If you want garden friendly design ideas from https://www.coenconstruction.com/, the short answer is: build simple outdoor spaces that respect plants first, people second, and hard surfaces third. Their work leans toward practical layouts, clear lines, sturdy materials, and spaces that feel like part of the garden rather than something dropped on top of it. The projects are not about huge showy features, but about patios, paths, walls, and decks that help your plants shine and make the garden easier to use day to day.
That is the core idea. The rest is detail, and there is a lot of detail once you start thinking about how a path or a small wall can change how you use a garden, or even a small shared green space in a park.
Why “garden friendly” design matters more than people think
When people plan an outdoor project, they often start with the hard stuff: the big terrace, the new steps, maybe an outdoor kitchen. Plants come later, squeezed into leftover corners. I think that is upside down.
A garden friendly space does a few things at once:
- Leaves enough open ground for roots, water, and soil life
- Makes it easy for you to move around without trampling beds
- Catches and slows rainwater instead of pushing it into drains
- Invites you to sit, pause, and look at the plants and trees
Hardscape should frame the plants, not fight them for space.
When you look at projects from builders who actually like gardens, you notice small choices: pavers with gaps, narrow decks that step around trees, raised beds built into retaining walls. None of these ideas are complex. They just come from asking one simple question early on:
How will this choice feel for the plants and the people using this space in five or ten years, not only this summer?
Planning the bones of a garden friendly yard
People who build houses or renovate yards talk about “bones” a lot. They mean the fixed parts: paths, walls, steps, patios. Those are the pieces that are hard to move later. If those bones respect your future plants, almost anything you plant will look better and grow better.
Start with how people actually move
Watch how you already cut across your garden, or how people move through a park. They rarely walk in perfect straight lines. They follow the easy line. If a path does not follow the easy line, people step off it and wear the grass away.
A simple way to plan paths:
- Walk your garden as if there were already beds all around
- Notice the lines you naturally take from door to gate, shed, compost, or seating
- Mark those paths with rope or chalk and see if they feel right for a few days
- Only then think about materials
Good paths protect plant beds from foot traffic without feeling like a fence.
For a small urban garden, this might mean one clear main path and maybe a thinner service path for bins or tools. For a bigger plot, you might have a loop. The important part is not symmetry. It is comfort.
Give the garden room to breathe
Many patios and decks are simply too big. I know that sounds odd, since people often complain their gardens feel cramped. But a large solid surface can do that. It makes the green areas feel like leftovers.
A rough rule that I have seen work (and that shows up in plenty of good projects) is to keep hard surfaces to around one third or less of the total area in a private garden, and much less in a shared green space. This is not a strict rule, but it is a helpful check.
| Garden size | Hard surface area that still feels garden friendly |
|---|---|
| Small courtyard (30–60 m²) | About 40–60% can be paved, with plants in pockets and edges |
| Typical townhouse yard (60–120 m²) | About 25–40% hard surface, the rest planting or lawn |
| Larger suburban garden | Often less than 25% hard surface works best |
Builders who care about gardens often shrink patios by one or two paver widths and use that saved strip for planting along the edges. It sounds tiny. In practice, that little strip of green softens the view and brings bees and butterflies closer to where you sit.
Choosing garden friendly materials
Construction firms tend to like strong, low maintenance materials. Garden people like living, changing surfaces. You do not have to choose one side. You just need to ask: how does this material behave with water, roots, and time?
Permeable vs solid: letting water go where it wants
Water is usually the first thing that goes wrong when gardens collide with heavy construction. Solid concrete everywhere pushes rain into drains or across beds, which can flood roots and carry soil away. Permeable materials reduce that problem.
Some common options:
| Material | Water handling | Garden effect |
|---|---|---|
| Solid concrete slab | Almost no infiltration | Fast runoff, higher heat, less room for roots |
| Concrete pavers with gaps | Some infiltration through joints | Better drainage, roots can reach between pavers |
| Gravel with a compacted base | Good infiltration | Cooler surface, suits casual paths and seating |
| Decking boards with narrow gaps | Water passes through to soil below | Can bridge tree roots, works well over wet or uneven ground |
Every square meter that lets water soak in is a small gift to your plants.
For someone who loves parks and larger gardens, this is familiar. Many modern park paths use compacted gravel or resin bound aggregate instead of solid concrete. At home, the same idea works at a smaller scale.
