| Without a doubt, the most important thing to get | | | | irresistible 'buy two get one free' offers? And finally |
| right when planning any future garden makeover | | | | on the way out you treated yourself to an early |
| project is to set clear objectives. | | | | Christmas present with that third trolley for that |
| Trying to makeover a garden without clear | | | | special Mediterranean thingy, which you thought |
| objectives is a bit like building a house without a plan. | | | | would look great on the new patio. |
| Only a fool would undertake to build anything without | | | | When finally you reach the checkout your bill is |
| a clear idea of what or how it will all look when | | | | something resembling the Third World Debt, but |
| completed. | | | | nevertheless you smile through it all telling yourselves |
| Your objectives should include some or all of the | | | | it'll all be worth it in the end. |
| following: | | | | Outside in the car park you cram and slam all your |
| 1. Decide what you want to include in your new | | | | purchases into your car breaking off branches, leaves |
| garden | | | | and stems as you try and squeeze it all into an |
| 2. Know what you want to get rid of/or disguise in | | | | impossibly small space. |
| your garden - eg, that ugly rear fence needs cloaking | | | | Back at home you start working on planting them all |
| or finally ridding yourself of that terrible shed, which | | | | up, but you've failed to realise how hard the ground |
| blocks all your light. | | | | is. Not to mention you've hurt your back lifting that |
| 3. Whether you want to increase the time you're | | | | hypera-something out of the car. |
| going to spend actually working in your garden, or | | | | So it's a quick tea-break and then you get caught up |
| you want to create a garden where you work less | | | | with the children/telly/favourite book etc and before |
| and relax more (the low maintenance garden) | | | | you know it the weekends gone and all your new |
| All too often I come across unfinished garden | | | | purchases will just have to sit it out in their pots until |
| makeover projects. You've probably seen them in | | | | time allows. |
| your own neighbourhood. | | | | Unfortunately next weekend you don't have the time |
| Gardens dominated by unfinished patios complete | | | | so you postpone planting for another week and on it |
| with faded blue tarpaulin; pathways leading to | | | | goes until your shrubs are well and truly pot-bound |
| nowhere; large mounds of compacted soil where | | | | and overgrown with all sorts of undesirable pests and |
| eventually 'the lawn will be', and so on. | | | | start to die off.... |
| The standing joke at every year's barbeques is when | | | | Trust me. If you haven't already been there, you |
| will they get around to finishing it. | | | | soon will. Unless of course you take a tip from top |
| Of course there's nothing funny about unfinished | | | | gardeners as to how they plan and create their |
| garden projects. There's nothing relaxing or | | | | gardens. |
| inspirational arriving home every day from work to | | | | Next time when you look at a beautiful garden |
| be greeted by mounds of earth, overgrown weeds | | | | remember that it's about 1% creativity and inspiration |
| and building materials strewn everywhere. | | | | - the rest is down to great planning. |
| An unfinished garden isn't the only consequence of | | | | So when deciding on any makeover, regardless of |
| poor planning. It also invariably represents foolhardy | | | | how small - begin by setting your objectives. |
| spending. | | | | Decide what you want from your new garden and |
| Remember that Saturday morning trip to the garden | | | | then agree how much you're willing to spend. |
| centre where you loaded your trolley sky-high will all | | | | Get this part right and you're far less likely to end up |
| sorts of plants and shrubs that you really have no | | | | with something unwanted, unfinished and unloved. |
| idea about? Then grabbed a second trolley for those | | | | |