Our garden evolved. But I did have a long term plan. I think it's best to tackle things in stages starting with the area nearest the house where the sight of it from a window will encourage you to do the next bit. I also progressively changed things to reduce the amount of necessary maintenance, as if that is possible with a garden.
We've a small semi and had three kids at home. When we bought this house in 1972, the 90ft garden was divided in half, a poorly kept lawn, then a small vegetable patch with an old cedar greenhouse.
There was little point trying to do too much to the garden when it was used mostly for the kids to play. So I got rid of the veg patch and the greenhouse and grassed the lot.
It had a small paved patio.
I did build a shed in 1975 to house our seven year old daughters expanding menagerie of rabbits and guinea pigs. We've still got it, (the shed not the menagerie) it houses my garden tools now.
In 2006 we had a lounge extension, so I ripped up the patio and rebuilt it in crazy terrazzo . I also built a brick quadrant to house a pre-formed pond.
The lawn was still being used for badminton so it didn't get a lot of attention.
In 1985 with just our daughter now only at home on holidays from nursing school, I built a bigger pond, 12' X 9' X 1.5' a rockery and landscaped the rest of the garden, ripped up all the terrazzo (I'd laid it on a concrete raft) and paved every where with crazy York stone.
Believe it or not a year later, I dug it out to 5ft to form a koi pool, bottom drain to a pump sump and built a dedicated room in the garage for the filters and quarantine tank.
I also built the pergola between the pool and the garage
I also made two concrete Japanese lanterns and this six ft concrete pagoda.
I also put a second pergola across the back of the house.
The tea-house followed in 1987. (this a recent photo) It houses my two vinyl jukeboxes, which my wife "won't have in the house." Like all my constructions it was done in two weeks of my annual six weeks of holiday entitlement, when I was working "and had more time."
Our garden has continued to evolve, lots of azaleas and rhododendrons, no bedding plants or hanging baskets. Only perennials. I've added brick edging to all the borders, a leaky hose system for all the borders and two pop up sprinklers for the small lawn.
We constantly ring the changes with plants.
This is "up to date," photo.
