Items that you want to keep or modify

• House

• Mature trees

• Neighbors’ trees

• Underground pipes and cables

• Doors on house

• Windows on house

• Drain access points

• Main gate

MAKING THE MASTER PLAN

Tracing the site plan Put a sheet of graph paper over the site plan and use the underlying plan to work out what you want in your new garden. You might well have to go through this procedure a dozen or so times before you have a drawing that suits all your needs.

Pencilling in your design Once you have achieved a good preliminary plan, set it under another sheet of graph paper and trace it off with a pencil. This new drawing is your “master plan.” You should now have two finished drawings – the site plan that records the bare bones of the garden, and the master plan that sets out the design of the new garden. You can photocopy the master plan so you have lots of copies.

Separate details Some items are so complex in themselves that they will need working drawings. So, for example, with a water feature, you will need a plan view, a front view and a cross-section showing how it is constructed.

Coloring in Some people make colored drawings to show how the garden might look at various times of the year. To make a colored drawing, set a sheet of plain paper over the master plan – hold it against a window and make a tracing. Tint this drawing with colored pencils or watercolors.

Calculating materials

Save time and money by calculating quantities and ordering in bulk.

Area

Rectangle – Multiply the length by the breadth to give you the area. A plot 100 x 50 ft = 5,000 square ft (30 x 15 m = 450 square m).

Circle – Area of a circle is pi x radius squared, with pi being 3.14. For example, with a 10 ft (3 m) diameter circle the sum is 3.14 x 1.5 squared, meaning 3.14 x 25 = c.80 sq ft (3.14 x 2.25 = c.7 sq m).

Irregular – Draw a square grid over the shape. Find the area of a single square. Gauge how many whole squares you have and multiply them by the area of a single square.

Volume

The volume is the area of the base multiplied by the height. For example, a tank measuring 3 x 3 x 3 ft has a volume of 27 cubic ft (90 x 90 x 90 cm = 729,000 cubic cm).

Turf is sold as regular shapes – usually about 12 in (30 cm) wide by 18 in (45 cm) long

Soil is sold in cubic meters, by the jumbo bag or truckload

Gravel is sold in cubic meters, by the jumbo bag or truckload

Bricks are sold individually or by the thousand

Stone is sold by the piece or in cubic meters

Concrete is sold ready-mixed in cubic meters or by the jumbo bag

The best plants for the job

With thousands of plants to choose from, the challenge is to get the right plants to suit your location. See the Deciding What to Plant section of this book on here–here for some of the best choices in each category.

Trees: Small trees offer good year-round color and texture – foliage, blossom, fruit and bark.

Hedges: Hedges make good boundaries, attract wildlife and add year-round color and interest.

Herbaceous perennials: These are the plants that last a few years before being lifted and divided.

Shrubs: Shrubs are ideal for small gardens.

Wall shrubs: Wall shrubs are a good option for small courtyard gardens.

Climbing plants: Climbers are essential when walls and fences ring your garden.

Annuals, biennials and bedding plants: Summer bedding is formed mainly of these plants.

Bamboos and grasses: Bamboos and grasses are good when you want plants in small raised borders and containers.

Water plants: You will need plants for the margins, for the areas of bog, and for the water area.

Other plants: These include rock, alpine and desert plants, container plants, herbs, fruit and vegetables.