IntroductionThere is a style of garden to suite everyone’s taste and when considering changes to your garden it’s worth doing some research. Look in garden magazines and books, visit other people's or public gardens for inspiration, make notes and save pictures that you like. Once you have some ideas, think about the shape of your garden, how much sun or light it gets and consider its function too. Do you need a place to sit, some storage space, privacy from the neighbours? To help you along with your research we’ve come up with a few hints and tips for some of the most popular types of garden.
Low maintenance
Low maintenance doesn’t mean dull and you certainly don’t have to cover your garden with a patio or decking to ensure minimal work! There are many ways of creating a stylish and relaxing outside space, which doesn’t need much attention by combining interesting hard landscaping materials with low maintenance plants that will do perfectly well with minimum attention.
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Family garden
If you have children you may consider a family friendly garden. A secure play pit or play area will give your children years of enjoyment and put your mind at rest whilst they're in the garden, meaning that you don’t have to be watching them constantly. Gardens can also be an educational tool. Small vegetable plots and dedicated children’s flowerbeds are a great place to plant fast growing seeds for you and your children to watch progress through the seasons.
Wildlife garden
Wildlife doesn’t have to mean wild. Carefully selected plants incorporated into any planting scheme will encourage bees, butterflies and other insects into your garden. Most garden centres now sell a wide variety of wild animal and insect shelters but making them is easy enough. A simple pile of old logs in a sheltered place or a small area left to grow naturally is the perfect habitat for a wide variety of wildlife.
Cottage garden
If you love plants this could be the answer for you as a cottage garden is created by using a lot of plants. This doesn’t necessarily mean overcrowding borders with many different types and colours, sticking to a limited colour palette can often be more effective. Complimenting the planting with the style of materials and accessories that you choose, such as old chimney pot containers or re-claimed sleepers for a raised bed, will really add to the affect.