6. Make a Garden Map
One of the best things you can do when planning your garden is drawing up a Garden Map.
By creating a 'birds-eye view' of the layout of your garden and what you want to add to it you can move plants around and change your mind without having to dig up anything. It will also stand as a record of what is put where in case you loose plant tags.
You can make a simple sketch of your garden - plotting out key features (current and future) on a simple sheet of paper or a more complex and accurate map. To make your map you need; measurements of the dimensions of your garden (and various items within it) and a medium for drawing your map (graph paper or a computer program). Show all the elements of your current garden - the house, paths, driveway, existing plants and lawn and make notes of important information such as the direction of the garden, where the sun hits throughout the day (and areas that remain in the shade) and the general wind direction. Once you have a plan of your garden as it stands you can build on it to include the new plants and features such as bird baths that you want to add. Remember it is always better to add plants to your garden before you take any away.
It doesn't need to be fancy or pretty, but using this mud-map method can certainly help you with your design.
