Planning your garden

Planning a garden can seem like a donting task. This is especially true if your garden has very little structure and is just a simple grass patch. It can be difficult to visualize how to transform a grass patch into your dream garden space but it is possible! Whether your garden is 10 acres or a small urban patio, you can learn how to plan the space accordingly in order to offer you and your family extended outdoor living spaces that you will all enjoy. In this post we are going to explore key elements to consider when planning your garden.

1. What do you want to do in your garden?

This is by far one of the most important questions to ask yourself when planning out your garden space. Remember that a garden is in fact, an extention of your home! You can use your garden spaces for all kinds of things from: growing cut flowers for indoor flower arranging, growing medicinal herbs or food, expanding your entertainment space, storing winter decor, a place to read in private or take a nap, the possibilities are endless. What you choose to do with your garden should mirror how you'd like to spend your time in that space. Ask your spouse and kids if you choose to make a wish list of all the activities that you hope to do in your garden space. This may help you to choose what is most important for you and your family with regards to your garden spaces.

2. Soil type

The type of soil you have will definetly impact what plants will thrive in your area. You can usually test soil with a handy soil PH reader to help you get an idea of the soil found in your garden. Alternatively, you can send a sample of soil to be lab tested. Depending on your soil type you may find it difficult to grow certain things but don't fret, solutions can be established. Raised beds, no dig gardening methods or container gardening are all ways of gardening that allow you to have more control over soil acidity and soil composition. Knowing your soil just allows you to figure out your next steps.

3. Creating garden rooms

Garden rooms are my absolute favourite way to divide any garden space. When we look out onto a large flat grassy lawn and maybe we see a barbecue in the corner, a small garden bed on the left hand side of a fence and shed in the right corner, our eyes pretty much get the jist of the entire space all at once. A garden room offers little private pockets within a garden hidden behind a green hedge or beyon a curved pathway. When our garden is divided into "rooms", our eyes begins to wonder what lies beyong the hedge or around the corner. When we can't see everything out in the open we begin to percerive the garden as being much larger then it actually may be. This automatically elevates our garden and grants it with a sense of mystery. Garden rooms also help to maximizes the use of our outdoor space by creating useful divisions where we can set specific spaces for the things we intend to do in our garden space such as entertaining or gardening.

4. Choose your garden style

Their are numerous different garden styles to choose from including: cottage gardens, traditional gardens, wildlife gardens, japanese gardens etc. When choosing a style for your garden, we want to take a few things into consideration. First off, the style of your home plays a significant role in how you may choose to landscape your garden. For example, if you have a super modern home, a cottage garden may feel out of place whereas as a more modern planting arrangement will feel more cohesive. I plan on sharing more about how different garden styles work in a blog post to come so stay tuned for more tips by joining my mailing list HERE. Garden rooms however help to offer different spaces where you can explore different garden styles! I'd say, as a rule of thumb, the garden space closest to the home should be the most cohesive in style. Beyond that point, each new garden room can take on a life of its own. You'll also want to consider how you want to feel in your space. Each garden styles offers a unique feeling to a space. Formal gardens have clean lines which can be soothing for the eyes. Cottage gardens are more random and whimsical which can be fun and chaotic. Japanese gardens are tipically more serene.

5. Time and effort

The amount of time and effort you want to make in your garden should also be considered when planning your garden. This is less important if you plan on hiring a landscaper or gardener to maintain the space for you. You will need to consider the time it takes to weed, cut grass, water plants, trim shrubs, hedges and topiaries, train vines, fertilize, prune, dead head etc. Gardening is an excelent form of exercise and work but it isn't always everyones cup of tea. Your garden should definetly mirror the amount of time and effort you want to dedicate to the maintenance of your outdoor garden space. Low maintenance gardens usually offer little grass areas and rely on the use stone, pathways, or pea gravel, native perenial flowes, ornamental grasses and container planting.