Respect roots when you build
Trees are the biggest living part of many gardens and parks, yet they often suffer the most from heavy work. Trenching for services, digging deep footings, or raising soil around the trunk can all harm roots.
If you care about a tree, and a contractor suggests concrete right up to its base, push back. That is not a fussy detail, it is a real risk for the tree.
More garden friendly choices near trees can include:
- Raised decks that sit on small piers, so most roots stay undisturbed
- Gravel paths laid over a geotextile layer, not deep trenches
- Low dry stone walls that can be taken apart if roots grow under them
Near mature trees, shallow construction methods are your friend. Sometimes you do give up a crisp modern edge to keep a healthy canopy. For people who love gardens and parks, that trade feels fair. For people who only care about straight lines, it might not. You have to decide which side you are on. I think the tree usually deserves to win.
Blending structure with planting
This is where garden friendly construction starts to feel less technical and more creative. Walls, steps, and fences do not have to sit apart from plants. They can carry them, hold them, and frame them.
Built in planters without the usual problems
Many projects show glossy white rendered planters, then two years later they have cracks and stains. That is not because planters are a bad idea. It is because soil and water push on walls if you do not give them a proper lining and drainage path.
A better approach is quite simple:
- Use strong blockwork or brick for planter walls
- Line the inside with a waterproof membrane
- Add a gravel layer and drainage outlet near the base
- Fill with a lighter planting mix, not heavy pure topsoil
That way you get raised beds at a comfortable height, which work well for herbs, small shrubs, or even small trees in some cases. And you avoid soggy roots and cracked walls. It is more work on day one, but far less trouble later.
Steps that do not fight the slope
On sloping ground, people often force a big level terrace, then a high retaining wall, then a flight of steps. It looks neat in a plan, but on the ground it can feel harsh. The slope becomes a problem to hide, not a feature to enjoy.
Garden friendly steps tend to be:
- Wide and shallow, so you can sit on them or place pots
- Broken into short runs with landings or small planting pockets
- Aligned with natural sight lines toward trees, borders, or views
If you visit good urban parks, you see this often. Steps lead to small platforms with benches and views, not just from one level to another. At home, a simple version is enough: a wide step that doubles as a seat, or a landing where you can put containers and enjoy them up close.
Low walls that work hard
Low walls of 40 to 60 cm height are extremely useful in a garden. They hold soil on a slope, define beds, and offer extra seating when you have more guests than chairs. Construction firms like them because they are simple to build and strong. Garden people like them because they give structure without blocking views.
Some practical uses for low walls:
- As a backrest behind a built in bench or along a patio
- To raise a border so smaller plants are closer to eye level
- To separate a lawn from a wilder, lower maintenance area
If you paint or clad the wall in a pale color, it can reflect light into planting in front of it. That helps in small or shaded gardens where every bit of brightness counts.
Connecting home, garden, and even nearby green spaces
If you look at how experienced builders handle projects near parks or shared courtyards, you see an effort to connect private gardens with the wider green area. Even if you are not in a city with many shared parks, you can still think about this at the scale of your street or block.
Visual lines between your garden and public green
Say your back fence faces a small park or green corridor. Many people react by building a tall solid fence. It feels safe, but it also blocks views, air, and light. And it makes the garden feel cut off.
A more garden friendly idea is to use a mix of solid and open sections:
- Solid sections where you need privacy (near windows, dining areas)
- Open sections with slats, mesh, or planting screens where you only need a light visual filter
Plants like climbers, small trees, and tall grasses can then act as the main “wall”. Light and air flow better. Birds and insects can move across the boundary. From inside, you may still glimpse trees or sky beyond your plot, which makes the garden feel larger.
Small front gardens that still help nature
Many houses have tiny front yards, barely deep enough for a car. Builders often turn all of that into hard standing, sometimes with a token strip of soil at the side. It feels practical, but it removes another patch of ground where water could soak in and plants could grow.
If you need a parking spot and still want a garden friendly front area, you can:
- Use permeable pavers with planting strips between bays
- Keep one corner fully planted with a tree or large shrub
- Plant climbers on the house wall or fence to add green vertically
Even a few meters of planting help insects and reduce the hard, bright feel of a street. If you enjoy walking through parks, you already know how small patches of green along a route make it more pleasant. Your front garden can be one of those patches for people passing by.
