Planning garden renovations is exciting, as your mind runs wild with all the possible features, themes, and furniture you could include.
Sadly, for many of us, different shapes or awkward dimensions can cast a dark cloud over our dream space.
But don't worry: there's so much you can do with your space, and its odd shape just makes it even more unique.
Maybe you're wondering how to make the most of that far corner of your triangular garden, or designing your long, narrow plot is proving to be a headache. Whatever the conundrum, we're here to help.
This guide explores how to breathe new life into your outdoor space so you can love your entire garden, no matter how oddly it's shaped.
Five tips for designing your odd-shaped garden
Before we delve into our design ideas for a variety of garden shapes, here are our top tips for maximising your space, regardless of its dimensions:
1. Create focal points
Strong focal points like trees, sculptures, water features and even a seating area will draw the eye away from your garden's tight angles.
2. Define areas
Carefully plan your garden's layout by ensuring pathways and flower beds align with your house rather than the shape of your garden. This will create a harmonious look and hide awkward corners.
3. Maximise the vertical space
Adding height with trellises, climbing plants, raised beds and pergolas helps make use of space that would otherwise be unused, which is beneficial in small gardens.
4. Leave no space untouched
Using leftover spaces by planting flowers or vegetable patches or laying stepping stones to invite exploration will make small spaces feel bigger and help your garden feel more expansive.
5. Pick a colour palette
Think of a particular colour scheme or aesthetic and stick to it. By choosing the same (or similar) coloured plants, decking, fences, and furniture, you make your space more cohesive and tie sections of your garden together.
Three design ideas for triangular gardens
If you have a triangular garden, your house will likely open out onto the largest section of the shape before tapering off into one corner.
1. Add a seating area
Adding a seating area is one way to make the most of this corner. This way, the corner becomes a place to look out over the rest of the garden, putting the attention elsewhere.
To take your corner seating area to the next level, you could even build a small patio using our Symphony Elements outdoor tiles, available in a striking teal hue.
2. Lighten it up
To transform what might otherwise be a shady spot, you could paint the surrounding walls or fences a light colour, making it appear brighter.
3. Tall planting
Adding ivy or climbing hydrangea can soften harsh angles, making your triangular space appear fuller and more square.
Four design ideas for L-shaped gardens
Designing an L-shaped garden might seem tricky, especially if a shed or fence hides part of the space.
1. Create distinct zones
However, this shape lends itself perfectly to creating different zones. Have you ever wanted a quiet, outdoor reading nook? How about a kitchen garden to grow your own fruit and vegetables? An L-shaped space easily divides your garden into defined sections.
2. Add curved elements
You could incorporate curved flower beds or a winding pathway to make your space feel less rigid. Curves guide the eye, so a raised, curved flower bed will create a more inviting atmosphere.
3. Carve a path
A pathway enables you to create distinct zones and add curves to your L-shaped space.
A curved pathway adds both visual and practical appeal, helping you move around your lawn area and keep your new white trainers looking brighter than a Colgate smile.
When designing your garden path, stick to your colour scheme or aesthetic with our range of paving slabs. We stock a whole host of shades, including black, orange, and cream patio stones, to ensure you can create a cohesive space.
Enthused by our pathway idea? Read our How to Lay Stepping Stones guide for tips on installing your garden path.
4. The ideal storage solution
If you're unsure what to do with the smaller part of your L-shaped garden, you could always use it to store kids' toys, tools or even your compost bin.
We know this isn't the most exciting or aesthetic way of using the space, but if you're not currently using it, this could be a helpful way of keeping your garden tidy while maintaining the larger area.
Three design ideas for long, narrow gardens
1. Add vertical interest
Use the vertical space by adding trellises, climbing plants, or tall ornamental grasses. This adds height and dimension and helps create privacy and separate different areas within the garden.
2. Make garden 'rooms'
Divide the garden into different rooms, giving each section a specific purpose, such as a dining area, a lounge, or a vegetable patch. This can be achieved with plants, hard landscaping, or decorative elements like trellises to create visual interest.
And, to help your garden flow, why not connect these rooms with a pathway along one long side of your garden, either with stepping stones or a fully paved path that’s easy to travel up and down.
3. Maximise colour and light
To give your garden the illusion of space, opt for lighter colours for fences and walls; these will better reflect light. You should extend this to your plant choices, too, using colourful plants to draw attention and create focal
points throughout the garden; another fun way of making your garden lighter is by adding a mirror or disco ball.
Four design ideas for curved gardens
1. Steer into it
Instead of trying to mask your curved garden, embrace its shape with curved borders and pathways. These additions will be especially useful in large gardens with more space to explore.
Soft, flowing borders mimic natural forms and can make your space feel more organic and inviting. Meanwhile, a winding path that spans your whole garden creates a sense of adventure and curiosity, which is especially entertaining for young children.
2. Layered planting
To create depth in your garden, use a mix of plants with varying heights and textures. Taller plants, small trees, or shrubs can be placed towards the back of curved beds, while shorter ones fill the foreground, creating a lush, layered effect.
3. Circular elements
Introduce circular elements such as round ponds, paving circles or fire pits to your garden's central space. These are focal points and encourage conversation, making them perfect for gatherings.
4. Soft lighting
Add some soft lighting to tie together your round elements, guide people around your garden pathway, and enjoy your space long after the sun sets.
Soft lighting, like lanterns and string lights, creates a warm ambience that sets the tone for a cosy evening with friends.
Transform your odd-shaped garden with Marshalls
Now that you know our top garden design tips and have hopefully been inspired by our ideas, it's time to start planning your dream space.
Don't forget, for garden pathways, outdoor paving, block paving, and more, Marshalls has everything you need.
Our industry-leading selection includes high-quality natural stone, concrete, and porcelain pavers, which you and your loved ones can use to build a quiet corner.
Worried about how you'll measure your odd-shaped garden? We've already thought of that one.
Our Outdoor Reality App uses augmented reality technology to help you visualise how our premium paving solutions will look in your garden. And, better still, the app even measures the space for you, so there'll be no stressing about how much stone you'll need.
Transforming your garden can be a big commitment and investment. We get that. To help you be sure you're making the right choice, we've put together an array of garden tips on our inspiration hub, including:
You'll also find practical advice, such as How to Avoid Using a Rogue Trader and How to Stop Your Garden from Flooding When it Rains.
See more on the Marshalls blog.