How to stage your home.

For a summer sale campaign the importance of getting your garden in shape cannot be overstated. An extension of your home, a well-presented garden can be considered an extra room.

Before you go pulling up well-established greenery and replacing the old wall with a funky bamboo fence, make sure to get the basics of garden design right.

Just like room design, garden design should always begin with a pen and paper, according to the experts. First draw an outline of your garden and add in all the existing fixtures that you want to keep.

Then think about what you would like to include. Play around with a few different versions. Only when you have decided on a shape and plan do you begin to think of planting.

Keep your design simple, and if you are on a budget work with what you have got - reshape borders and add new plants. Landscape designers often recommend making a garden a "journey" - divide your garden up, make it interesting and include hidden treasures or areas.

Gardens can be made seem longer or shorter with good design. You can make a garden look longer by harnessing good old-fashioned perspective and including a lawn that is narrower at the far end.

To make a long narrow garden look shorter divide it up into a series of garden areas.

If you have a small garden the most important thing is not to overcrowd it and to choose one style and stay with it.

If you are blessed with a larger garden playing around with different garden areas is a good idea.

Putting a patio area at the end of the garden, maybe behind a planted screen, is a great way to make a secret garden, ideal for sunbathing, afternoon snoozing and alfresco dining.

Hide ugly sheds and boiler houses with a trellis and consider some low-key lighting to bring a small garden to life.