New build garden design and ideas
New build garden design means turning what the builder left, usually turf to the fences over compacted soil, into a garden: borders cut into the lawn, planting to soften new fences and screen the windows next door, and a bed by the front door.
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First 3 designs free · No card
Real new build garden designs
Each new build garden transformation here is a real garden redesigned with the app, from a slab patio and patchy grass to a bare bed by the front door. Tap Before to see how each started, or Get this garden to try the look on yours.
New build back garden ideas
Back gardens as they were handed over or half dug, from bare soil and new turf to a slab patio, each planted up. 7 gardens
Modern lawn garden
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Raised bed cottage garden
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Rose and foxglove patio
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Orange and blue border round a lawn
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Curved patio with clipped evergreens
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Lawn with stepping stones to a pergola
Get this garden →New build front garden ideas
A bed of grey chippings by a new build's front door, filled with hostas, ferns and salvias round the young tree, with a bird bath in the middle. 1 garden
A new build's front bed of grey chippings, filled with hostas, ferns, salvias and a bird bath
Get this garden →How to design a new build garden
The few new build garden design ideas behind the gardens above, and where to start on a new plot of your own.
Where to start: the soil
Dig a hole before you plant anything. Many new build gardens are a thin layer of topsoil over compacted ground, with stones and builders' rubble left in it, which is why water sits on the surface. Break up the hard layer, pick out the rubble, and dig in plenty of compost or well rotted manure before the borders go in.
Privacy and the new fences
New build gardens are often overlooked on every side, with bare close boarded fences. Climbers on wires or trellis cover the fence, and a small tree or a pair of pleached trees in the right place screens an upstairs window far better than a taller fence. In England, most garden fences can be up to 2 metres without planning permission.
Shape the lawn
The turf usually runs straight to the fences. Cut deep borders along them, at least a metre, give the lawn a curve or a clean rectangle, and run a path or stepping stones to a seat at the far end. Deep borders are what make a new garden look established.
New build front gardens
Many estates have open plan fronts, and some have covenants in the deeds about fences, hedges and what can go in the front garden, so check yours first. A bed by the door, a small tree in it and low planting along the path make the front look planted without blocking the view.
See it on your own garden first
Garden Design App designs your garden from a photo. It reads a picture of your new garden, keeps the house, the fences and the patio exactly where they are, and redesigns the rest with plants you could genuinely grow.
From an idea to a plan you can plant
When one of the designs clicks, the Pro and Max plans turn it into a planting plan: every plant named, how big each grows and where each goes, with a month by month flowering calendar so the garden has something in flower from spring to autumn.
12 plants for a new build garden
Plants for heavy, compacted soil, new fences to cover and a garden overlooked on every side.
- Hornbeam
- Amelanchier
- Star jasmine
- Clematis
- Climbing hydrangea
- Hardy geraniums
- Catmint
- Salvia
- Astrantia
- Japanese anemones
- Persicaria
- Japanese forest grass
More for a new build garden
A rectangle of new turf beside a blank gable becomes a meadow of salvias and scabious in our new build garden ideas makeover.
When the turf is the whole garden, our lawn ideas show plain grass given deep borders and a new shape.
Most new build gardens are small; our small garden ideas make the most of every metre.
New build garden design questions
Where do I start with a new build garden?
With the soil. Dig a test hole to see what the builder left, break up any compacted layer and dig in compost. Then decide where the patio, the path and the shed go, and plant the borders round them.
Why is my new build garden full of stones?
Builders often spread a thin layer of topsoil over ground that was used during building, so stones, rubble and compacted soil sit just below the turf. Pick out what you can where the borders will go and dig in plenty of compost.
How can I get privacy in a new build garden?
Cover the fences with climbers, and plant a small tree or a pair of pleached trees where they block the view from the windows next door. Trellis on top of a fence adds height for climbers to cover.
Are there rules about changing a new build garden?
Sometimes. Some estates have covenants in the deeds, often about open plan front gardens, fences or sheds, and on some the council has removed the usual permitted development rights. Check your deeds and with the council before you fence a front garden or build in the back.
Can I see a new build garden idea on my own garden?
Yes. Add a photo of your garden, choose a style, and see it redesigned in about a minute. Your house, fences and patio stay.
Are the plants real, and can I buy them?
Yes. With the Pro and Max plans every design names its plants: garden centre favourites and RHS Award of Garden Merit winners, chosen by a professional gardener, with how big each grows and where each goes.
Is it free?
Your first 3 designs are free, with no card needed. The Pro plan is £29 and the Max plan is £49, paid once, with nothing to cancel.
Can I try more than one new build garden idea?
Yes. Make different designs and compare them on your own garden. Your first 3 are free, and Pro, one payment of £29, gives you 20 designs over 14 days, two at a time, so you can see several looks side by side.
Why does my redesign look like high summer?
We show your garden at its peak, in full flower, so you can see how full it can look. It is an artist's impression: your real garden changes through the seasons. Every paid design comes with a flowering calendar, so you know what flowers each month, and evergreen shapes help it look good in winter.
Make the builder's turf a garden.
Try any of these ideas on your own new build garden in about a minute. Your first 3 designs are free.
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