Adapting the design

How to lengthen or shorten a bed

A guide based on real sheets from the design. It shows exactly what to do when your plot is shorter or longer than the one in the design — and how to work out the right number of plants.

Before you start

You need two things: the dimensions of your garden (a tape measure is enough) and the sheet “Technical plan — 100×100 cm grid”, included in each of the five variants. The rest is simply counting squares.

How to lengthen or shorten a bed — 1
How to lengthen or shorten a bed — 2
How to lengthen or shorten a bed — 3
How to lengthen or shorten a bed — 4

A worked example

Say one metre of a bed holds 3 plants and your garden is 5 metres longer than in the design. You add 5 metres of bed, so 5 × 3 = 15 plants. You add that number to the nursery table next to the chosen species. If the garden is 3 metres shorter — you subtract 3 × 3 = 9 plants. That is all.

Two things worth remembering

  • Shorten and lengthen beds along a straight run, not at a corner — corners hold the composition together and are better left untouched.
  • When lengthening, repeat a whole section of the bed rather than a single plant. That keeps the planting rhythm which makes the garden look finished.

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