Garden design inspiration and sources

Hi all,

I've been lucky enough to acquire a garden that is not only long, it's fairly wide too - what a change from my postage stamp back garden at my Victorian terrace!

So, I have a back garden with three sheds, one greenhouse, one open summer house and more water butts than I've ever seen in one place! The length of the garden is probably a good 100 feet, but I'm just guessing. It's east facing if you stand with the house behind you, and the north side of the garden (on your left) gets sun from first thing until about 4pm at this time of year.

The far end on the right is a MASSIVE chicken coop with two chickens that we have inherited from the previous owner - very good layers. There's an extra little coop that has been used for bantams where I keep the chicken that I brought with me, for now.

The garden has a pond in the middle of a good size, with goldfish and water lillies in it, with acers and roses growing around it. There's a few bushes and roses and the dreaded buddleia around the edges, but that's it.

I'm hoping to cover a third of the lawn with veg and fruit beds. I have an idea of design, but I feel the need for advice from people that have done this before.

Where do you get garden design ideas and principles from? The web? Books? Titles would be great

Where do you get inspiration from, how to organise colour schemes, how much to dedicate to perennial fruit and veg compared to sow/harvest kinds of beds etc.

Please throw all your knowledge, skills and common sense at me

How exciting for you   . 
I’m currently asking very similar questions https://gardenandgossip.org/showthread.php?tid=983
I’ve been getting a lot of my inspiration and ideas from image searches on the interweb. A few from magazines and terrifyingly a few from my own tiny little brain     . 
Like you I know the only place to go for advice & guidance on such things is here   . 

Personally I don’t worry about colour scheme. I just want colour. Think I’m going for the pi$$ed rainbow approach (all colours every where and in any order ).

As for perennial, annual space allocation only you can answer that    
I’ll have your dreaded buddleia, I like them 

Your garden already sounds Utopian to me Sarris.

All I did with my garden which has evolved over time, was try and utilise what was already there to its best advantage and incorporate it into a design that suited my needs.
I personally like curves in my garden and ease of maintenance is a big thing for me.

I wouldn't rely too much on other peoples garden designs and just do your own thing if possible.

Sounds almost perfect, Sarriss - I say Almost because you haven't mentioned trees (fruit trees are a must have).
My garden evolved around the trees that were already here with fruit bushes planted in that area. Veg goes in the sunniest spot, flowers are bunged in wherever.
Design, planning and colour schemes are all words I don't understand.

You could start with Christopher Lloyd's "The Well Chosen Garden". Lots of 2nd hand copies around for about £3. Lloyd had a great knack of combining plants for all year round interest.

I would start at the pond and radiate out, you could add some wild flowers and create a little wildlife habitate around it