We just had retaining walls replaced and our garden is a huge bare area
now with just 2 trees poking up. I have no idea where to start with
designing a lay out. Right now I'd like to put a stepping stone
pathway through with a bench and bird bath along the way. Other then
that I'm clueless. It is a very large area on a slight slope, there is
a 4.5 foot retaining wall at the front that comes up from our lawn,
there is another 5 foot retaining wall (all stone) at the back that
leads to the road. There is a set of stone steps that leads up the
hill.

Any ideas or great websites for garden design?? Right now I'm thinking
I would have an island type layout, with plants all less then 1.5 feet
on the side towards the lawn and have a border garden on the side
towards the road where the trees are right now.

I guess I need to post some pictures to display what I'm talking about.
I could sure use some help though! Can I go with all kinds of colors
or should I stick to just 3-4? I'm in gardening zone 5b by the way, in
Canada.

Thanks for any help! I'm new to the group and look forward to reading
and posting here!

KR

"KR" wrote in message
oups.com...


Any ideas or great websites for garden design??

Great idea: Your library, and at least a dozen books. If it takes you less
than 3 months to come up with a design, it's probably a bad one.

Three book recommendations:
"One Man's Garden" and "The Essential Earthman", both by Henry Mitchell.
"The Essential Shade Gardener", by George Schenck. There has never been a
better book written in this category. And, he's very clear about which
plants also do well in sun. Some plants fail completely with the wrong
light. Others just grow differently, but are equally beautiful.

Generally trees and shrubs are the backbone of a garden design, with
help from hardscape (paths, patios) and features like benches, statues,
fountains. Then perennials and annuals round out the design.

In a 5b climate, you've got lots of choices for plant materials.

The first thing to do is identify a style that you like. Your
proposed island beds sound rather municipal park to me.... like you haven't
thought about variations in height and texture adding to the landscape.

Another thing to think about is changes with the seasons... for instance,
spring bulbs are pretty well gone by early summer, which is about when the
roses kick in. For a lot of people, summer annuals carry most of the
color, until fall when chrysanthemums and colored leaves pick up the load.
Changes in dominant colors also tend to go with the seasons ; natural
prairies tend to have a lot of pink in the spring, violets and blues in the
summer, and yellows and oranges in the fall, for instance.

I'd suggest you want to do a couple of things now: 1) take some photos
of the house and yard, particularly from your main entrance or main
view into the property, and the view from the back door or whatever
your entrance into the private areas of your yard might be. 2)
Think about how you want to use your area -- you've got retaining walls,
do you have an area where you'd like to sit and read a book or bbq in
peace and quiet? If you want a bird bath, is it near a water source, and
are there shrubs or other good cover for the birds? Will you have a feeder?
Do you like lawn? If so, you're going to want to work on layouts that will
give a semi-sane mowing path (nothing like having to lift and carry
a nice heavy lawnmower through a patch of shrubbery to mow an isolated
stretch of lawn!). Do you have some spots to sit and talk with friends
and neighbors?

Head for the library and check out the books on garden design, landscaping,
and if you're not an enthusiastic gardener, native plants, particularly
0native trees and shrubs. Identify styles that appeal to you -- for instance,
I prefer the informal or natural styles, and start getting hives when
I think about having to trim and weed a knot garden. g I grew up
with prairie, so I think a large green monoculture lawn is deadly dull,
while my husband likes the effect... so we've got lawn in front, where
he's likely to spend time, and wilder stuff in back, for me. g


Then start sketching over your photos... as you do so, think about
putting high maintenance plants near your watering sources (if you
will have to water), lower maintenance things back where the hose won't
reach easily. Think about shade and sun, and grouping plants of similar
culture together. Do you need a play area for kids and/or dogs?

This is a good winter project. Next spring, you can lay out any beds, etc,
with flour or garden hose and begin to revise your plans.

For most of us, garden design is not an easy thing, or something that
comes with a set of plans, unless you've hired a landscape architect.
Most gardens wind up evolving over a period of time, as you decide
this plant looks better over there, and what was I thinking planting
so close to the house that the shrubs are poking through the kitchen
window and.... and gee, those daylilies need more light than they're
getting now that the apple tree is taller...

Look
Function
Color
Texture
Height

Have fun!

Thanks! I have at least 5 months of winter ahead of me, then a full
summer of trying things, I'm certainly not in a rush. For now I will
just plant a few fall bulbs.

KR

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
"KR" wrote in message
oups.com...


Any ideas or great websites for garden design??

Great idea: Your library, and at least a dozen books. If it takes you less
than 3 months to come up with a design, it's probably a bad one.

Three book recommendations:
"One Man's Garden" and "The Essential Earthman", both by Henry Mitchell.
"The Essential Shade Gardener", by George Schenck. There has never been a
better book written in this category. And, he's very clear about which
plants also do well in sun. Some plants fail completely with the wrong
light. Others just grow differently, but are equally beautiful.

If you have deer, don't focus too much on tulips, based on my experience.
They ate the buds off every single plant. Didn't touch the daffodils,
though, or the crocuses.

