5 top garden design tips - and 2 mistakes to avoid! Plus 'before' and 'after' shots

Top garden design ideas from the award-winning Charlotte Rowe Garden Design company. Charlotte and Design Director Tomoko Kawauchi tell us some of the design secrets that has made the company so successful. And check some fascinating 'before' and 'after' shots of some of their gardens.

00:00 Introduction
00:13 Charlotte Rowe and Design Director, Tomoko Kawauchi
01:02 The three things that are important when designing your garden
01:33 Tip 1 - make a list of everything you do, use and see in your garden
01:59 Look at the light - where the sun falls
02:13 What's already on site, in your garden, is very important
03:49 Draw out a rough 'bubble' map on a piece of paper
04:19 Tip 2 - think laterally (across the garden)
05:52 Tip 3 - paint fencing, walls or trellis dark
07:04 Tip 4 - plant close to the house
07:49 Tip 5 - plant mainly evergreens in small gardens
09:02 Garden design mistake 1 - don't 'centre' the garden
11:05 Garden design mistake 2 - don't make your borders too small
12:07 What garden designers and landscapers do

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[Hope-uqvn]

The after photo of the Chiswick garden is incredible. What an astounding difference.

[norinenagle]

I especially liked how you broke up the interview so there was more time to absorb the ideas. Thanks.

[folee_edge]

This channel is quickly becoming my favorite!

[evh]

What a great video, as a 45yr old chap with absolutely no clue on gardens this has helped thank you!

[dawnb]

I've never thought about a dark fence. Thank you for this advice!

[christophschneider]

Bestes Beratungsvideo, das ich bislang zu diesem Thema gesehen habe. Top, Danke!

[maryanna]

The reasoning and principles that guide their garden designs are explained very well in this interview, thank you!

[welvinzabala]

I have been gardening for years now myself and sometimes I feel there is still something missing in my yard as I try to figure out where to plant this and that. But in the end, it is the design and the journey that would take you to how you want your garden to look. Gardening always take patience and passion and guts to make changes in your yard. Redesigning is always that first step! Thanks for the tips!

[lloydharris]

The Chiswick before and after photos really do illustrate the point made exceptionally well.

[canuckviolet]

Another excellent video. You are so good at gleaning the best from your interviews and packaging it for the rest of us. Thank you!

[harvindersinghuppal]

Really interesting and some very good common sense points ... we often watch gardening shows as well as garden centre visits and jump in without thinking of the holistics of what the garden can even watching the show gardens at Chelsea etc are inspiring but they don't have a house attached to them with the orientation of your house and garden scape as well as the important point of the neighbouring garden scape from which we either want to either borrow or screen.

[eileenchang]

Alexandra, the ideas and tips you bring forward are invaluable! Thank you🌸❤️🇨🇦

[Marie]

Super advice. It would be great to have a video on good evergreen plants of different sizes to use in our gardens.

[rosejohnson]

Excellent video and very helpful - never thought about black fencing and that it recedes!!

[basudhamisra]

I have learned so much about gardening watching your video Alexandra. Thanks a lot. The best qualities of your videos are they are pleasant, full of information yet not too long and they have an universal appeal no matter in which country we are residing in.
Can you please make a video on how to plan for setting up irrigation, electrical connection for a size of garden similar to yours? Would like to know what things we must keep when the garden is an empty canvas and what we can add later as the garden develops over time.
Thanks for inspiring us to do gardening in an efficient way.

[tanyastephens]

I will send this link to my daughter as she has just moved into a town house with a tiny really good tips here.Thanks.

[lightsteps]

Great Tips, lovely small gardens and you looked lovely today too!

[juliabinford]

So helpful! Thank you! I love learning design principles. You go above and beyond with your interviews and garden tours.

[meredith]

Great tips, thank you, Alexandra. I'll have to watch again, I'm sure. I only recently have been able to think more of the garden as a whole. I find that more challenging. Guess that is why it works to have the assistance of a garden designer.

[foreststream]

Really helpful video, Alexandra! In-depth resource that I will go to again and again as I plan my garden. Thank you!!!