6 Mistakes Homeowners Make When Designing Their Garden (And How to Avoid Them)
A well-designed garden goes beyond a simple outdoor space to become an extension of your home, a place where you and your family and friends can unwind, catch up and create memories. Plus, let’s not ignore that your garden is something potential buyers will look at, impacting both your lifestyle and property value.
For homeowners of high-value properties, a bespoke garden design should reflect the same level of thought, craftsmanship, and elegance as the interiors - yet, many homeowners either fail to consider the impact of their garden, or fall into costly mistakes that compromise the potential of their outdoor space.
Here’s how to avoid the most common mistakes homeowners make when designing their garden and how to ensure your luxury garden design is flawless for years to come.
There are so many
Common Garden Design Mistakes
1. Ignoring professional garden design planning
Luxury homes in Cheshire and beyond deserve gardens that are equally refined and expertly planned.
One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make is attempting to design their outdoor space without a cohesive master plan. A high-end garden requires careful consideration of scale, flow, and functionality - elements that professional garden designers specialise in. We often say, if you wouldn’t invest in a kitchen without a professional kitchen design plan, you shouldn’t invest in a garden without one either! Your outdoor space should be functional and aesthetic, mirroring your interior style.
How to avoid it:
Invest in a bespoke landscaping plan tailored to your property’s unique dimensions, topography, and aesthetic. A professional garden designer will integrate luxury outdoor living solutions, ensuring seamless harmony between indoor and outdoor spaces.
At our award-winning garden design showroom, we help homeowners in Cheshire and surrounding areas to bring their garden dreams to life, providing luxury garden designs, designing gorgeous planting schemes and advising on outdoor living products that will make their outdoor space more functional year-round.
Discover the Handbridge project here.
2. Neglecting indoor-outdoor flow
As we said in the intro, a truly high-end garden is an extension of your home. Too often, homeowners fail to create a seamless transition between their indoor space and their landscape, resulting in a disjointed feel.
How to avoid it:
Align your garden design with your home’s architectural style. Use similar materials, complementary colours, and sightlines that draw the eye outward. For example, if your indoor kitchen has a cottagecore feel, your garden design should also reflect this, using authentic materials and softer colours, such as Millboard composite decking. Similarly, if your open plan kitchen dining area leverages harder materials and a clean contemporary finish, your garden design might suit harder landscaping materials, such as grey porcelain tiling.
Your choice of materials and products can transform your garden into a natural extension of your home, so that it all flows together.
Planning for indoor-outdoor flow was a key part of the Neston project.
3. Poorly planned zoning and functionality
A garden should offer more than just visual appeal - it should serve distinct functions for entertaining, relaxation, and recreation. Without strategic zoning, outdoor spaces can feel underutilised or cluttered - as well as being difficult to maintain.
How to avoid it:
Assess the sun path around the garden throughout the day and make sure the key areas align with the best of the sunlight. You wouldn't believe the amount of gardens that have the shed where the evening sun shines! Define areas for dining, lounging, and greenery while maintaining a harmonious flow. Features like statement pergolas, sunken fire pits surrounded by luxury dining furniture, outdoor kitchen areas and swim spas can elevate your garden’s function while adding to its overall luxury. Our focus on outdoor living products can help you to design different zones based on your priorities as a family.
Create different zones to make the most of the space and sunlight, as seen in the Hoole project.
4. Using inferior hard landscaping materials
Your home’s value should be reflected in every element of your garden, including the materials used for pathways, terraces, and built structures. Opting for low-quality stone, decking, or paving can significantly diminish the overall aesthetic.
How to avoid it:
Choose premium materials such as natural stone, Italian porcelain, sustainably sourced hardwood or luxury composite decking.
We’ve partnered with the best suppliers in the industry; Marshalls Group, London Stone and Allgreen to ensure all our garden design projects are completed with the best quality finish, as well as Millboard Composite Decking. Millboard offer sustainable composite decking, hand-moulded from oak wood for a truly authentic look. These premium materials will not only elevate the visual appeal but also ensure longevity and a sophisticated finish.
The Hoole Village project uses Marshalls Group ‘Symphony Urban’ stone for a luxurious finish.
5. Overlooking weather conditions
Many homeowners fail to consider how their garden will function in different weather conditions. Without planning for the typical British weather, many find themselves with a high-end garden that they can only use for 3-5 months of the year, which seems like a let down!
How to avoid it:
Incorporate all-weather outdoor living solutions that extend your garden’s usability throughout the year. Features such as heated retractable pergolas and outdoor fire pits allow you to enjoy your garden even in cooler months. We’d also recommend investing in outdoor furniture that uses water-repellent Sunbrella fabric and considers the impact of UV rays, such as from Akula Living or Coco Wolf, to make your outdoor furniture last longer and more usable year-round.
The Bowdon project was planned for year-round use, with a louvered-roof pergola and fire-pit for the cooler evenings.
6. Underestimating the impact of outdoor lighting
A beautifully designed garden loses its impact after dark without the right lighting scheme. Many homeowners focus only on daylight aesthetics, neglecting the atmosphere and security that strategic lighting provides.
How to avoid it:
Invest in lighting that compliments your outdoor space. Uplighting for trees adds depth and drama, creating a striking silhouette effect against the night sky, while recessed path lighting not only provides a safe and functional walkway but also subtly guides guests through the garden, enhancing the overall flow of the space. We’d also recommend soft ambient lighting around seating areas, fostering a warm and inviting atmosphere, making outdoor spaces usable long into the evening. Additionally, feature lighting for sculptures and water features or add an outdoor firepit for cosy, natural lighting on a colder, darker evening.
Our In-Lite lighting installs can all be controlled from your phone.
Lighting was a key consideration in the Hoole project. Read more here.
Garden Design Q&A with Ben Walker
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The biggest mistake is failing to create a cohesive plan. Without professional garden design, outdoor spaces often feel disjointed, underutilised, or difficult to maintain. You wouldn’t design your kitchen without sitting down in a design meeting and going through the finer details of how you’ll use it, so why is it any different from your outdoor space?
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For a large luxury garden transformation, expect to invest £100,000+ for high-quality landscaping, premium materials, and bespoke features. This said, many smaller gardens without as many outdoor living products can be transformed from £15,000. Alternatively, investing solely in outdoor living products, such as an entry-level outdoor kitchen and fire pit, can immediately improve the functionality of your space from £5,000
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Yes. A professional designer ensures your garden aligns with your home’s architectural elegance while maximising functionality and long-term value. They’ll help you to maximise your space, considering things like light conditions, accessibility, garden flow and more. They’ll also be able to advise on the best outdoor living products for your home, your lifestyle and your budget.
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From a planting perspective, we’d recommend choosing smart irrigation systems, automated lighting, and perennial planting schemes to achieve effortless beauty with minimal upkeep. Ornamental grasses and drought tolerant plants are a winner! You can also make your garden more low-maintenance by prioritising premium brands when investing in outdoor living. Many luxury brands have considered the maintenance of their products and aim to make them as low-maintenance and long lasting as possible.
Your Luxury Cheshire Garden Awaits
A high-value home in Cheshire deserves an outdoor space that mirrors its prestige. Our expert, award-winning garden design team here at Walker Landscape and Design takes on a limited number of exclusive projects each year, ensuring each garden is designed and built to perfection.
Secure your showroom appointment today to speak to our team and take the first step towards transforming your outdoor space into a masterpiece.