This is a slow time for garden centers, by the way, which means it's a good
time to go and pick their brains. You might get lucky and find someone who
REALLY knows something about the plants they sell. Bring photographs and
diagrams, and if they give you lots of information, be sure to reward them
with your business in the spring. Ask about preparing planting holes
correctly, so you're ready to do it when the time comes. Mitchell's books go
into detail about this subject, but with enough humor that it'll sound easy.


"KR" wrote in message
ups.com...
Thanks! I have at least 5 months of winter ahead of me, then a full
summer of trying things, I'm certainly not in a rush. For now I will
just plant a few fall bulbs.

KR

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
"KR" wrote in message
oups.com...


Any ideas or great websites for garden design??

Great idea: Your library, and at least a dozen books. If it takes you
less
than 3 months to come up with a design, it's probably a bad one.

Three book recommendations:
"One Man's Garden" and "The Essential Earthman", both by Henry Mitchell.
"The Essential Shade Gardener", by George Schenck. There has never been a
better book written in this category. And, he's very clear about which
plants also do well in sun. Some plants fail completely with the wrong
light. Others just grow differently, but are equally beautiful.

In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

"KR" wrote in message
oups.com...


Any ideas or great websites for garden design??

Great idea: Your library, and at least a dozen books. If it takes you less
than 3 months to come up with a design, it's probably a bad one.

Three book recommendations:
"One Man's Garden" and "The Essential Earthman", both by Henry Mitchell.
"The Essential Shade Gardener", by George Schenck. There has never been a
better book written in this category. And, he's very clear about which
plants also do well in sun. Some plants fail completely with the wrong
light. Others just grow differently, but are equally beautiful.

Took me a few years (30) to stumble into our present garden.

A Japanese Touch for your garden
ISBN 0-87011-391-7

A goal not obtained.
Something to work at. But perhaps play is a better idea.

Bill

--

S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade
-- http://www.ocutech.com/
This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.

"William Wagner" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

"KR" wrote in message
oups.com...


Any ideas or great websites for garden design??

Great idea: Your library, and at least a dozen books. If it takes you
less
than 3 months to come up with a design, it's probably a bad one.

Three book recommendations:
"One Man's Garden" and "The Essential Earthman", both by Henry Mitchell.
"The Essential Shade Gardener", by George Schenck. There has never been a
better book written in this category. And, he's very clear about which
plants also do well in sun. Some plants fail completely with the wrong
light. Others just grow differently, but are equally beautiful.

Took me a few years (30) to stumble into our present garden.

A Japanese Touch for your garden
ISBN 0-87011-391-7

A goal not obtained.
Something to work at. But perhaps play is a better idea.

Bill

One plant at a time!

On 31 Oct 2006 17:49:01 -0800, "KR" wrote:

We just had retaining walls replaced and our garden is a huge bare area
now with just 2 trees poking up. I have no idea where to start with
designing a lay out. Right now I'd like to put a stepping stone
pathway through with a bench and bird bath along the way. Other then
that I'm clueless. It is a very large area on a slight slope, there is
a 4.5 foot retaining wall at the front that comes up from our lawn,
there is another 5 foot retaining wall (all stone) at the back that
leads to the road. There is a set of stone steps that leads up the
hill.

Any ideas or great websites for garden design?? Right now I'm thinking
I would have an island type layout, with plants all less then 1.5 feet
on the side towards the lawn and have a border garden on the side
towards the road where the trees are right now.

I guess I need to post some pictures to display what I'm talking about.
I could sure use some help though! Can I go with all kinds of colors
or should I stick to just 3-4? I'm in gardening zone 5b by the way, in
Canada.

Thanks for any help! I'm new to the group and look forward to reading
and posting here!

KR
Congratulations - it's great to start with a blank slate, as it were.

I'd suggest you hire a professional to create a design, with your
collaboration, of course.

When I decided to redo the back of my yard, I hired a designer
recommended by my local nursery. It was a good investment,
as we combined ideas, and I think the plants were cheaper
than if I'd bought them retail.

What others have suggested -- reading and studying in advance --
is a good idea, so you and the designer can utilize your time
efficiently.

Good luck!

Persephone

"KR" wrote in message
oups.com...
We just had retaining walls replaced and our garden is a huge bare area
now with just 2 trees poking up. I have no idea where to start with
designing a lay out. Right now I'd like to put a stepping stone
pathway through with a bench and bird bath along the way. Other then
that I'm clueless. It is a very large area on a slight slope, there is
a 4.5 foot retaining wall at the front that comes up from our lawn,
there is another 5 foot retaining wall (all stone) at the back that
leads to the road. There is a set of stone steps that leads up the
hill.

Any ideas or great websites for garden design?? Right now I'm thinking
I would have an island type layout, with plants all less then 1.5 feet
on the side towards the lawn and have a border garden on the side
towards the road where the trees are right now.

I guess I need to post some pictures to display what I'm talking about.
I could sure use some help though! Can I go with all kinds of colors
or should I stick to just 3-4? I'm in gardening zone 5b by the way, in
Canada.

Thanks for any help! I'm new to the group and look forward to reading
and posting here!


There are a couple of free garden design programs available over the
internet. Do a google search to find them.

Jen