"Pam - gardengal" in
news:HHQ6c.45808$Cb.697865@attbi_s51:


"broomhilda" wrote in message
hlink.net...
Hope you find such a place. In landscaping my place I just looked
for pictures and used them as a guide.

I wish gardening magazines would tell what plants are what in
thepictures they publish. Wrote and told that to Fine Gardening but
don't they will
or
not.


"Josh Nikle" wrote in message
om...
Does anyone know of anyplace on the Web that I could get blueprints
for landscaping? What I'm looking for is a picture of say a
backyard, and then a layout that tells me to plant this tree in
this spot. Does such a thing even exist? I love landscaped yards,
but unfortunately I wasn't blessed with the eye for it.

Carry around a 25 ft measuring tape


Well,
that, and I can count the number of plants I can positively
identify on two fingers. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Act as curious as you are. Ask questions. You'll pick up the names and
other details. Meet fellow beginners in community college Hort classes.


There is a bit more to landscape design than just superimposing a
pre-done design over your garden and following the plant list - that's
perhaps why there are not too many website that offer exactly what you
are looking for. Light conditions, soil and drainage, climate factors
and plant suitability all make it difficult to just plug in a plan and
go.

and the shape of the areas is different in every site!



But, in response to your request, here is a good source for a
whole slew of landscape plans.
http://www.id-rather-be.com/landscap...ping_plans.htm

the site must have changed. It's now a link spam site.

One could begin with Google..
http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...ing+plans%2 2


OTOH, there are dozens of excellent home landscaping books on the
market that will help you develop your own plan to the specifics of
your yard. Some even provide a rudimentary plant encylcopedia to help
you with you choices. Check to see what your library has available or
search amazon.com for suitable titles. Once you have worked out a plan
of how you want you garden to flow and what type of plant (tree,
shrub, evergreen, etc.) you want where, a visit to a good local
nursery is in order to see what plants are available and best suited
to your area and conditions.

Another alternative is to hire a professional for a short consultation
or to develop a plan for you.

broomhilda, most of the photo layouts in garden mags are done with a
just a photographer and maybe an assistant - seldom a gardening
'expert' other than homeowner is involved. Since only a few of likely
dozens - maybe even 100's - of shots of a single garden ever get
published and long after the shoot at that, its remarkable any of them
are labeled as to plants and with any degree of accuracy. Certainly it
seems unlikely that anyone on the magazine staff is able to go back
and examine each photo or contact the homeowner and ID every plant
included, even if they knew. Books or nursery catalogs are going to be
a much better source of picture ID than any magazine.

Pics never capture the true colors and contrasts, etc. of real life
plants. Never.

Also, even the pics in magazines show a lot less dirt than you would see
IRL. Most nursery demo gardens are too frequently replanted (even
perennials and shrubs) and also have too much open space around each
plant.

Visiting REAL LIFE GARDENS is the best. Botanic gardens are best to see
uncommon plants in your climate, but plantings tend to resemble demo
gardens. Join an active enthusiastic gardening group, and see their
experiments and learn what they did. And look around where you live.
Bicycles are the best compromise in transport if the goal is speed,
mobility, and nearness to yards you are reconnoitering

or you could hire a local professional who's been working with plants
and/or homes for a couple of decades..