10 common mistakes in garden design

Mistakes in garden design cost effort and annoyance - all the better if you don't commit them. Learn how to avoid 10 common mistakes here.

It is well known that you learn from mistakes, but unwise decisions are particularly annoying when it comes to garden design. No wonder - after all, the structure of the garden, the selection of the hedge plants or the You can only change the course of the garden paths with a lot of effort once you have designed your garden. Many mistakes are not noticed until a few years later, when you realize how much additional work you have thanks to the unfortunate garden design. If you want to save yourself this trouble, you should simply learn from the mistakes of others - we have summarized the most common missteps in garden design for you here.

10 common mistakes in garden design

Mistakes can always happen - but they are particularly annoying in garden design because they are difficult to correct. But once you know which mistakes happen particularly often in garden planning, you can make sure to skillfully avoid them in your own garden.

1. Design without a plan

The sun is shining, the weather is good and the motivation to work in the garden is high. But anyone who rashly reaches for the spade is committing the cardinal mistake of garden design: working without a plan. In fact, one regrets rash conversions faster than one thinks, because in practice they turn out to be cumbersome or cannot be integrated into the overall picture of the garden. Therefore, it is always worthwhile to act wisely. First, take an inventory of your garden and ask yourself the following questions: Which areas should remain in the garden? Which corner do I want to redesign? And what are my wishes for my garden?

Once you have drawn up a rough wish list, you can start sketching. It's best to work from big to small here. For example, you start by dividing the floor plan into different functional areas, then draws in large objects or beds and finally comes up with the placement of individual plants and Furniture. Always pay attention to the local conditions: Sun and shadow locations have a great influence on the Choosing the right plants, but also when determining the seating areas, the sun should be taken into account will. This also applies to existing water or electricity connections so that they are easily accessible in the new garden.

2. Ignore soil conditions

Do you know the nature of your soil? In fact, many gardeners pay little attention to their soil, although it is one of the most important factors for healthy plant growth. When designing the garden (especially when choosing new plants), the nature of the soil is simply ignored - a serious mistake. If the needs of the plants do not match the soil conditions, it takes a lot of effort for the gardener to let his protégés thrive. A soil analysis can therefore be particularly useful when redesigning gardens. Once the soil type, condition and pH value are known, you can either use plants that have cope with these conditions, or the soil specifically through fertilization or mechanical measures to enhance. This later saves trouble and effort in plant cultivation. Anyone who wants to upgrade barren soils and stimulate soil life can do one Organic soil activator use. This again ensures more activity in the soil and enables the plants to better absorb nutrients.

3. Choosing inappropriate plants

First and foremost, of course, the taste decides when it comes to the choice of plants for your own garden. But here, too, it helps if you come up with a plan beforehand instead of just buying according to your gut instinct. If you want one if possible low maintenance garden, for example, other plants are suitable than in a design that is the traditional one Cottage garden should correspond. In addition, design aspects must also be considered: Although flowering plants see in spring and summer particularly beautiful, but if you only use these, the beds appear desolate in autumn and winter empty. One should therefore always pay attention, too hardy ornamental foliage plants to choose so that the garden still looks great even in the cold season. Within the bed, differences in height between the individual plants and coordinated flower colors create a harmonious picture. In the case of trees, however, care should be taken: In small gardens in particular, trees can become massive ones Become a problem - it is better to make sure that the tree has enough space with you when you buy it Has.

4. Underestimate the amount of work

One of the most common mistakes when designing gardens is putting too much on yourself. A vegetable patch with a greenhouse, a rose garden and a hedge cut into shape sound great, but unfortunately they also mean a lot of work. The effort that one has to put into the care of the garden spoils the joy of it after a short time. You should therefore be particularly careful when choosing your plants: a garden with lots of plants different requirements, topiary trees and English lawns need a lot of care. On the other hand, you can create an easy-care garden if you rely on robust, native plants to keep the weed pressure through Ground cover minimized or instead of lawn an insect-friendly flower meadow like ours Plantura beneficial insect magnet sows. Careful planning of water and electrical connections also helps to save long walking distances and thus to minimize working hours.