Designing for people who will actually use the garden
Sometimes garden design talk gets lost in visuals: clean lines, color schemes, focal points. Construction talk often gets stuck on budget and structure. Someone has to ask basic questions like: who will sit here, how often, and what do they need?
Everyday living vs special occasions
An outdoor space that feels great for a large party might feel empty or cold when you are alone with a cup of tea. The reverse is also true. If the terrace is just big enough for two chairs, hosting friends is awkward.
A simple trick is to plan spaces in layers:
- A small, comfortable zone close to the house for day to day use
- A slightly larger area that can extend seating for gatherings
- Secondary spots deeper in the garden for quiet moments
This layered approach often leads to more varied planting. You might have herbs and pots near the house, a mixed border around the main seating area, then wilder planting or small trees further away. Builders can help shape these zones with steps, paving changes, or low walls, without making the garden feel chopped up.
Accessibility that still feels like a garden
Good access is not only for people with wheelchairs or walkers. It helps children, guests, and anyone carrying trays, tools, or watering cans. But there is a fear that ramps and wide paths will make a garden look like a car park or a clinic.
There is a middle ground:
- Use gentle slopes instead of short, steep ramps
- Choose natural looking surfaces like resin bound gravel or tight pavers
- Break long paths with planting bays or trees, so they feel like part of the garden
In many parks, you hardly notice that the path is accessible because it winds through planting, not along a blank wall. At home, the same logic applies. The goal is to move through plants, not beside them.
Simplifying maintenance without losing character
When contractors say “low maintenance”, they often mean “cover it all in stone, add a few evergreens, and be done”. Garden people know that true low maintenance is about matching plants and materials to the site so that they do not need constant fixing.
Honest materials that age well
Some surfaces look great when new but tire fast. Others pick up marks and moss and still feel fine. If you like old parks, you probably prefer the second group.
In domestic gardens, practical long lasting choices can include:
- Concrete or clay pavers in natural tones
- Timber with a clear oil or left to weather to grey
- Gravel paths edged with brick or metal to keep lines neat
There is nothing wrong with a crisp modern finish. But if a material needs constant scrubbing to stay “perfect”, it may not suit a real garden where leaves fall and soil moves.
Planting alongside hardscape for easier care
One garden friendly trick is to use planting as a kind of soft shield along edges and corners. For example:
- A narrow planting strip along a fence can catch leaves and debris, so the main path stays clearer
- Ground cover plants between pavers reduce weeding and cool the surface
- Low shrubs along a lawn edge can replace some edging work
This approach can feel a bit wild for people used to pure hard lines, and that is where opinions differ. Some want every joint filled with sand and nothing else. Others enjoy a few self seeded plants in gaps. You have to decide how “tidy” you want things to look and be honest about how much time you will give to upkeep.
Ideas that cross from parks into private gardens
Since this article is for people who already like gardens and parks, it makes sense to borrow some ideas that often show up in good public spaces and shrink them for home use.
Clear views and framed scenes
Many parks use framed views: a path lines up with a tree, a statue, or a small building. The eye is drawn along that line, so the space feels deeper. At home, you can do something similar without any grand feature.
Some simple examples:
- Line a path so it ends at a bench, bird bath, or tree
- Place a window or glass door to look directly at a border or tree
- Use a pergola or arch to frame a view into the garden
Construction firms can help set these lines early when placing doors, steps, or main paths. If you tell them what you want to see when you stand in your kitchen or at the gate, they can often shift a path by a small amount to make that work.
Small gathering spots, not just one big terrace
Good parks have many types of places to sit: under trees, in sun, near play areas, facing ponds. A single large terrace at home does not give that variety.
So you might:
- Keep one main hard surfaced area near the house
- Add a small paved or gravel pad under a tree for a single chair
- Put a bench on a low wall overlooking a border
These spots do not all need to be built from fancy materials. Some can be as simple as a few pavers laid in gravel. The aim is to create choices: different views, different light during the day, different moods.
Working with builders without losing the garden
If you bring in a construction company to handle a renovation or extension, there is always a risk that the garden becomes a parking lot for machinery. Soil gets compacted, roots are damaged, and planting is an afterthought. You can avoid some of this with a bit of planning and a firm voice.
