More Elements of Garden Design

Continued from Elements of Garden Design – chapter one 4-19-09

It is always possible to upgrade a mulch path in the future.

Copyright Lost In The Flowers 2003

In the beginning, you will want to put as much of your available budget into patio and plants than a boring walkway. Mulch is a great less-mud solution. Get the garden going for some enjoyment and emotional rewards, then worry about a investing in path paving later.

Lawn pathways will force you to bag mow between all your lovely planting beds. A lawn in seed will create a lot more weeding chores for you too. If mowed without it all being caught, your gardens will look like someone made an attempt to return them to lawn. A nightmare none of you will be happy to encounter. Mulch is definitely the least expensive and sustainable solution.
Seclusion will be important to anyone who lives close to neighbors.

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Top of the list of needs for 98% of my design clients is privacy in the backyard. You have a few choices, such as fence, masonry walls and evergreen hedges. The amount of space you have will definitely dictate what real options you have. In a small yard, use of space will be hugely important and a big hedge could eat up your garden area quickly. A living wall means you will have to research to make sure the shrubs will not get too wide.

Small yards are usually best secluded with walls and fences. This is the only way to get instant privacy. A hedge will take years to mature and fill. Walls and fences never water, fertilizer or trimming. They cost more up front but nothing over the years. A really narrow privacy screen shrub will require so many to not have gaps they get very expensive to install. If space is at a minimum, your best choice will be a hardscape barrier. The added value is the heightened interest of leafy and flowering plants against a wall or fence.

Natural lighting control is of great importance.

Copyright Lost In The Flowers 2003

The sweltering sun early evening sun is not going to set a lovely dinner location. You need shade for your living room. Remember you will spend the most time in it over the warm months of the year. Do you have a mature shade tree just waiting to be put to use? Newer homes may not have this luxury available until some years from now.

The fastest shade source will be a pergola, ramada or awning unless you want to be patient for a decade or so. For the most rapid tree shade you will want to make sure you pick one that will not take over your yard with roots. I suggest you check out Paulownia x elongata, a hybrid Royal Empress tree.

Not all gardens have enough room to add shade as large as a tree.

Think about what you want to grow in your garden. The small yard belonging to a person who longs for full sun flowering plants and fresh vegetables needs to think about the future availability of needed sunshine. A tree will create an ever-increasing shaded area that over time will force you to completely change the kinds of plants you will be able to grow.

If you have the space to allow a shady area and full sun, you will be able to grow a far larger variety of lovely ornamentals. Plus the added benefit of being able to cool off on a hot day. The shelter of a leafy canopy is the perfect place to put your feet up and relax while enjoying a lovely garden surrounding. There are few places you can experience that will give you this amount of peace and tranquility.

Copyright Lost In The Flowers 2001

All back yards need some lawn areas to accommodate pets and children.

A family sized home needs to have grassy stretches to give growing legs a place to burn off their energy. For empty nesters, some lawn expanses will add an element of space that is very welcome to the eye.  It all is very dependent on the amount of property you have and the uses you need to be able to get from the available area.

Even if all you children have grown and left home, the resale of your property will require it to be attractive to any buyer who needs the number of bedrooms you have. While it may be tempting to do away with all lawn expanses, it will be a wiser selling point if the new owner has a place for a dog or children to romp.

Elements of Garden Design – chapter one

The first step to garden design is to deciding the roles it will play.

Image copyright Lost In The Flowers Media 2005

Just as you need the measurements of a room to know what furniture you can fit in it, this is where a garden design starts. Start by getting the accurate length and width of the area. The final results depend on taking good dimensions. The layout of your garden plan has to cover many different things before you ever start putting in plants. You will get a lot more joy out of a garden that has good workable space than one where the simplest chores are frustrating.

A true garden is never built in a day. The most beautiful ones took years to reach the richness the photographer caught with the lens. A garden is a journey and your plan serves a road map. It is a detailed set of directions meant to guide you and your soil into the future. Together you will slowly build as time and money allows.

The most fulfilling outdoor living rooms are surrounded by plant life.

Image copyright Lost In The Flowers Media 2005

What better place is there for eating and entertaining outdoors than a space that is embraced by color and nature? This is a permanent element and is the first space to designate. The size must allow cooking and gatherings that work well. For those who cannot include an outdoor kitchen, you will want to place it close to the kitchen. Plan out the seating and cooking areas making sure your outdoor furniture is adequate.

Traffic patterns are part of your outdoor room and the garden itself. Don’t forget about traffic flow when people are seated. You need paths and walkways that allow for movement of arriving guests and garden equipment. Never make a walk or path under 3-feet wide. Maintenance chores are difficult and even painful when the clearance doesn’t allow easy maneuvering. Getting gut punched by the abrupt hang-up of a wheelbarrow is never pleasant.

Planting beds that are no more than 6-feet across between your paths will allow you easier reach for maintenance. Most recommendations say 4-feet, but many plants you will want to enjoy in the garden may reach a width of 5-feet or more in the future. Also to allow for a tiered planting that looks great from all sides a 6-foot width will hold 3 rows of perennial plants.

Gravel paths are okay but  mulch or pavers are more user-friendly.

Image copyright Lost In The Flowers Media 2005

Going barefoot in the garden is marvelous on a warm day. You won’t be able to do that with a gravel path, plus the stone will scatter everywhere. Mulches break down over time and return to dirt, which is always a welcome thing to have more of on site. The mulched path will need to be lowered again about every 5 years. The effort gives you new soil and keeps the path from rising about your beds.

Paver walks are definitely lower maintenance but isn’t an inexpensive option. Stone flagging is a popular and beautiful choice but is going to be more costly than mulch too. In warmer climates, used brick is a good option. You can also get a lot of textural interest and character from the path that alternates different types of materials. This is a great choice for the add-on-as-you-go garden builder.

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Continued in More Elements of Garden Design.