Garden designers are often accused of designing gardens that people can’t afford (just read the second page of comments on the design video on YouTube if you want to get a taste of how intensely people feel about this)…
So what do you do if you can’t afford to rip up your existing garden and start again? Should you give up if you’re on a tight budget? Absolutely not! It’s true that landscaping can be costly, but it doesn’t have to be. Good design isn’t about how much money you have to spend. Good design is really about how you shape the space you have in the garden.
A Simple Courtyard Garden Makeover
Below are pictures of the Californian courtyard garden that needed a makeover. The concrete has to stay in place and there are lots of doors and windows from all four sides of the house, making it a tricky area to design.

Click on the video below to see the design process needed to give this courtyard a very simple makeover and see how just adding a few planters in the RIGHT place totally changes the look and flow of the garden.
The plan below is the version the client chose.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can design your own garden then take a look at the online garden design courses I run here at Successful Garden Design. The courses can be downloaded to your computer, iPad or Android tablet enabling you to learn anytime and anywhere.
If you’d like me to do a video review for your garden then take a look at the Garden Design Clinic Page for more information.
Want to learn how to DIY design your garden?
Attend one of our FREE Fast Track Garden Design online classes…
Register on this page: https://www.successfulgardendesign.com/freeclasses/
3 replies to "Californian Courtyard Garden Design Makeover – on a budget"
I love how you have moved things around to line up with the sight lines in the house. I think that hexagonal mosaic water feature will look fantastic. Thanks for sharing your process with us. It was very helpful.
Thanks for your comment Susan, you’re very welcome!
Great video guys, really enjoyed it, very informative.