Garden design ideas: Create a landscaped garden in any outdoor space

Your garden should be a space you love to spend time in, regardless of its size, shape or natural features. Having an outdoor area to call your own is a wonderful thing, so why not make the most of it by creating a garden design that really works for you?

Whether you want to create an exciting outdoor space for your children to play in or a serene space for you to relax and unwind, we’ve put together some garden landscaping ideas to provide you with some inspiration over the summer months. No matter the size or shape of your garden, try these garden ideas below to truly transform your outdoor space.

Landscaping for every garden

Garden landscaping is the perfect way to craft a space that’s both functional and stylish in equal measures. Often, the most effective garden landscaping takes into account the natural attributes of the space and works with them to enhance their appeal.

Maybe you just want to update the design of your garden to make it feel more colourful or welcoming. Or you might want an outdoor space that requires very little maintenance. Whatever it is you’re looking for, a professional can take your ideas and create a landscaping design that works for you.

Low maintenance garden ideas

If you don’t have the time to maintain your garden regularly, it’s a good idea to scale back your lawn. Grass needs regular care, which can take a fair amount of time and effort. You could either opt for artificial grass or even get rid of your lawn altogether by extending your patio or decking area. If you’ve only got a few hours a month to spare for working in the garden, a low maintenance garden design will make gardening easier and less frequent. For tips on timesaving approaches read our article on low maintenance garden ideas.

When it comes to plants, if you still want to achieve the look of natural greenery but don’t want to regularly be pruning flower beds, shrubs and hedges can also make for beautiful borders. Evergreens also look great in decorative pots around a garden space.

Sloped garden ideas

A naturally sloping garden needn’t rule out imaginative landscape design. There are several different ways to landscape a sloped garden, depending on your budget.

If the slope is only slight, you should opt for curved borders rather than straight lines. You can also add a path with steps at the side of your garden if the slope is more severe.

Another popular way to landscape a sloping garden is to terrace the outdoor space either quickly or slowly. A quick terrace is when there is a sudden change in level with a flight of steps, whereas a slow terrace is several levels that take you from one end of the garden to another with a few steps between each level. Check out our article on sloped garden ideas.

Small garden ideas

With a smaller garden, you have to think practically and zone your garden layout to create the illusion of space by using every available inch. You could add low raised beds that also double up as seating or think vertically when it comes to planting.

Large garden ideas

If you have a larger garden, you can create contrasting areas and multiple focal points. Think water features, ponds and summerhouses. You could even create a playground for your children or a raised patio for dining.

Garden design ideas on a budget

Garden design needn’t cost the earth. To spruce up the design of your garden on a budget, you can recycle and repurpose items for planters, add solar lighting or small solar-powered water features, and use paint to add colour to decking or walls.

Outdoor dining ideas

An outdoor dining area helps you get even more from your outdoor space. Raised patios, paved patios or sectioned decking areas can create a specific zone for your dining furniture and barbecue.

You could have a beautiful patio section just outside of your French doors, or a separate dining zone in an area of your garden that gets the sun. See our article here for more outdoor dining ideas.

If you’re thinking about redesigning your garden, you’ll need the help of a professional garden landscaper to bring your ideas to life. Use our Checkatrade search to find a trusted and vetted tradesperson in your local area.