Creating a garden from scratch, particularly alongside a new-build home in a rural or urban setting, presents a range of challenges and opportunities. Landscape architects and designers emphasize the importance of integrating a new garden with its surroundings to create a sense of rootedness, maturity, and atmosphere.

One key approach involves working closely with both architects and garden designers from the outset, as exemplified by the owners of the Amento house in Suffolk, a RIBA East award-winning dwelling. Landscape architect Charlie Hawkes and James Gorst Architects collaborated to design a house and garden that responded thoughtfully to the existing topography and features of the site, including a cluster of mature beech trees that influenced the house’s placement. This process of “give and take” seeks to ensure the house sits harmoniously within the landscape.

Designers caution against treating new gardens purely as blank slates or aesthetic projects. Instead, creating a garden is about building on what is already present, culturally and environmentally. Haruko Seki, founder of Studio Lasso Ltd, stresses the importance of “listening to the genius loci” — the unique spirit of a place — and amplifying existing qualities rather than imposing designs. This philosophy aims to make new gardens feel quietly rooted, even when established on challenging sites such as former car parks with concrete bases and limited sunlight.

Practical strategies to foster a sense of maturity include using reclaimed materials, like York stone or site-won bricks, which add texture and character while promoting natural colonization by self-seeding plants such as foxgloves, poppies, or Mexican fleabane. Designers advocate allowing space for these plants to flourish, viewing gardens as ongoing processes rather than finished products. This contrasts with some traditional British gardening approaches, which tend to emphasize maintaining manicured, controlled spaces. Japanese garden design, for example, often prioritizes revealing natural qualities instead of controlling every element.

Planting decisions also play a crucial role. Hawkes advises against fears of planting close to house walls, suggesting the use of gravel buffers and wooden retainers to prevent dampness, and encouraging climbers to grow on exterior walls to create a lived-in appearance. He further recommends purchasing larger shrubs for instant impact and screening, while emphasizing patience with slower-growing perennials and the value of mature topiary in shaping garden character.

In urban environments, designers face technical challenges such as ensuring plantings are moveable for maintenance and creating visually stable spaces on unconventional surfaces. Balancing these needs requires innovative and adaptable design solutions.

Gardeners new to a space often adopt phased approaches, including the use of container planting to introduce life quickly while larger elements establish over time. Some cultivate portable gardens entirely in pots to maintain continuity across moves.

Ultimately, creating a successful garden involves a blend of careful design, respect for context, material choices that encourage natural processes, and an acceptance that gardens evolve over years. By embracing both the new and the old, a garden can develop a unique sense of place and maturity beyond its physical components.