Protect soil and trees from the start
Before any work begins, walk the site and mark:
- Trees and shrubs you want to keep
- Areas where soil structure matters, such as future planting beds
- Routes for machinery and material storage
Then ask for simple measures like plywood or tracked mats over key routes, temporary fencing around trunks, and clear tool storage zones. These things are normal on good commercial sites, and they make just as much sense in a private garden. You do not need special technical language. You just need to insist that the garden is part of the job, not an afterthought.
Keep services garden aware
Water, power, drainage, and lighting all cross your garden. If they are placed without care, they can block roots, cut through future beds, or dictate awkward path lines. If you enjoy parks, you know how much difference good lighting and discreet services can make.
A few checks help:
- Agree where main routes for pipes and cables will run, and keep them under paths where possible
- Leave junction boxes or taps in places that are easy to hide with planting
- Plan outdoor sockets, lights, and water points early, so you do not have surface cables later
This planning sounds dull, but it shapes the garden for years. A well placed outdoor tap can decide where you put a greenhouse or vegetable bed. A badly placed drain can force a gap in a flower border.
Common mistakes that make life harder for plants
People often think they have a “bad” garden when in fact the design simply fights nature. Here are a few patterns that I see quite often when hard construction takes over.
Too much level change in small spaces
Steps, raised decks, and tiered walls may look interesting in a drawing. In a small real garden, they can break the space into slices that are hard to plant and use. Each tiny terrace needs its own edge details and handrails, which add cost and clutter.
Sometimes it is better to accept a modest slope and use planting and one or two low walls to manage it. A lawn on a slight slope can still work fine. A straight, level patio might not be worth three extra steps and two retaining walls.
Planting strips that are too narrow
People often add a 20 cm strip of soil along a fence and expect it to support shrubs or hedges. That width is rarely enough for roots, especially in front of a wall that reflects heat.
If you want a hedge or a dense border, aim for at least 50 to 80 cm depth of planting area, more if you can. In very tight spaces, climbers on wires or trellis can give you height without needing thick soil strips.
Ignoring shade and wind
Construction can change light and wind patterns a lot. A new extension might throw heavy shade across a former sunny border. A tall solid fence might turn a gentle breeze into a strong downdraft that dries soil and stresses plants.
Before finalizing building heights and fence types, think about:
- Where the sun comes from, season by season
- How wind moves across your plot
- Which existing plants rely on current light and shelter
Sometimes a small change in roof height, fence design, or window placement can protect an old tree or keep a beloved border in sun. That kind of adjustment needs you to speak up early, before drawings are fixed.
Bringing it all together: one simple example
To make these ideas more concrete, picture a small back garden behind a terraced house. At the start, it is a patch of tired lawn with a cracked concrete slab outside the back door and a mix of fences.
The homeowners like visiting parks, sitting under trees, and watching birds. They also need somewhere to eat outside, space for a small shed, and room for two children to kick a ball around from time to time.
A garden friendly redesign, working with a practical builder, might involve:
- Removing the old solid slab and replacing it with a slightly smaller terrace of concrete pavers with gaps
- Adding a narrow planting bed along the house wall for herbs and scent
- Creating a simple gravel path along one side to the shed, wide enough for a wheelbarrow
- Building one low retaining wall to make a gentle change in level, which doubles as seating
- Leaving most of the central area as lawn, but softening the edges with curved planting beds
- Replacing one solid fence with slats and climbers to let some light and air through
The result is not a show garden. It is a place where hard surfaces help you move, sit, and work, while plants get real soil, water, and light. The builders did not need exotic techniques. They just took care not to cover every square meter with concrete and to think about roots and routes as much as about bricks and blocks.
Good garden design is as much about what you do not build as what you do.
Question and answer: turning ideas into your own garden
Q: I only have a tiny yard. Is “garden friendly” design even possible, or do I need to pave most of it?
A small yard often benefits most from garden friendly choices, because every surface counts. You can still have a compact paved area for a table and chairs, but if you keep at least some soil open at the edges, use permeable materials where you can, and think carefully about how you move through the space, plants will have a chance to thrive. Even narrow vertical planting and a few well chosen containers can make a big difference. The idea is not to avoid hard surfaces, but to use them carefully so they support, rather than replace, the garden.