5. Place garden paths incorrectly

At first glance, garden paths give the impression that they only serve to move from one point to one to reach others - for this reason they are usually first used in garden design placed behind. In fact, they also have a creative function that should not be neglected: Small gardens can be optically enlarged by ingenious routes, in large gardens the path provides structure and cleverly divides the property into individual areas. But practical aspects must also be taken into account when designing. Winding paths may look romantic, but in large gardens they make for long walkways that become a nuisance in everyday gardening. Individual stepping stones or gravel are also nice to look at, but can be a nuisance when working with a wheelbarrow.

tip: A decorative element for garden design is bark mulch. Those who rely on a natural pine bark mulch with a coarse structure - like ours Plantura organic pine bark - Does not beautify for ornamental beds, paths and Co. The mulch also protects the soil in a natural way against erosion, drying out and weed growth.

6. Do not plan any seats

The garden should first and foremost be a place for relaxation. The right choice and positioning of garden furniture are all the more important here - unfortunately, this is often neglected. In particular, little attention is paid to the location of the individual seats, although it is of essential importance if you want to enjoy your garden to the fullest. If you are looking forward to breakfast in the garden, you should choose a place that can be reached by the morning sun. If, on the other hand, you prefer to sit in the garden in the midday sun, a place in partial shade or the option of attaching an awning are elementary if you do not want to suffer from heat stroke. You shouldn't neglect the size of a seating area: A seating area for four to six people need at least ten square meters and a solid floor so that nothing wobbles later. Finally, when choosing garden furniture, one should consider both practicality and comfort - furniture that is constantly Need care are just as unsuitable for a relaxing day in the garden as a cast iron bench that is not comfortable to sit on offers.

7. Choose unsuitable hedge plants

Hedges are a great way to cleverly protect your garden from prying eyes and unwelcome visitors, which is why they can be found in almost every garden. But there are a few things to consider when planting hedges - not every plant is suitable for every garden. The Tree of Life (Thuja), for example, is considered to be particularly robust and easy to care for, but does not tolerate fully shaded locations. If you plant the trees here in a row, they will never make an opaque hedge. The amount of work involved in hedges is also often underestimated. Particularly fast growing plants like that liguster (Ligustrum vulgare) need a regular cut so that they still look neat even years later. If you don't want to invest this time, you should find out beforehand easy-care hedge plants or another privacy screen. In addition, not every garden is suitable for a hedge. Especially in small gardens Hedges absorb light and make the property look even narrower. Here you should rather rely on an airy privacy screen such as a fence. You can also do this with Climbing plants green, which also looks very appealing.

8. Use inferior materials

Completely remodeling a garden can be expensive fun. Offers from the discounter in particular can then be all too tempting, after all, they offer a lot more cheaply than the gardener. But the avoidable bargains can quickly become expensive - they are often made of inferior material and hardly last a season in the garden. The difference is enormous, especially when it comes to garden furniture: Cheap products often look to the first Rain showers are weathered and old if they are not always carefully covered or even in the apartment get. Even with plants, stones or decorations, you can quickly see clear differences in durability and lifespan between the individual price categories. Here it is worth investing directly in high-quality products - otherwise you will quickly buy twice.

9. Chaotic mix of styles in the garden

In the past, there was a strict order in many gardens; today, style mixes and daring style breaks are becoming more and more popular. The composition of different elements of the most diverse design types offers a great opportunity to create your own To live out creativity, and is particularly suitable for gardeners who do not commit themselves to a single style want. But this freedom can only be enjoyed in moderation: If too many different styles are combined with one another, the garden quickly appears restless and overloaded. Especially at the beginning it is advisable to stick with one style and only with one or two Combining elements from one style - that creates interesting contrasts, but doesn't work overloaded.

10. Don't calculate costs

If you get ideas for your own garden design on the Internet or in gardening magazines, you will quickly find some elements that should not be missing in your dream garden. Outdoor kitchens or large terraces with lounging areas may look fantastic, but they also have their pitfalls. The work and costs involved in such dream projects are enormous and can quickly blow the budget that is actually set up. If you do not want a half-finished project to ruin the view of the garden, you should deal with the costs beforehand. However, not only the pure material costs, but also possible installation costs should be taken into account - a specialist is essential, especially in the field of electrics. Other work steps such as paving or simple masonry work, however, can also be done with the help of Acquaintances can be done well and inexpensively and so the garden dream can still come true permit.