Ÿ	If it is a small garden you are obviously limited in what you can achieve but you CAN achieve some good things.

Ÿ	If it is a large garden, how is it divided or how would you like it divided?

Ÿ	What have you got to start with? Can you build on what is there or do you need to make radical changes?

Ÿ	Do the existing features go well together or do you need to change some of them?

Ÿ	If you have a slope, are you stuck with it, and what can you do with it? Steps, terraces?

Ÿ	If it is flat, how can you create interest?  Pond? Trees? Fences? Hedges? Shrubs?

Ÿ	What trees do you have and are you stuck with them? Some trees are protected?

Ÿ	What would be the ground effect if you removed a tree? On clay soils, ground heave to crack nearby foundations.

Ÿ	Do existing trees simply need cutting back and shaping or lopping?

Ÿ	Which way does the garden face? Does it get a lot of sun? Remember what you see in the Summer is different from what you have in the Winter.

Ÿ	How does the south-westerly prevailing wind hit your garden? Need of protection?

Ÿ	High walls mean security and privacy and good for climbing plants, but may create a lot of shade.  Alternatively there may be sun traps. The temperature in an enclosed area may be fairly stable.

Ÿ	An open garden can feel spacious but overlooked. Do I need to create areas of privacy by trees, screens etc.

Ÿ	Is there a lot of shade - consider shade loving plants.

Ÿ	Is there a lot of open sunshine - consider sun loving plants.

Ÿ	Is the garden long and narrow,lending itself to divisions  to present sense of anticipation as you walk down it?

Ÿ	Is it square presenting the challenge of how to create interest with shape - bushes, screens, shrubs, features?

Ÿ	Are there odd shapes or nooks and crannies that make it quirky and interesting?

Ÿ	Here in Rochford we have a varied climate which may or may not be changing according to climate expert varying opinions.

Ÿ	Generally we are in one of the drier parts of the country although recent bad summers may make you think otherwise.

Ÿ	Rain barrels and water collection to feed your plants may be something to be thought about.

Ÿ	Recent Winters have been unusually cold with sub-zero temperatures which means greater care needing to be given to plant protection in the Winter.

Ÿ	Basically how wet does your ground get? An area that seems perpetually wet lends itself to becoming a bog garden.

Ÿ	If it is an open garden does the wind dry it out easily - therefore need to consider water provision for plants.

Ÿ	Clay is notorious in the South East but it can have its positive points - good for holding water, roses often thrive, Brussels and Cauliflowers don’t tend to overshoot from lack of water.

Ÿ	Some local areas have been orchards in the past and so soil is fine and well prepared but poor for retaining water.

Ÿ	Is your soil acidic or alkaline - it affects different plants in different ways - you may wish to buy a soil testing kit.

Ÿ	Ericaceous plants require an acidic, possibly peaty soil or ericaceous compost in which to thrive. Acid soil has a pH value of less than 7. In the UK it doesn’t usually go below 4.  Rhododendrons like acid soil

Ÿ	A neutral soil is one with pH of exactly 7, for example some clay soils

Ÿ	Alkaline or ‘limey’ soils have a pH between 7 and 14, for example chalky soil.

Ÿ	Mostly learn to live with what you have. Soft water areas have acid soil, while hard water areas (scum around the bath all the time)  have alkaline soil. We tend to be mostly fairly neutral, but it may be worth checking.

Ÿ	Did a previous owner construct a ghastly miniature ‘folly’? Can you remove what you don’t like or can you simply hide it? How will you be able to do that?

Ÿ	Has a previous owner gone overboard on decking that needs a lot of maintenance? Do you want to keep it and develop pot plants or it is worth removing some of it?

Ÿ	Yes of course every garden is close to the house but has some unthinking previous owner

Ÿ	Planted a tree too close to the house now shutting out light? (?Problems of removing it?)

Ÿ	Ditto large bushes?

Ÿ	Ditto a pond which attracts midges in large numbers?

Ÿ	If you cover the whole area outside the back of your house with a patio you may have trouble with winter flooding because there is nowhere for the water to go. In the summer the soil may dry out causing foundation problems.