When we visit a garden for the first time, we're not looking at the plants.
Here's what we're actually paying attention to:
Light — where it falls in the morning, midday, and evening. This determines almost everything about planting and where you'll want to sit.
Movement — how do you walk through the space? Where do you naturally go? Where do you avoid? The paths and flow of a garden should feel effortless, not forced.
Soil — what type, what condition, what drainage. Surrey has everything from heavy clay to lighter greensand soils depending on where you are. We've been working this county's soil for over 50 years and it still surprises us.
Water — where does it collect after rain? Where does it drain? Get this wrong and nothing else matters.
Views — what do you see from the kitchen window? From the back door? What do your neighbours see? Good design frames the good views and screens the rest.
How you live — do you have children? Dogs? Do you entertain? Do you want a quiet corner to sit with a cup of tea? A garden that doesn't work for your actual life isn't a good garden, no matter how it looks.
The plants, the materials, the features — they all come later. The design starts with listening and observing. That's the bit that makes everything else work.
Thinking about your garden? Talk to us — montrose-landscapes.com.
📍 Woking, Surrey
#gardendesign #gardendesigner #surreygardens #landscapingsurrey #montroselandscapes
