A beginner’s guide to landscaping; 5 top DIY tips to landscaping your garden

So, you’ve moved in your new home and have a whole new garden or backyard to play with!

Exciting stuff but where on earth do you start?

Whether you’re thinking of totally changing your garden layout or perhaps just parts of it, these top tips from Landscaper, Tom from @thelaundrygarden based in the North Wales, may just save you a lot of time and money!

1. Preparation and Planning

Preparation: Make sure you have a good idea of where things are going. The shed, seating area, storage area, outside tap, lights, compost area etc.

Planning: How are you getting the materials to site, where is any surplus material going? Do you need a skip?

2. Drainage

Water should flow away from your house if at all possible. Any hard landscaping needs to be 150mm below the floor level inside your house. If you can’t do this, install a French drain around the house (a slotted pipe within a trench and covered in gravel)

3. Materials

Think about your choice of materials. Look at your house or the local area for clues. Keep your choice down to three materials and stick with those throughout.

4. Don’t landscape on top of old landscaping work

Do not assume that someone else’s construction is sufficient to build off, invariably it isn’t. It can also be a mistake to build the level up too high next to the house (see ‘drainage above’)

5. Talk to your neighbour

As early as possible open a dialogue with your neighbour. They will appreciate the good communication, and you may even be able to share costs on some items (skip). They may have insights into the work that you do not, if the property is new to you.

Tom also recommends a great book to help you with your DIY gardening projects “The Garden DIY expert” by Dr D G Hessayon I’ve just ordered my own copy!

Huge thanks to Tom for all of his fantastic tips. If you’d like to see more photos of Tom and his wife Jenny’s stunning gardens head over to @thelaundrygarden and for more top tips for beginners gardeners tap here.

Main Photo Credit: Joe Wainwright, Professional Freelance Garden Photographer, www.joewainwright.co.uk