May; simple garden design

Looking at a garden that you want to improve, and make your own can feel very daunting. Where do I begin? As Julie Andrews famously sang, ‘Let's start at the very beginning. It’s a very good place to start.’ You know the rest.

So, when tackling a garden, it can be useful to ask yourself questions that you would pose when decorating and furnishing a room in your house:

- What am I going to use the space for?

- How many people will use it?

- Do I want to make it darker, lighter, more colourful, more cosy, or what?

- What angle does the morning and evening sun come in?

- How much maintenance do I want to do?

- What style fits in with the surrounding architecture?

Having worked your way through that list, it can be helpful to think of the different components of the garden as being like the furniture and colour in a room.

You wouldn't put an armchair in the middle of a room, because it would dominate the space. Therefore, why would you put a big plant or border in the middle of your garden? Unless you need shade or you want screening, it will have the same effect in your garden.

Busy wallpaper and crammed-in furniture can make a room feel claustrophobic. So it is with an over-crowded outdoor space. Remember, there is a difference between an exciting space and a chaotic one.

Restrained colours on the walls and floors can be dull if taken to an extreme, but used well will create a sense of order and calm. So it is in gardens. Deciding on a restricted palette will create a sense of unity.

Perhaps you want a secluded corner or a quiet, reflective area just as you would have a reading chair or writing desk away from the thoroughfares and walkways.

Drawing a basic outline plan can be a start to working out ideas with pencil and paper. I always keep an eraser handy so I can improve ideas and easily sketch out new ones.

Yes, it is tricky getting the right plants for the right situation. Equally, knowing how to tackle changes of level, getting the right paving at the right price and most challenging, finding the right person to do the job, are all tasks you might want to leave to the professional. This is not just because every man I know who is over 50 has a bad back (and most of them still think they are 25!). It is because if you are going to spend money on a project you need to be sure you are spending it well.

So, when not embarking on your new career as a garden designer there will be plenty to keep you busy in your existing garden;

• Watering newly-planted trees and shrubs is critical at this time of year. The Royal Horticultural Society recommends giving a bucket of water every four days for a 2m tall tree unless there has been prolonged rainfall. And there hasn't been.
• Shrubs with hollow stems and branches can always be cut back hard. Spireas are one of this group. Don't touch the large arguta until it has finished its white-flowering show and then cut out about a third of the shoots. But old and straggly knee-high Spirea bumalda can be cut right back down to 10cm.
• If you are going to clip your hedges, then be sensitive to the wildlife that may be making a home there. Delay the task if you see birds nesting.
• In this early part of the growing season there is still time to tackle your pond. Water lilies will become less showy if they are not divided every few years.
• If you are keen to attract wildlife then make sure amphibians have easy access in and out of the pond. A small plank or a shingle edge to the pond will enable hedgehogs to drink without toppling in and meeting a watery end, as well as giving frogs an easier life.
• Resist the temptation to plant rows of bedding plants when the sun comes out. If it has been a brilliant day then the chance of a frost in the evening is still pretty high. Wait until the end of the month.

It is easy to think of the garden as nothing but a series of chores when everything starts growing at this time of year. If you are able to schedule and spread your tasks over the month, preferably working with someone else then is should be more of a pleasure than a pain.

Pleasure? That was the idea of having a garden in the first place wasn't it? Julie Andrews would approve.