Only a few fresh buds are visible so far, making the contours of the woody plants all the more noticeable in early spring. Take advantage of this time when the lines are so easy to see and do a stocktake: Is your green realm optimally structured? Where can new garden spaces be created to increase the feel-good factor?

Feeling good naturally means something different for every garden user: men want a proper barbecue area where they can enjoy the evening with friends and family. Women desire romantic nooks for relaxing and chatting, ideally surrounded by herbs and fragrant blossoms. The kids want to romp around on a soft lawn, perhaps play in the sandbox, and raid delicious berry bushes. Too many demands for a garden that might only correspond to the proverbial towel? Far from it! With clever planning, everyone can get their own "green room" and design it to their heart's content!

Hedges are a great way to create new "partition walls" on the property. The effect of these room dividers varies depending on their height: hedges taller than a person keep prying eyes away but can often feel constricting. Knee- or hip-high hedges also set clear boundaries but allow interaction between different garden spaces. Hedges made of evergreen plants are a visually constant feature in the garden throughout the year. A potentially monotonous appearance can be softened by placing potted plants or flowerbeds in front of them, whose charm is beautifully showcased against the green backdrop. The change of seasons is experienced more consciously with deciduous woody plants: in spring, for example, the delicate lime green of young hornbeam leaves, in summer a rich dark green, and later the copper-red autumn color of the foliage that remains on the branch for a long time. A combination of deciduous and evergreen plants can be particularly appealing.

Before purchasing, consider how best to place the hedges: in a strictly formal design with straight lines and right angles? Or rather in playful wavy lines and circular shapes? Both have their appeal – however, the underlying scheme should be clear to the observer. After all, your arrangement should look pleasing – and that's not the case if a circle mutates into a dented egg. It's best to first sketch the desired shapes on paper and later mark their course in the garden with a line of sawdust or a long water hose.

Why not revisit the topic of evergreens within the newly created "garden spaces"? As welcome green islands, they set accents in the winter garden dominated by brown tones. They have a different function in the summer garden: then they bring tranquility to flowerbeds with summer flowers, perennials, and grasses, harmonizing even bold color combinations with their balancing green effect. If you're concerned that regular hedge trimming will be too much work, opt for compact-growing varieties that naturally maintain their distinctive growth habit.

Verbunden werden die Gartenräume durch Wege. Überlegen Sie, welche Wirkung Sie mit ihnen erzielen wollen. Geschwungene Wege verlängern das Grundstück und sorgen für Dynamik, gerade Pfade mit hellem Belag können dem Garten räumliche Tiefe geben. Jeder Weg sollte ein Ziel haben (eine Terrasse, eine Bank oder Skulptur), optisch wird der Garten verlängert, wenn der Fixpunkt, etwa ein mächtiger Solitär, außerhalb des Grundstücks liegt. Schenken Sie auch der Randgestaltung einen Gedanken: Gepflegt wirken Randsteine als Abschluss, harmonisch und abwechslungsreich Pflanzen, die von den Rabatten aus in den Weg hinein wuchern dürfen. Unschön und lästig beim Rasenmähen sind Kieselsteine, die mit der Zeit in den grünen Freizeitteppich hineinwandern. Um den Übergang von einem „Zimmer“ ins nächste zu markieren, bieten sich Rosenbögen aus Metall oder Holz an. Der Garten gewinnt durch sie an vertikalen Strukturen.

Ab Mai werden sie von Rosen, Clematis und anderen Kletterpflanzen überzogen, deren blühende Ranken die harten Formen des stützenden Gerüsts vollkommen überdecken. Gibt es einen schöneren Willkommensgruß für Gartenbesucher?"The garden spaces are connected by pathways. Consider the effect you want to achieve with them. Curved paths lengthen the property and create dynamism, while straight paths with a light-colored surface can give the garden spatial depth. Every path should have a destination (a terrace, a bench, or a sculpture); the garden is visually lengthened if the focal point, such as a striking solitary plant, lies outside the property. Also, give some thought to the edging: edging stones create a neat finish, while plants that are allowed to spill over from the flowerbeds into the path look harmonious and varied. Unsightly and bothersome when mowing the lawn are pebbles that gradually migrate into the green recreational carpet. To mark the transition from one "room" to the next, rose arches made of metal or wood are ideal. They add vertical structures to the garden.

From May onwards, they are covered in roses, clematis, and other climbing plants, whose flowering tendrils completely conceal the hard forms of the supporting framework. Is there a more beautiful welcome for garden visitors?"

Of course, flowers shouldn't be missing in the garden, especially right now. Early pops of color can be achieved with bulbous plants, whose buds, thanks to their storage organs, sprout from the ground shortly after the first snow. White flowers, in particular, visually enlarge small spaces because they brighten the early twilight, especially in early spring. Whether it's wood anemones, snowflakes, daffodils, or tulips: spring offers many shades of color – brilliant white, cream, white-green – so that the garden never becomes boring. Don't let the colorful thread of blossoms break off in the subsequent period either: take advantage of the different flowering times to showcase different colors again and again and to vary the garden atmosphere. And above all: let the other garden users participate in the planning! After all, having a room for everyone isn't enough; understandably, adults and children alike want to have a say in the "interior design" as well! But is there a better way to awaken in others an early joy in the garden and thus in nature?