05/08/2015

Basics of Garden Design

If there is one big mistake gardeners of all experience levels make when designing a new garden or renovating an existing space, it’s this: choosing a bunch of plants that look great at the garden center or nursery and then digging right in, without first coming up with a garden layout. Best case is that you’ll end up with a hodge-podge of plants that lacks real impact. Worst case is that you’ve wasted a lot of money picking plants that won’t thrive in your yard. The truth is, plants have to be carefully selected for a garden design by taking into account important information such as:

• Their purpose (Are you planning a vegetable garden or flower garden?)
• How much sunshine and space the plants require
• How large they’ll get
• Color schemes
• When they bloom during the season

Good garden planning will help you make the most of your investment and achieve the effect you’re after, so you can enjoy your surroundings for years to come. Keep garden layouts simple, especially if you want a garden that’s easy on the eye and easy to take care of. Here are some garden planning basics:

• Know your location first. Make sure there is enough sun exposure and the soil conditions are suitable for the type of garden that you want to plant.
• Gather ideas for you design. Pull out all of the Home and Garden magazines and books on your shelves. Flip through them and mark pages that you like. Look at any of your existing gardens and see what you like and dislike about them. Now it is time to decide what you want in your garden. Look at your lists and pictures and see what themes are repeated over and over again.
• Put your garden plan on paper. Sketch a layout to give you a guideline for which plants to choose and where they should be planted. Your sketch should include: the location of each plant, the length for each plant, and the spacing between rows and plants in rows. This helps you create a vision, and prevents over-buying, too.
• Take your plan to a nursery or garden center and talk to a Certified Green Industry Professional, and get their opinions and advice on your plan and recommendations that they may have for improvements or plants that may perform better for your surroundings. Many garden centers and nurseries also have classes that will help guide you through the design process.
• Give plants plenty of space; don’t crowd them. Resist the temptation to plant for a fuller immediate effect, and allow for enough space for when your plants are full-grown. This saves from pruning and removal of plants that don’t fit at a later date.
• Choose and arrange background plants first, then make sure your complementing plants do just that: complement not only the background plants, but also each other. Remember, you will need some evergreens of broadleaf evergreens to provide color and structure during the winter months.
• Include flowering plants that bloom in succession to keep the color going all season long.

You don’t have to be a horticulturist to have a beautiful garden that you can be proud of. It just takes a little thinking before you start planting. You can also let someone else do the thinking for you. Many garden centers, nurseries and landscape companies offer design services that can help you create your dream garden, and most also offer installation of your projects as well.