6. Large plants and garden structures

The garden is always evolving and depending on your budget, your garden may take years before your final design is realized. This is why a plan for your garden is key. Ideally, when planning out your garden you invest in the plants that take longer to grow first. Think of trees, topiaries, boxwoods, large shrubs and hedging plants for garden rooms first. These plants help to give dimention to your garden and privacy areas. Larger plants are the bones of the garden and offer you structure to work around. If your budget allows, and you can afford fully mature plants then all the best- put those in the ground first! Other structures to consider in your plan include patios, walkways, archways, privacy hedges, fencing, green houses, pergollas, fountains, raised garden beds etc. These structures will help divide and ground your spaces. Just be sure that these larger archetectual structures mirror your homes archetectual style. This will help to bring cohesiveness to the garden. Again, the exception of garden rooms is in effect here too. The closer you are to the home the more matchy you want to be. If your budget doesn't allow for the instalation of all these structure right way, a plan is still your best bet. This will ensure that you don't accidentally place a large growing tree in an area that you eventually want a green house or cut flower garden which require full sun.

7. Sun mapping and shade

If garden beds for cultivating fruits, vegetables or flowers are part of your dream garden wishlist, you'll want to make sure that your growing area is not obscured by any large trees that may bring too much shade your garden beds. You'll also want to consider the shaded areas in your garden and plan to have plants that can tollerate little to no sunlight. Depending on what you plan on doing in your garden, sun maping can also help you decide on where you may enjoy structual peices for shade such as a pergola. I'd recommend a pergola or tree with a bench away from vegetable garden beds but close enough for you to get a rest from the scorching sun on hot summer days. Sun mapping will help you to find the best places for each of your plants throughout the year. I really enjoy this sun mapping website HERE.

8. Plan for seasonal interest

When planing your garden you want to think of having garden interest for all four seasons. Topiaries, evergreens, boxwood hedges all give gorgeous structure to a winter garden. Other plants like lilac bushes and cherry blossoms are usually first to bloom in the spring. Once those blooms finish, roses and peonies are next. You want to make sure that your garden has blooms and colour for every season. Consider how your trees, shrubs, perenial and anuals help to bring year long interest in your garden. This is where planing, creativity and garden skills really come into play. Perenials are usually part of the garden structure while annuals can be changed every year to allow for new colour palettes. Just be mindful to plant your seeds according to their bloom time! Over time, your garden will take shape and you'll develop a keen eye for the style of plants you enjoy.

9. Irrigation

Irrigation lines and water access can really help to transform how you view garden work. Daily watering is a must for many plants and this can be a task that takes up a lot of time, especially during hot dry seasons. If you are growing fruits and vegetables or other plants that require a lot of water, irigation will help you to optimize your time, water resourses and money. The last thing you want is to lose a crop of veg because of underwatering. Irrigation lines are also a great way to save money in the long run and optimaze what you're watering. Irrigation lines allow you to water exactly what you want in your garden beds instead of weeds along a pathways which would happen if you were relying on something like a sprinkler system that waters whole patches instead of localized plants. Water lines also help you to use less water because the drip lines water only the roots while sprinklers and hoses lose a lot of water via evaporation and wetting the foliage instead of the root balls of plants. A lot of plants also don't enjoy having too much water on foliage because it can lead to rot, burns or encourage plant fungus to grow. All in all, an irrigation system is something to consider right off the bat. Depending on the size of your garden you may have to install brand new irrigation lines and pumps which you can tap into at a later date.

10. Draft a plan

Once you've considered all of these things listed above, you can begin to draft up a plan for your garden. Consider pathways, garden bed shapes and preportions, where plants will go, as well as water systems, trees, structures etc. I usually enjoy doing this step with a pen, paper and a few coloured sharpies. I also like to highlight my pathways, garden boarders, walls, and structual elements in neyon yellow and write out each plant in a designated area. You can also rely on websites online that help to map out garden spaces electronically. Lastly, if you have a drone, I've also seen people fly above their property, snap photos and draw out plans from that. Whatever you choose to do, have fun, be creative and let your garden dreams come to life! If you'd like assistance or a consultation on your garden plans, feel free to reach out and coordinate a call.