Here are 12 ideas to change your garden. Or even to change just a part of your garden!
You may have recently moved in. Or you may have lived with your garden for a while, but never had the time or money to turn it into somewhere special. Or perhaps you want to transform a neglected corner or eyesore.
So I’ve picked my favourite ideas from gardens and shows I’ve visited.
And I’ve researched how to make these ideas work. If you’ve searched ‘how to change your garden’ or ‘how to make my garden look nice’, you’ll have seen lists of ideas, such as ‘build raised beds’, ‘use gravel’ or ‘add pots and hanging baskets’.
These can be good suggestions. But you need to know what will work for your garden – and why.
And that means assessing your garden now.
Hanging baskets and pots could transform one garden. But they could make another space look cluttered. Plus pots are high maintenance and not cheap!
So this post is about the best ways to change your garden plus what you need to know about how it will work for you.
Where do I start to change my garden?
Start to change your garden by making a list of everything you want to do in it. Even if you are only changing a part of it, it’s good to do an overall evaluation of your outdoor space.
Do you need play space for children? Do you have pets? Do you like to have friends round to eat? Where would you like to sit and when? What sort of storage do you need? Has any of this changed recently?
The next step is to go into the house. Look out at the garden from all the windows. What would you like to see? A sculpture or garden ornaments? A border full of flowers? Do you need to keep an eye on children playing? Or would you like to watch wildlife?
And thirdly, go out of the door and walk around the garden. What paths do you naturally take? If you tend to walk across the lawn to the shed, then consider turning that walkway into a proper path.
What do you see when you look back at the house? What would you like to see?
Finally, what parts of the garden get 6+ hours of sun a day? And where do you get shade or partial shade, which is 3-6 hours of sun a day. You need to mark those areas out because it will affect what plants you choose. And you yourself may prefer seating areas in sun or shade.
Re-vamp or remove any ‘dead’ zones
Are there any ‘dead zones’? Make use of every inch of space – especially in a smaller garden.
In How to Design A Garden, garden designer Pollyanna Wilkinson says you should measure your garden. She advises using Google Earth to make a drawing of the garden’s shape. Many gardens are not exact squares or rectangles.
A rough plan of the garden before changes. Note that the measurements show it is wider at the front than at the back. It’s not a huge difference and can’t be seen by eye, but it could make a big difference if you were building in furniture or using expensive pavers.
And top garden designer Kate Gould says that after you’ve measured your garden, you should measure it again to check! You can waste a great deal of money by being even one square foot or meter ‘out’ when doing hard landscaping.
And if you don’t measure carefully, you’ll end up with more dead zones or ‘difficult corners’ where nothing seems to fit.
See here for 10 shady garden corner ideas to love – and 2 to avoid!
Create garden zones
This is another tip you’ll often find when researching ‘how to change your garden’ online. Once again, it can be good advice.
Or it may be the wrong advice for your garden.
Once you’ve made your lists, you should be able to create a ‘bubble plan’ of what you might have and where you could put it.
Make a rough ‘bubble’ plan of how you would like to change your garden.
Ask yourself if this divides easily and comfortably into ‘zones’?
In a larger garden, zoning can work well.
You could create a herbaceous border in a sunny zone and a woodland theme in a shady zone. There would be a lawn, one or more seating zones, plus a practical working area.
What you need to know
In a small garden you are unlikely to have the space for zones.
Gardeners World presenter Frances Tophill has written A Year In A Small Garden about her first year of re-designing her own small garden. She says that in a small garden, you need everything to be as multi-functional as possible.
This could include seating with storage beneath, combining vegetables and flowers or a greenhouse/shed also used as an outdoor room.
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In these show gardens by Adam Frost and Ben Shutler at BBC Gardeners World Live, fruit, veg, flowers and even chickens flourish beside seating areas. If you want to change your garden by growing more food but don’t have space, think multi-function!
Several of the garden shows last year featured vegetables grown as part of a small garden design, such as Adam Frost’s Chef’s Table Garden at BBC Gardeners World Live.
Make the most of your budget
The word ‘budget’ means different things to different people. Major landscaping work can’t be done ‘cheaply’ unless you have the skills and strength to do it yourself. Most of us don’t have that ability.
But if you have some budget and an idea of what your garden can be, you can prioritize where to spend.
