Laying out the garden is hard because I have a small yard. I surfed the net for a while and found lots of great sites. The one that gave me the best ideas was Better Homes and Gardens. I was able to download a PDF of a free plan for a garden.
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| This image is from the Better Homes and Gardens Website. |
At the bottom of their page in the "Related Links" section they give you more plans for gardens. I have to say that my garden will actually be a conglomeration of all the ideas. I am not the kind of girl to get a plan and leave it as is. I have to put my touch on things even if I screw it up. I always want to be able to step back, take a look and say "Right or wrong...I DID THIS!"
When laying out your garden the biggest step to success is to measure! If you just guessimate things will never turn out. Trust me on this.
Take the time to lay it out. You will be much happier when you are finished and you won't have to dig up and replant things. Again, trust me on this because I speak from experience!
When you get ready to lay out your garden you will need the following:
-grid paper to lay out the total length and width of the garden as well as any stationary items
-a hundred foot tape
-stakes
-string
-a helper or two (two is better, one to help measure and one to write)
Once you have the basics of your area including fences, trees and any other stationary items you are ready to design. Use your gridded paper to lay out a garden that makes you feel happy. Once you feel you have the right stuff on your page start laying it out on the actual grounds. Use the stakes and string to lay out the shape of the garden. You will want to vary the beds to make it pleasing to the eye as well as a joy to walk in. You will quickly see where the problem areas are. Don't worry, just go back and lay it out again. You won't get it right the first time but it is fine. The process is as much fun as the end result.
Decide if you want retaining walls or just beds. Will the beds be made of landscaping timbers or will you be using rocks? What kind of rocks? Will you be painting the landscaping timbers? Will you leave the beds with only a dirt edge on them?
Do you intend to put in a water feature? If so, what are the pros and cons of it?
Will you put in a walkway? Will it be stones or gravel or sand? Will you make your stones or will you buy them? (Making your own pathway stones is a ball...I have a tutorial on them coming up soon!)
Just a note: Don't forget that if you leave grass for your pathway that you will need to have the path wide enough for a mower or be ready to use the weed eater.
Another consideration is sun and rain. How much of each do you get? Here in Texas during the summer we are just shy of the pits of hell in terms of heat so any plants that are chosen must fit the weather. As much as I would love to have delicate little flowers to do so would be foolish because they would die a slow death no matter how much water I put on them.
Do you have lots of trees in your yard? If so, you will need mostly shade plants. If you are like me and have no trees in the area of your garden you will need full sun plants. Trust the company when a plant says "full sun" or "shade" or "partial shade" because these guys know what they are talking about.
My biggest advice is HAVE FUN!