Landscaping helps to create an outline to work with and around. So, it would be a good idea to first make a landscape of the garden that you are taking over putting in the trees and shrubs that cannot be moved, and maybe even putting in the beds that you feel should be where they are currently.

There is no need to completely change the look of the garden. The idea is to develop it to its full potential. If trees and large shrubs are removed, they would leave gaping holes which besides looking very unattractive would also take a long time to heal.

Thus, it would be a better idea to see how you could work your garden around these trees and shrubs. Planting new plants will change the feel of the garden. If you plant the right kind of plants that blend with the existing layout, the effect will be positive.

Provided there is a place for them elsewhere, and provided the correct methods of transplanting the plants are used, perennials can be transplanted without too much trouble and shrubs can also be transferred to a new site.

Make modifications in the garden only if they are warranted. If, however, some change needs to be made that you think would benefit the garden and increase its visual appeal, then act boldly and make a good job of transplanting what you want removed and planting something that you think would be better suited to the appeal of the garden. It is not easy to pin down the reason why a garden is displeasing to the eye.

Maybe a flower bed is in the wrong place, or the flower bed itself is of a shape that does not fit into the picture, it could be that the wrong combination’s of plants have been planted. You will realize that even modest changes in the garden will shift the focus and give the garden a different character.

Gardening whether creating a new one or redoing and enhancing a garden that has been taken over, requires time and patience. You will need to observe the garden for a while and understand it before making changes. Importantly, you will have to decide what touches you deeply and work accordingly. That way the plants that are removed will not suffer, and the new plants will take to the new environment, giving the garden a different, new character.