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How much lawn area do you really need? Do you have time to mow it or the money to pay someone to mow it for you at $10-$30 an hour? Do you use it? Can you cut back the amount of lawn to a minimum just for entertaining and children’s play? A family lawn uses up to 40% of the total water consumption. Will paving and gravels or groundcovers to the job more effectively for you?
Consider how much time you will spend in this area and the provision of sun/shade, roofing, seating, storage and barbecue facilities.
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How will changing needs affect the design of the garden in the future? |
Perhaps a sandpit and play area will have to be developed into a barbecue area. Or plants may have to be relocated to allow for additions to the house, more parking space and an extra carport or garage.
If you plan to move house in a few years, fast growing trees and shrubs and other features that can be quickly established may be best.
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How will you hide the unsightly features? |
Every garden needs a service or utility area to accommodate the clothes line, rubbish bins, garden shed, and outdoor storage facilities. These are usually screened from view by planting or fencing.
Sit down with the family and write down the answers to all these questions so that you can prepare a sheet of what you actually need or want in the garden and what is environmentally friendly. This is the first step.
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Are existing paths in the correct position for your needs? |
Check that you can manoeuvre the lawn mower and other garden equipment around the different parts of the garden and around the house and yard easily. If additions to the house are to be built in a few years, will there be easy access to reach those areas without damaging plants, fences, pipes or paving?
Do you need solid paving or will gravel suit the area? Gravels and paving still allow rainwater to percolate down through the soil to plant roots nearby. Solid areas of paving are easy to maintain but create run-off when it rains. Try to design any solid paths to direct run-off to garden beds and plants close by.
Guests should be able to see clearly when they walk around the garden at night and a well-lit garden is much more effective for security purposes. Can your path and front door be seen at night from a parked car in the street? A home should always look inviting from the street at daytime or at night. |
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