Frances Tophill advises saving money where you can so that you can buy the one big thing you really want. In her case, this was a recycled greenhouse based on one she made for the BBC Gardeners’ World Live exhibition.
There’s a list of costs of hard landscaping on Checkatrade. It applies to the UK but if you live elsewhere, at least you’ll get an idea of what’s likely to cost more.
Save money when changing your garden by re-using as much as you can. Depending on the height and length these wire basket gabions, stacked with broken-up discarded pavers, cost between £60 and £300, which is cheaper than most garden seating of that size.
What you need to know
Always take the cost of labour into account. It’s often the biggest single outlay when you’re changing your garden.
There are ways of minimising the cost of hard landscaping. In The Secrets of Contemporary Garden Design On the Cheap, Jane Beedle explains that you will be charged for taking old hardscaping away. Her solution was to put discarded pavers in gabions. It created extra seating.
Jane’s husband pulled up old concrete pavers when their garden was re-designed. He has re-purposed them by putting them in gabions (wire baskets originally used to prevent erosion). He had to break the pavers up. It was back-breakingly hard work. If you had to pay someone to break up the pavers, this won’t be a cheaper option.
And Frances Tophill’s recycled greenhouse was made of second-hand glass doors and windows. The materials were cheap or free, but it took much longer to put the greenhouse together than it would to assemble a ready-made greenhouse.
So she says that she didn’t save any money on having a recycled greenhouse. But she does love its character. And she has not bought new materials, so it is still more sustainable than a new greenhouse.
And in Medium-sized Garden Ideas, I’ve featured a greenhouse made from recycled windows and shower doors by an expert amateur DIY hobbyist. As he wasn’t paying for labour, his greenhouse was almost completely free.
These two greenhouses are both made from recycled windows and old shower doors. The top one is in a show garden by Frances Tophill. She has had it re-built in her own garden. But it took four days to build, which means it cost as much as buying a greenhouse new. The lower greenhouse was made by a DIY hobbyist, so was almost free. Both are more sustainable and eco-friendly than buying new. Plus they are an interesting feature!
Change your garden by creating a new seating area
Creating a new seating or dining area can change your garden dramatically. You can use a seating area as a focal point as well as somewhere to enjoy a break.
A new seating area will give you a new view of your garden. Take a couple of chairs outside and experiment with different places to sit. Think about how the sun and shade falls.
Richard and Lesley added a small area of decking to the middle of a long and somewhat featureless border. It’s just big enough for four chairs and a small table. It has become a favourite place to sit and has revitalised the border.
Award-winning garden designer Charlotte Rowe says you shouldn’t automatically place your eating area directly outside the back door. In smaller gardens, a seating or dining area at the back of the garden can look smart – and it’s not too far to carry food or plates! See her top 5 garden design tips here.
In a larger garden, you can add seating or dining areas to make sure you enjoy all the garden. You can break up a lawn or even a long stretch of border, like in these gardens below.
Liz Philpott has cleverly used seating to break up an expanse of lawn and create a focal point. And both seating places offer a unique view of the garden. See more Inspiring Ideas from Garden Visits here.
An instant place to sit – place an old table, chair or rocker in a wilder part of your garden. The top photo is Liz Philpott’s garden and above is Serena Schellenberg’s rewilded garden.
What you need to know
Some seating will sink into soft ground unless you have bricks, pavers or decking under the chair legs. So consider the extra effort or expense when planning.
Garden furniture lasts longer if you can store it under cover in the winter.
Metal, plastic and hardwoods last longer than rattan or rattan-style furniture. But if you don’t have anywhere to store garden furniture and you don’t want to use ugly covers for the months of winter, read How To Choose The Best Garden Furniture.
Add pots and planters
If you’re researching ‘how to change your garden’, you will almost always be told to ‘add pots’ or ‘add hanging baskets.’
Pots give you an instant pop of colour and structure, especially close to the house. If you are renting your home, you can take pots, hanging baskets and planters with you. (See garden designer Shaun Mooney’s Rented Garden Ideas)
The top grouping of bulbs in pots by Dan Cooper is brilliant. And below it, you can see some stunning giant pots from RHS Wisley. See here for Dan’s advice on how to group pots.
