Concept and Planning in Garden Design

What is Concept and Planning?

Concept and Planning is the foundation stage of garden design where ideas transform into a workable vision for your outdoor space. This phase establishes what your garden will become, how it will function, and why each element belongs. It bridges the gap between your initial wishes and a detailed design that can be built.

During this stage, a garden designer develops the core idea—the concept—that will guide all future decisions. This concept considers how you live, what your space needs to achieve, and how the garden relates to your home and surroundings. Planning then translates this concept into practical arrangements: where paths will run, how spaces connect, what views matter, and how the garden flows through different areas.

The Two Parts: Concept and Planning

The Concept is the underlying idea that makes your garden coherent. It might be based on creating a series of garden rooms, establishing a visual connection to the landscape beyond, or designing around how light moves through the space during the day. A strong concept is not decorative—it is structural. It answers fundamental questions about what the garden is for and how it should feel.

Good concepts are simple but not simplistic. They provide clarity without limiting creativity. In a North London garden, the concept might focus on maximizing a small footprint by creating vertical interest, or establishing year-round structure in a shaded space beneath mature trees. The concept becomes the lens through which every plant choice, material selection, and spatial decision is made.

Planning is where the concept meets reality. This is the detailed thinking about dimensions, levels, access, drainage, and practicalities. Planning addresses questions like: How wide should this path be for comfortable use? Where does water naturally collect? How will materials be delivered during construction? What exists underground that we need to work around?

Planning also considers sequence and priority. A well-planned garden design anticipates construction logistics, maintenance access, and how the garden will mature over time. It identifies potential problems before they become expensive mistakes.

Why are Concept and Planning Important

Without a clear concept, gardens become collections of ideas rather than unified spaces. You might have beautiful planting, quality materials, and skilled construction, but the result feels disjointed. A garden without a guiding concept rarely improves with time—it simply becomes more confused.

Poor planning, meanwhile, leads to practical failures. Steps that feel too steep, paths that are too narrow, beds that are impossible to maintain, or spaces that flood after rain. These problems are difficult and costly to fix after construction.

In North London, where gardens are often small, overlooked, or heavily shaded, the concept and planning phase becomes even more critical. Every square meter must work efficiently. Decisions about levels, boundaries, and planting positions have lasting consequences. Getting this stage right means your garden will function well and feel right from the beginning.

What Happens During Concept and Planning

This phase typically begins after an initial site visit and consultation. The designer has met you, walked the space, understood the context, and learned what you want from your garden.

The first task is developing the concept. This involves analyzing the site—its orientation, microclimate, soil, existing features, and relationship to the house. It also involves understanding less tangible aspects: how the space feels at different times of day, what atmosphere you want to create, and how the garden should support your daily life.

From this analysis, the concept emerges. It might be expressed as a simple statement: “Create a garden that feels like a clearing in a woodland” or “Design a series of outdoor rooms that increase in privacy as you move away from the house.” This concept then informs every subsequent decision.

Planning follows, translating the concept into spatial arrangements. The designer sketches different layouts, tests various configurations, and refines the organization of spaces. This is an iterative process—trying ideas, identifying problems, and developing solutions.

By the end of this phase, you should have a clear understanding of what your garden will be. This is usually presented as a concept plan or sketch plan—a scale drawing that shows the layout, key features, and how spaces relate to each other. It is not yet a construction document, but it is specific enough that you can visualize the result.

How Locorum Approaches Concept and Planning

At Locorum, concept and planning begins with careful listening and observation. Every garden has its own character—shaped by light, surrounding buildings, existing trees, and how you use your home. Our concepts are never imposed; they emerge from understanding what the space wants to be and what you need it to become.

We design gardens around how you actually live, not how gardens are supposed to look. If you eat outside regularly, we plan for that. If you work from home and need a view that changes through the day, we build that into the concept. If maintenance time is limited, we plan for resilience and simplicity.

Our planning is thorough but not prescriptive. We think carefully about construction details, drainage, access, and long-term maintenance, but we also leave room for the garden to evolve. Planting is planned to mature beautifully, with combinations that improve over time rather than requiring constant intervention.

Because we manage projects from concept through to completion, our planning anticipates the entire process. We design with our contractors in mind, understanding what can be built well and what will create problems on site. This integrated approach means fewer surprises and better results.

Starting Your Garden Project

Every successful garden begins with thoughtful concept and planning. This stage sets the direction for everything that follows—the quality of the design, the success of the construction, and how well the garden serves you over years and decades.

If you are considering a garden project in North London, we would be pleased to discuss how we might work with you. Contact us to arrange an initial consultation.