As a garden design company we usually prepare a planting plan. For us to do so you would need to think through the type of plants you like. Do you like lots of textures using different greens? Would you want more architectural plants, like palms and acers, or do you prefer more colourful, country-cottage-type borders?

It is possible to amalgamate the different planting styles. We often recommend using 75% evergreen plants, enabling us to screen the fence, then 25% of flowers which are blue, white and purple, with maybe one variety of plant being a subtle red. This provides a garden with form all year round and a blaze of colour in the summer. Vivid gardens can look a little too bright, and a successful garden design is one that allows the eye to slowly move through it, taking into account the different lines and textures. A vivid garden does not allow the eye to do that, as each area fights for your attention.

One thing to bear in mind is the amount of maintenance you are prepared to carry out in the garden, as flowers do require a little more work than shrubs.