Skip to main content
Print this chapterPrint this chapter

Part 3: Hard landscaping

5. Siting considerations

Consider where you place each element of the garden based on the following:

The aspect is which direction the feature faces or its position in relation to, for example, a house. Examples (in the northern hemisphere):

  • A patio on the south side of the house will be sunnier than a patio on the north side of the house.
  • A garden bench facing east will face the morning sun, a garden bench facing west will face the evening sun.
Table and chairs with cushions set out in a shady area of a garden.

Pixabay / Licence

Consider where the water gathers in the garden. Areas which are elevated might be more suitable for hard landscaping structures than areas which gather water and so might become boggy or flooded in winter.

A muddy puddle

Pixabay / Licence

It is usually cheaper and easier to build hard landscaping structures on level ground than on slopes. If designing for a slope, then the engineering of the structure must ensure that it doesn’t fall or slide down the hill. Often, if building on a slope, level areas for foundations must be dug into the slope which means a large amount of earth movement, which can be expensive, and retaining walls may need to be built on the downhill side.

Flagstone garden terrace surrounded by low walls and overlooking the gardens below.

Pixabay / Licence

If features are too close together then they can interfere with each other. The pond and plant pot in this picture block the end of the path making it too narrow. Conversely, if features are widely spread around a garden they can look as if they are disjoined or scattered and not part of a single cohesive design.

Lilac coloured flowers growing on green stems from a clump of leaves in an earthenware pot.

Pixabay / Licence

Consider the view from two points:

  1. What is the view from the feature over the landscape going to be? This is particularly important if the feature contains a seat.
  2. What is the view of the structure going to be from other important points, for example from the house windows?
Hexagonal wooden gazebo on lawns next to a lake.

Pixabay / Licence