Bought a house with an empty plot: where to start with the garden

We bought a house near Warsaw, and the plot is about 2,000 m², empty and overgrown. Where should we start with creating the garden, and who should we contact for the design?

It is worth starting not with buying plants, and not with choosing a style from separate photos. An empty plot after construction can feel like a lot of freedom, but it already has conditions that will shape the garden: boundaries, levels, water, light, wind, the view from the house and future daily routes. If you plant first or lay paving first, then only later decide where to rest, how to reach the entrance and where privacy is needed, some decisions will have to be redone.

The first step: understand how you will live on the plot. Mark the route from the house to the gate, parking area, terrace, utility area and the places you would like to step out to in the evening. It is also worth noting where you need a sunny corner, shade, an open view or screening from neighbours. Overgrowth does not always mean that the plot should be cleared completely. Sometimes a mature tree or an existing line of greenery can become a support for the future garden.

A design helps bring these observations into one plan. Fernaxis designs naturalistic gardens across Europe and builds them in Poland. The work can include the design, nursery, construction and design supervision. This means decisions about planting, paving and routes do not remain separate lists, but are connected with the house and the family’s way of living.

In one completed garden near Warsaw, the plot boundaries were irregular on almost every side, so the garden could not simply be tied to a straight line. First, the zones and passages were arranged on the plan. Where people walk every day, the paths were made short and direct, while seating areas were moved away from transit routes. The garden gained two different places to rest: one hidden by planting for a quiet evening, the other open to the lawn for guests and children.

Another decision from this garden can also be used on a new plot: shrubs and young trees were grouped in large masses, rather than distributed one by one. The garden is read as a whole, not as a collection of separate plants. The mature tree in the centre was kept, so it could provide shade and volume straight away, and the new planting was arranged around it.

For a large plot, the sequence of work needs to be defined. Usually, the first decisions are those that affect the rest of the garden: layout, levels, water, services and paving. Planting and details can then develop once the overall structure is clear. This does not mean the whole garden has to appear at once: the build can happen in stages.

The cost of a full garden design at Fernaxis starts from 6,500 zł. It can cover the future structure of the plot, planting, paving, lighting and other decisions your site needs. The exact cost depends on which part of the plot needs to be developed in detail, and how complex the task is.

If the plot is empty or overgrown, the question for the designer could be this: how can the existing conditions become a garden for living, rather than a free space filled with plants? The answer starts with the site plan and your routes, and only then moves on to plants.