Landscaping with a Plan
By Kay DiVerde
Builders never start constructing a house without a plan. And the same should hold true for your landscaping. Don't even plant one bush without first thinking about how you want your yard to look, what type of message you would like it to portray and how you will use your yard. With a well thought out plan, you can create the best possible landscaping for you and your family.
The first step in creating an effective plan is to take a good look at what you have. Evaluate your yard's assets and defects throughout the seasons. Use a critical eye and make a list of what bonuses you already have in place. If you don't want to extend your evaluation time through four seasons, keep in mind that rushing could cause you to destroy some of your greatest blessings-even before you knew they were there! For example, hot afternoon sun shining into the house in the summer may be unbearable, but it will be a welcomed guest in the cold winter months. Think about how the change in seasons could turn your defects into assets, and vice versa.
Your next step toward creating your landscaping plan is to think how you and your family will use the yard. Every change or addition you make to your yard (whether it is planting a tree, building a patio or adding a fence), should increase your family's ease and comfort. Always have a purpose (to solve a problem or accent another feature) in mind before adding anything to your yard. The combination of climate, size and family desires makes every yard unique. And the combination will change from season to season, year to year, homeowner to homeowner.
| "Use a critical eye and make a list of what bonuses you already have in place." |
While you are observing what is happening in your yard, start collecting new ideas by checking out other yards. Make a list of colors, textures and plant varieties you like, in addition to entrance and walk ways that catch your eye. Look through books and magazines, and take notes of things you like. A combination of features included in many different areas may be the perfect look for you.
Before going too far in your planning, checkout deed restrictions, building codes, and setback and easement regulations. You would hate to have your mind set on a certain look, only to find out it will not fit into the regulations in your area.
As you start putting your plan on paper, think toward the future. How will your plantings look immediately, in five years and in 20 years? Remember trees and shrubs grow up as well as out. Will that new bush in the front yard soon hang over the entrance walk? And will the tree in the back of the yard eventually hit the electrical wires? Read about the growth potential of every planting and look carefully at its surroundings for now and in the future. If you are worried about bare spaces while your trees and bushes are maturing, consider planting some fast-growing temporary plants, shrubs or trees, which can be removed as other plantings reach full size.
Once you have measured your yard. Draw a plan to scale of how your yard looks now. Include buildings, walkways, trees, shrubs, fences, etc. Then cover this plan with tracing paper and sketch your ideas on the tracing paper. Then as you make changes, you won't have to constantly redraw the original plan. This will save you time and frustration!
Before jumping ahead (or a shovel) first look into your landscaping, take the time to evaluate what assets already exist in your yard. Think about how your family will use the yard and what kind of impression you want your landscaping to portray. With all those thoughts in mind, you can put together the puzzle pieces to create a plan for the landscaping that fit in with its surroundings, and provide your family joy and comfort.
This is the first of a series of articles. The other articles are Front Yard Impressions, Landscaping Challenges and Maintaining Your Landscape.
Kay DiVerde is a freelance writer, horticultural researcher and consultant for Orchard's Edge. DiVerde also writes for a variety of newsletters and publications in the Midwest.
