• Decorative flower beds
• Somewhere to entertain
• A vegetable plot
• A greenhouse to raise plants
• A garden pond
• A playground for the kids

So take some time to make yourself a list. The last thing you want is a patch of grass bordered with narrow flowerd beds.

With most plots it is usually possible, with a little planning, to incorporate most of your wishes. You might want use some landscape design software to make this process easier. The first thing to do is measure your garden and decide where the sun rises and sets. You will then know which areas are shady and which are in full sunshine. If you want to use the garden to entertain in the evening, then you want your seating to catch the last of the rays. Remember that many plants cannot tolerate full sunshine, whist others really flourish in those conditions.

You now need to clear the worst of the builders rubble before you do anything else. Next test your soil PH. You need to know whether you have an acid soil or if it is alkiline. The PH could be different in different parts of the garden, so do more than one test.

OK. Now you know the basic information you need about your garden. Time to get to work. You need to dig the garden over and clear all those weeds. There is no easy way to do this. You can try weed-killer, but the deep rooted and pernicious weeds will only come back. Whatever you decide to grow, it will do much better and save a lot of time and effort in the long run if you do this preparation thoroughly. Its boring, its tedious, its hard work, with very little to show for it. But its essential.

Now for the hard landscaping. Deciding where to put paths, garden ponds,a patio or seating area, and if you want them a potting shed and a greenhouse. A potting shed may seem unnecessary at first, but you will find it immensely useful to store all your tools (thus freeing room in your garage or utility room). If organised, it will make it much easier to find everything and can also be used to sow seeds in pots or put plants in pots. Garden sheds have had many books writen about them so I shan’t go into detail here.  However, you will want the shed to be attractive if it can be seen from the house. So be sure that you leave enough room to grow plants over it if wished, or have other ways to screen it.

Now comes the fun bit. Draw a plan of what you want where. Don’t get too detailed, to begin with a general outline will do. If you want a pond or other water feature, plan what you will do with the soil you dig out. What will you do with dead plants, grass cuttings etc. You need a compost heap, again plan where it will go and how you will screen it from the house. If you intend to raise hens, then think about building your own chicken house.

When you start to build your garden, begin with any large excavations you want. Don’t forget any excavations you will need for the garden pond pump and pipes. Next comes paths and hard standings, then any grass. After that come plants.

All of this will take time and hard work, but you will eventually be fully rewarded with a garden which will be exactly as you want it, fulfilling the functions you want and will take much less work to manage than if you had not spent time on the preparation.