Design a garden retreat

The paved areas are the next to be considered. It is important that these areas not only look great, but are functional as well.

In terms of shape, think in circles and curves rather than squares and straight lines. This will give a much more natural feel to the space, and make it more appealing to the eye, as well as add to the atmosphere.

Start with the positioning of the paths. Take the overlay labelled Traffic Control, then stick it on the top of your pile.

Do any of your screening elements interfere with the current traffic routes? Have any of them become redundant and could now be moved? Which areas require hard paving? This might be the area straight outside the door into the house.

Consider which of the traffic routes can be eliminated or made to look more appealing.

This might mean replacing an uninteresting straight path leading to an unattractive back gate with a meandering one so that the gate is not in your line of vision.

Stick another fresh overlay on top and draw in your new paths.

After this is completed, the ideal positioning of the paved central area will become obvious. Draw in your main patio area and round off any corners where it meets or overlaps the path. Label this Paved Sections.

Decide what sort of paving you’re going to use. There is a huge range to choose from, but try not to use them all at once, as too many textures tend to create a confusing, rather than soothing, backdrop.

At this point, you get a bonus for all your hard work. If you look at your plan now, you’ll find that the garden bed positions have pretty well designed themselves.

Draw them in, remembering to round off any unwanted sharp corners. Label this Garden Beds.

Taking your paper Master Plan, plus your overlays for Screens and Paved Sections, draw up your final layout.Remember that you have a spare Master Plan sheet, just in case you mess this one up.

Position your Likes and Dislikes, Sight Lines, Traffic Control and Sun and Shade overlays on your Master Plan to check it still works. You may need to make minor adjustments.

Now try out your idea to avoid potentially expensive mistakes. Using a garden hose, boxes, bits of old rope or whatever you have to hand, lay out your design on site.

Will a wheelbarrow fit down the path behind the trellis? Does the shed door open? Give yourself a couple of weeks to test run your new design.

If you keep walking across an area designated as a garden bed, you’ll need to adjust the ground plan. If it annoys you now, it will annoy you forever.

When you’re happy with the final layout, the last stage is to add plants. If you’re not sure what to buy, take your Master Plan, plus your Sun and Shade and Sight Lines overlays, to your local garden centre and ask for advice.