What you need to know
Pots, planters and hanging baskets can be expensive. And they are always more work than plants growing in the ground.
Bigger pots and planters are easier to look after than lots of little ones. But bigger pots and planters can be very expensive indeed.
Depending on where you live and what your summers are like, you will have to water smaller pots and hanging baskets every day. You will have to feed all pots weekly from spring to autumn. See Your Best Ever Pots to find out about caring for pots.
You can plant almost any plant in a pot so you can put easy-care shrubs and trees in containers. But, once again, these containers will need to be big, which can mean an expensive initial outlay.
You can keep an eye out for bargains in Facebook Marketplace or Freecyle. And you can look for agricultural or industrial containers, such as stock ponds. The Viewer’s Garden at BBC Gardeners World Live used agricultural troughs as raised beds.
Designer Pip Probert used this agricultural trough as a planter in The Viewers’ Garden at BBC Gardeners World Live.
Water features and ponds
One of the best ways to change your garden now is to add a pond, however small. They are wildlife-friendly and make a good focal point or feature.
Most show gardens have featured ponds in the last few years.
These garden ponds range from traditional to contemporary. All are small enough to fit in any size of garden.
What you need to know
It’s important to set up your pond properly. There’s a full post on making a mini wildlife pond in a barrel here and also how to make a container pond here. It’s not difficult but it is important to know what plants to use and how to set it all up.
Water features, such as fountains, tend to go wrong. Garden designers have warned me that a simple pond will require less maintenance than one with a water feature.
However moving water will reduce the chance of mosquito larvae surviving.
Put Up a Pergola
A pergola or gazebo will add height to your garden. A built-in pergola will offer an opportunity to add climbing plants and it may also help with privacy, too. (See how to create more privacy in your garden).
A pergola or gazebo can also be a focal point and somewhere to sit. You can put a temporary gazebo up – perhaps in order to try the concept out. Experiment with placing it in different parts of the garden and see if you enjoy that aspect of your garden.
What you need to know
What’s the difference between a pergola and a gazebo? People often use the terms interchangeably, but I believe that a gazebo has a roof while a pergola is an open structure like an arch.
Because the pergola or gazebo is high, it is more affected by wind than your garden furniture is. A permanent pergola or gazebo should be built of weatherproof materials and installed with a secure base. Posts need to be set into concrete, for example, not just wedged into the lawn.
An arch or pergola without firm foundations will tilt and/or rot.
It’s also important to research the climbing plants. If you buy plants that need pruning at different times, you may get into a tangle. And if you choose climbers that are too vigorous, they may bring your pergola or gazebo down. See How to Choose Climbing Plants.
A pop-up gazebo can be a worthwhile investment. You can put it up in different parts of the garden.
But some pop-up gazebos blow away or tear easily. We did a great deal of research when we bought our gazebo. It has lasted for years and we use it a lot. Find out how to what to look for in How to Buy The Best Gazebo For Your Garden.
Change Your Garden with Color
Colour can transform your garden. You can paint sheds, furniture, pots and planters, raised beds or even paving and fences.
Garden designer Paul Bangay’s garden has a blue theme for gates, furniture, obelisks and more. It’s very effective. See more inspiration from Paul Bangay here.
Writer Francine Raymond buys her garden pots and furniture at discount sales or second-hand shops. She paints the different styles in the same two colours – grey or yellow. Choosing a theme of one or two colours can work very well.
Painting furniture, pots or even fences is one of the best ways to change your garden.
You can either buy coloured garden furniture or paint it yourself.
What you need to know
Use a good high-quality specialist outdoor paint. Friends have found Cuprinol durable and it comes in a wide range of colours.
Make sure that anything you paint has been thoroughly cleaned and is dry. Sand any rough areas or prepare the item in the appropriate way.
Wind, rain and very hot sunlight can affect how your outdoor paint dries. Think about the weather before starting to paint.
Plant more plants? But plan it first!
If you want to add colour to your garden, then plan carefully before you start shopping for plants. It’s too easy to fall in love with the plants that are in flower at the moment. You get them home and in four weeks’ time, they’re over!
If you’ve spent all your money on your hard landscaping and have an empty border, then consider sowing a packet of wildflower seeds. See How to Grow Wildflowers.
