When moving to a new house that has lawn, established trees and garden beds - what is the best way to take stock and come up with a plan for what you want to do with a new space when you know nothing about it’s current conditions?
There are a few steps one can take one taking over an existing garden.
First step is live in the garden. Especially if you’ve come from a unit or house with no yard. Moving into a place with a yard you start have visions of grandeur. Let yourselves live in it for a little while.
Watch where the sun falls during the seasons
Does your backyard face north/south etc?
What has the average temperatures been? Do you get frost, humidity? Is it on average a good rainfall area?
Watch when it rains where does the water flow/bank up?
Does the ground soak up the water?
What plants are in the yard already? Do you like these? Do they fruit or flower? Do you not like them and plan on removing them? What will this do, open up more sun?
What’s the soil profile look like in different areas of your garden? Dig a hole and see for yourself. Is it sandy, rock hard, clay or maybe is lush beautiful composted soil. Note : In a lot of new estates healthy soil is absent. Before I even contemplate a garden I would be improving my soil health with composts and microbes
Does the current place have a working water efficient irrigation system, what’s the water usage, do we need to plan for tanks? How many tanks? Where will they fit?
If it has lawn, how long does it take to mow? Is that something you enjoy? What’s the best mower to get considering lawn size?
Many people would add walk the streets to see what others grow well but I find this can be misleading as other house may have different aspects than you, be a different level gardener, they might have better soil due to years of building it up. You don’t know.
Instead I suggest you can see what plants are growing in the area. Take photos of the ones you like and then go to your local garden centre and seek their advice, if they will grow in your yard with your soil and micro climate.
I find it best to walk the streets and get a feel for concepts. Buy some magazines and have a look what concepts people use on their gardens.
What do you want in a garden? Write that list - pool, a big covered entertaining area, vegetable garden? Do you like formal gardens or lush tropical gardens? Do you want all open spaces or hide away nooks? Do you want space to put a children adventure playground or a parents retreat? Do you need a men’s shed or a women’s escape room?
Do you have solar? As you don’t want to plant large trees that will block the solar but you also want to plant trees that will cool the house in summer, so you don’t need air cons as much.
Visit your local garden centre. Locally owned garden centres have local horticulturists who know your area and have local knowledge on plants and micro climates.
Use friends and family. Do you have gardeners as friends and family? Invite them over for a drink and casually bring up your garden plans. Most gardeners are eager to share their knowledge. Take their advice on but realise they don’t know your area so sometimes what they suggest may not work for you.
I think unless you have a solid plan of attack the best thing you can do in a new established garden is live it and allow your dreams and plans to evolve over those first few months.
For my place I knew what I wanted exactly out the back. I knew how it would look in the end after I come into a small fortune . Some small things have changed but the major things have always been the same.
The front yard has been a different story. Ideas have flown every which way and even after two years it’s still evolving as the family evolves.
Gardens aren’t static. They are meant to evolve and change over time. We aren’t meant to landscape our yard in a day and then never touch it again.
So take your time, enjoy your new place and just listen and learn from what your current place is telling you.