Presenter: Kim Syrus
Episode: 21 (15 September 2007)

Many gardeners have stood at the back door looking out at the garden and dreamt of all the things they would love to do. Turning these dreams into reality is possible but the first thing you must do is create a garden plan.

The aspects of the garden which are important to you, the different plants, areas and materials are unique decisions. The best way for others to interpret your dream garden is to get it down on paper. Drawing up a plan is not as hard as you may think.

There are many ways to draw up a plan from a rough scribble to a professional draft. Your plan can be quite easy all you need really need is a pen, some paper, a measuring tape and a helper to help get your measurements.

Start with a hand drawing of the yard and include boundaries, sheds and any fixed features like trees and clotheslines. Don’t be concerned about small garden beds and the roughness of the drawing at this stage.

It is now time to start measuring; the idea is to get as many measurements as possible, start with the corner of the house. From the corner of the house measure out to the fence, across to the shed and so on and so forth, all from the one point. Repeat the process from other parts of the garden.

Once you have run the tape over the yard your paper should be filled with measurements, these measurements will help you to create a more accurate drawing. Ideally use graph paper, treating a centimetre on your ruler as a metre on your plan will make the job easy.

Once you have drawn up this plan make sure you get plenty of photocopies. You can now start putting all of your ideas down on paper.