If you do have a budget, go back to your list of what you want from your garden. For a low maintenance garden, plant shrubs, perennials and bulbs. Avoid annuals and bedding plants.
But if you want an instant blaze of colour, then annuals and bedding plants will give you more options.
Annuals are plants that grow from seed, flower and die in one year.
Shrubs are plants with a woody stem that stays above ground all year round.
And perennials are plants that live in your garden for three years or more. (See Perennials Made Simple for more info).
What you need to know
Annuals will need to be bought or sown every year. They need more fertiliser than perennials. And annuals grow fast so they will need more watering. They usually need dead-heading and will need clearing away at the end of the summer.
Busy Lizzies (Impatiens) are one of the UK’s favourite bedding plants. They’ll give you a big pop of colour almost immediately and they last well throughout the summer. But you will need to look after them and replace them every year.
Annuals are often cheaper to buy initially. But you will have to replace them every year, so they’re expensive in the long term.
Some plants are perennials in warmer countries but need to be re-planted every year in cooler climates. This includes dahlias, cannas, begonias and some other colourful plants.
Perennials and shrubs are less work because their roots go deeper into the ground. You won’t have to water so often. And they will come back year after year. If they are evergreen they will be a presence in the garden all year round.
Perennials may cost a little more initially but are good value in the long term, as are shrubs.
Choose long-flowering perennials if you want the most colour with the least work. These include hardy geraniums and geums in spring and summer. For long flowering late season perennials, see 18 long-flowering plants that bloom from summer until the first frost.
Choose the right plants for your lifestyle. Shrubs and perennials are less work. Annuals may give you a more immediate pop of colour!
If you want to cut costs in your garden, then grow plants from seed, propagate them or let friends know that you would be interested in leftover plants when they lift and divide their perennials.
Use Indoor Inspiration for Outside Spaces
Does the style of your garden marry up with what your house looks like inside?
If you want to change your garden, taking inspiration from your interior style is a very good place to start. In How to Connect Your Indoor and Outdoor Space garden design Lisa Feurtados uses mid-century modern furniture in her home and her garden.
Mid-century modern garden furniture style chairs with mid-century modern indoor chairs in Lisa Feurtados’ home.
Other designers advise linking the shade of, say, your kitchen flooring to your outdoor pavers. Lisa Feurtados has also done that, if you look closely at the above image.
What you need to know
Make sure that any furniture you buy is actually suitable for its indoor or outdoor use. Indoor chairs are unlikely to last long outdoors. And some outdoor chairs have sharp feet that can damage indoor flooring.
All this is basically common sense, however.
Some people may think that taking the same interior style outdoors could be too ‘matchy-matchy’ but a garden can never be as tightly controlled as a house. Nature will always find a way of adding her own stamp.
Change your garden by building raised beds
This is another common piece of advice in the ‘change your garden’ posts online.
Raised beds can be very useful, but they’re not appropriate for every garden or gardener. They originated in vegetable gardens because if you have poor or difficult soil, you can fill them with good topsoil. Early gardeners also worried about treading on the soil and compacting it. So raised beds kept the gardener’s feet firmly on the paths!
Now raised beds have become fashionable for flower gardens. You can find them in different styles and materials.
Raised beds designed by Anna Helps (top) and Zoe Claymore (above)
Raised beds may mean you can garden more easily if you’re struggling to bend or kneel.
They also lift the height of flowers and plants, so that you can see them more easily. A seating area surrounded by raised beds will feel like a flower-filled sanctuary.
What you need to know
Raised beds drain more quickly because they’re raised up and water always runs downwards. So if you live in a dry area, you will have to water raised beds more often.
Some wooden raised beds can harbour nooks and crannies for snails and slugs.
Some gardeners believe that it doesn’t matter if you step on your soil and that too much fuss has been made of this in the past.
More Inspiration for Changing Your Garden
If you’re looking for inspiration for an overall style of your garden, see Garden Style Ideas and How to Choose a Garden Style.
There is nothing more alluring than a good garden path, so if you’d like to create a new garden path, see Garden Path Materials – The Good, The Bad & The Beautiful.
If you’re planning a new border, see How to Plant a Border Like A Pro and How to Create a Stunning Perennial Border.
And if you have a sloping garden and want to make a special feature, see Rock Gardens (for a sunny slope) or Stumperies (for a shady slope).
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