Peter Dowdall: How to plan and design your dream garden

Now's the time to design a room outside or give your existing green space a refresh

Do you want your garden to function primarily as an outdoor living and dining area? File pictures

A New Year means new beginnings and in the garden that is always so evident. A garden which seemed to be sleeping just last week before December 31 is now, just one short week later, a garden filled with promise and life, just waiting to burst through from under the soil when spring arrives.

This is a great time of the year to plan a new garden or to overhaul an existing garden.