By PAGE Editor

Long-time renters will know the frustration of having some green space but feel like it’s not yours. A lot of landlords will expect you to maintain it to some extent but not interfere with it too much. That means that you’ll be able to put plant pots out but not plant anything yourself. Alternatively, a lot of people will have lived in rented accommodation with no garden space at all. It’s absolutely thrilling when you finally buy your first property, and it comes with a garden.

But it’s a big responsibility too, especially if you’ve never been the kind of person who likes getting their gardening gloves on. It can also seem overwhelming even if you’re the kind of person who has been itching to have their own patch of green forever. There are a lot of different factors that you’re going to have to consider from your neighbors to find the right landscape gardener for it. 

Find Out What’s Yours

First off, you need to be absolutely clear on what is on your property and what belongs to your neighbors. You might have big plans for taking down trees or cutting back foliage. But remember that those hedges might actually be shared property, or they might belong to your neighbors entirely. These details might be explained on the contracts that you signed when you bought the house but it’s always worth double checking. 

Find Out What’s Protected

Speaking of trees, you might be surprised to learn that you may have some restrictions that you didn’t know about. Trees aren’t just there for you to admire or ask a contractor to get rid of for you. To start with, the tree itself may be protected so you should have a tree survey done if you’re thinking of uprooting it. But it’s also important to remember that trees are often home to a range of different animal species and provide valuable cover and nutrition for many more. For example, bats are protected species in the UK, and you may need to have a survey done before you chop anything down. It’s always worth checking first instead of needing to cancel a contractor at short notice.

Do Your Research On Contractors

Some garden projects are bigger than others and if you should think about hiring a landscape gardener if this is the first time you’ve owned a garden. A lot of people are tempted to trust these kinds of projects to friends or family but someone who doesn’t really know what they’re doing can do long-term damage to your property and bring the value down. There are a lot of local landscape gardeners out there so it’s important to think about experience, reviews, and price. Instead of heading to Google and searching “local landscape gardeners near you” why not use a comparison site? MyBuilder offers a platform where you can post the details of your project so local landscape gardeners can bid on it. You can look at what their previous clients have to say about their work and make the best choice for you.

Think About What You Want From Your Garden

There are going to be some things that you won’t be able to change about your outdoor space, but it is a clean slate in many ways. There are a lot of decisions that you can make early on that will dictate about the garden looks and feels so it’s important to have a vision for it early on. Do you want to have a garden where you can grow your own fruits and vegetables? Do you want it to be a welcoming place for local wildlife because there are certainly a lot of species that could use a little help, from bees to hedgehogs? Or do you want it to be a social space where you can relax on a long summer evening with your friends?

Make Sure You Have A Budget Mapped Out

The blank slate of endless possibilities is great for blue-sky thinking but it doesn’t always lend itself to watching the pennies. The chances are that you’ll be somewhere near the bottom of your savings having just bought a house, even though property prices have gone down considerably recently. This is why it’s so important to have a clear understanding of exactly how much money you have to play with. Your garden is probably just one of the many different areas of your home that you have plans for. You could start by making a list of everything that you’d like to be different and order them by urgency. Talk to your landscape gardener about how much money each of these different projects would cost once you find one that you get on with. It’s always better to take things one step at a time instead of rushing into everything at once. 

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