Plant the main framework of the garden before putting in the lawn. (A new lawn shouldn't be walked on for a while, to allow it to establish).

Plant the hedge, trees and shrubs first. Before planting trees and shrubs, set them out on the ground and view them from the house windows, doors and any other viewpoint to decide on final planting positions. Remember to check the height and width that the plant will achieve in 10 yrs - you may find that one shrub which is larger than the rest when purchased will not grow much taller, while a smaller specimen may reach a greater height. So don't plant smaller specimens in front of larger ones without checking. Canes are useful as a guide to planting positions.

Put in the rockery at this stage too, plus any final touches to a pond, before sowing or laying the lawn. Preparation for lawns is the same whether you turf or sow. Turfing is instant, but hard work and expensive. Sowing a lawn is for the patient gardener, but it is much cheaper, so there is less financial loss if a drought means starting again. And with seed you have more choice of the type of grass you want, although some turf companies do provide different grades of turf.

Remember mower access - make sure that you'll be able to get the mower onto the lawn easily.