🌿 Craig’s Top 12 Garden Design Mistakes (and What to Do Instead)

Introduction

Everyone wants a beautiful, relaxing, low-maintenance garden — but many of the choices homeowners make actually have the opposite effect.

After more than 20 years designing and building gardens across Hertfordshire, I’ve noticed the same patterns appear again and again. From pots that demand more attention than houseplants, to fire pits that never quite warm you up — these design decisions can quietly turn your outdoor sanctuary into a source of frustration.

The good news? Every one of them is avoidable.
Here are my Top 12 Garden Design Mistakes — and what to do instead to create a timeless, practical, and beautiful garden that genuinely enhances your lifestyle.

1. Believing Pots Are Low-Maintenance

It’s easy to think pots simplify your garden — they look neat, flexible, and colourful. But growing in containers is actually high maintenance. Pots dry out quickly, plants become root-bound, and constant watering and feeding are needed to keep them alive, especially in summer heat.

💡 Better alternative:
Create well-prepared in-ground planting beds with irrigation or mulch. They hold moisture, promote healthy root growth, and are far more self-sustaining. Use pots sparingly as accents or statement features near seating areas or entrances.

If you find yourself watering every evening, your garden isn’t working for you — you’re working for it.

2. Turfing Right Up to the Fence

Many homeowners assume that turfing all the way to the boundary is the easiest option. It looks tidy at first — but once you start mowing, you realise your mistake.

The mower can’t reach the edges, so you’re forced to strim every time. Grass flicks everywhere, you clean up twice, and the job takes longer than it should.

💡 Better alternative:
Introduce planting borders, gravel strips, or low-maintenance edging. They frame the lawn, define the space, and eliminate the need for constant trimming.

A well-framed lawn looks designed — not just maintained.

3. Raised Beds in Small or Narrow Gardens

Raised beds can look neat and contemporary, but in smaller spaces they visually shrink the garden. The added height creates enclosure rather than openness, especially in long, narrow plots.

💡 Better alternative:
Plant at ground level to make the garden feel more expansive. Use sculptural planting, soft layers, and height through trees or vertical climbers instead of walls of timber or metal.

In garden design, height equals enclosure. Lowering beds often doubles the sense of space.

4. Adding a Path Across the Lawn

Unless you have a garden office or garage you use every day, a path straight across your lawn is usually unnecessary. It divides the space visually, makes the garden look smaller, and interrupts the flow.

💡 Better alternative:
Keep lawns open. For occasional trips to a shed, just walk on the grass — it’s a garden, not a corridor. If you do need a route, consider informal stepping stones nestled into planting.

5. The Summer House That Becomes a Shed

The idea is appealing: a peaceful retreat at the end of the garden. But reality hits quickly. When it’s warm enough to sit outside, it’s often too hot inside. When it’s cold or wet, you don’t feel like walking through the garden to use it.

Over time, many summer houses end up as storage sheds — only this time, the clutter is on display through all those lovely windows.

💡 Better alternative:
Create an outdoor lounge or shaded terrace with comfortable seating, heating and lighting. It’s usable all year and keeps your garden open and connected to your home.

6. Built-In Seating

It looks sleek and architectural, but built-in seating rarely delivers comfort or flexibility. It’s often too low, lacks back support, and becomes a permanent obstacle when you want to rearrange the layout.

💡 Better alternative:
Invest in high-quality standalone furniture. You can move it with the sun, refresh the look seasonally, and replace cushions easily when styles change.

A flexible garden is one that evolves with how you actually live in it.

7. Roofed Pergolas Against the House

This is one of the most common errors. A covered pergola right against your home might seem practical — a quick step from the kitchen to the outdoors — but it blocks natural light from entering the house, especially in winter months when daylight is precious.

💡 Better alternative:
Position pergolas further out, or use adjustable louvred roofs or glass verandas that let sunlight through when needed. Freestanding structures create depth, making your garden feel larger and your home brighter.

8. Fire Pits That Don’t Add Warmth

Fire pits look stunning and add a sense of occasion, but they often disappoint as heat sources. Because heat rises, they offer little warmth unless the flames are roaring — and by then, everyone’s face is roasting while their backs are freezing.

💡 Better alternative:
Treat fire pits as ambience rather than heating. Pair them with discreet outdoor heaters or sheltered seating to make the warmth usable.

We’re drawn to flame — it’s instinctive — but design with both atmosphere and comfort in mind.

9. Rendered Walls

Render looks crisp and contemporary when new, but it quickly loses its freshness. Rainwater marks, algae streaks, and frost damage appear within a few seasons — especially on north-facing walls.

💡 Better alternative:
Clad your walls in the same material as your paving or a complementary natural stone. It creates a cohesive, timeless aesthetic that weathers beautifully and requires far less maintenance.

10. Retaining Walls in Brick

Bricks are familiar, easy, and everywhere — but that’s the problem. Most UK homes already feature plenty of brickwork, and extending that material into the garden can feel heavy and repetitive.

💡 Better alternative:
Use contrasting materials like natural stone, clay pavers, or porcelain cladding to break the monotony and add sophistication. A material shift signals that the garden is its own designed space, not just an extension of the house.

11. Narrow Steps That Block the Flow

Steps that are too narrow feel awkward and discourage movement — they act like visual barriers, making gardens appear smaller.

💡 Better alternative:
Design steps generously. Wide treads feel elegant, invite exploration, and create a luxurious transition between levels. A small increase in width can completely transform how you experience the space.

Generosity in design is rarely about size — it’s about proportion and flow.

12. Jacuzzi Impulse Purchases

Hot tubs have become symbols of luxury, but they’re often underused. Many clients admit they only use them a handful of times a year before realising they require constant cleaning, chemicals, and high running costs.

💡 Better alternative:
If you’ll use it weekly, it’s a great investment. But if not, consider spending the same budget on upgraded furniture, a covered terrace, or outdoor heating — features you’ll enjoy every day.

For the cost of a hot tub, you could enjoy 20 spa days with friends — and no cleaning required.

Conclusion

Good garden design is about more than what looks good on Instagram. It’s about understanding how materials, light, space, and lifestyle work together day after day.

Most garden design mistakes come from good intentions — but with foresight, they can all be avoided.

Whether you’re planning a full redesign or refreshing what you already have, think long-term. Choose flexibility, sustainability, and simplicity over trends.

A garden built with care today should still feel right twenty years from now.

Thinking of redesigning your garden?
Let’s create a space that looks beautiful, feels effortless, and stands the test of time.
📩 Book your consultation today