Landscaping is different from most other home improvements. While a kitchen renovation is finished when the tradesmen go, a garden starts when they go and unfolds over the years according to the decisions one makes about it at the outset. The quality of a garden in year 10 is almost completely determined by the decisions made in year 1.

What separates a good long-term result from a bad one? Possibilities over time, which close down or open up depending on the choices made in year one. No, it’s not species, it’s not budget, and it’s not materials. It is the basic decisions made in year one that determine the possibilities over time

One of the most unglamorous yet consequential aspects of garden design is the preparation of the soil. If a garden is amended over the next 10 years to comprise well-structured soil, then over the same period, the ground will support root systems and plants growing confidently in it. The planting scheme will perform to its potential rather than struggle with its limitations. For Landscapers Gloucester, visit https://phoenixgardenersgloucester.co.uk/gloucestershire-landscaping/gloucester/

The placement of a tree, like the soil beneath it, matters almost as much as it does. If a tree is positioned correctly, then it will become an asset that defines and enriches a garden, but if it is placed incorrectly, it will become a perennial headache. If a tree is positioned correctly in year 1, by year 10, it will be providing shade, sitting in the right place, and representing the correct scale.

The best landscapers are designing a garden for the client to enjoy in year 10, not just thinking about the next summer.