Take it from Claude Monet, gardens are incredible masterpieces. Also, they’re an art. A truly stunning garden takes intense planning, imaginative thinking, budgeting and continued maintenance (Writer’s Note: maintenance that is actually quite therapeutic). Anyway, taking the time to actively plan out how you envision your ideal home garden and transfer that to activation is an art in itself.
So, we’re here to walk you through what types of gardens work best for you and how to make them come to life. First and foremost, let’s separate the two most important items to define the best garden for your space: lifestyle and personality. Lifestyle defines how your garden will grow (i.e. define how much sun, shade, wind, drainage is in your yard). Personality helps to discover how to source the flowers, shrubs, trees and details that make a difference in your heart and mind.
Lifestyle
MAP IT OUT
Here, you need to figure out what you already have. So, draw out a bird’s eye view map of your current home garden situation. Consider foot traffic, patio furniture, specific shrubbery and every detail of your plants and trees. Hot tip! Graph paper is our friend. It’s more fun to draw on and can be easier to incorporate actual sizing and proportions. On your map, get detailed. Be sure to highlight places that get a lot of shade or direct sun. Note the spots in your yard where your kids and puppies spend the most time. What are you looking at when you relax on your patio? That should be the spot you’re making colorful and most appealing. Get your hands dirty and define which spots in your yard have the richest soil (we aren’t kidding here!) This information will help out your contractor or landscaper when they’re reviewing the space with you.
DO SOME LOCAL RESEARCH
Visit your local garden store and ask questions! The people that work there are the true experts in the garden space – specifically about what flowers and shrubbery flourish in your area.
Personality
WHAT IS YOUR DREAM?
Now is the fun part. What do you really want in a garden? Good news: there’s a lot of cool ways to discover what makes your garden heart tick. Firstly, get some fresh air! Take a walk around your own neighborhood to get a feel for the things you are drawn to. Bring a notepad, no one should judge. Gardening magazines are a real godsend and require less creeping. We love Country Gardens, Garden Design and Better Homes and Gardens.
PICK A THEME
Kids birthday parties aren’t the only things that deserve a good ol’ fashioned theme. Your garden should too. Here are a few “theme ideas” to get you started in the brainstorm process: japanese garden, organic vegetable garden, butterfly garden, botanical desert, tropical/subtropical garden, native garden, apothecary garden, wildlife garden, evening/moon garden, the list goes on. If you’re wondering what a “moon garden” is, they are full of night blooming plants that give off incredible aromas (like evening primrose, night phlox and moonflower). You learn something new every day!
FAMILY, MEET GARDEN
Here’s where you should know all the info about how your family and friends enjoy the garden space. Do you like to host parties outdoors? Do you need something low maintenance? If you have kids, how do they like to enjoy the garden?
PICK A WORD, ANY WORD!
In order to pick flowers that best match your landscape personality, consider one-word (okay, or two) descriptors: beautiful, no-fuss, easy-care, colorful, fragrant, sunny. The list goes on.
Quick Tips When Personality Meets Lifestyle
Now that you know what you’re working with, here’s a list full of tips to get started on the process of putting it all together.
CONSIDER NEW FEATURES YOU’D LIKE TO ADD
Perhaps, where there was grass before, you want to add a vegetable garden. Or, maybe you’d like to add more dramatic flower beds along a walkway that you didn’t consider before. If you want a fountain or a waterfall, now is a good time to consider that as well. Your map will help merge random creativity with how your yard is or could be structured with a revamp.
DECIPHER IF THE FEATURES WILL WORK IN YOUR GARDEN
For example, the vegetable garden requires lots of sun and good soil. A fountain might be nice under a big tree, in the shade. Consider foot paths as well. If you travel along a path often, perhaps it needs to be a little wider. Also, what type of path material works best with your home? Gravel? Pavers? Bark?
SET YOUR BUDGET
Make sure you bring in plants and flowers that are compatible with the plants already living in your outdoor space (that will save money)! Another cost effective way to landscape is by using plants native to the environment you’re in. If they’re acclimated to the area, they’ll need less care.
MOCK IT UP
If you want to see how things would look in your home garden, set it up! Use a hose to create a path to see if it’s functional and looks nice/works with your routine. Set up other garage-like items where you’d see a flower bed living. These quirky things will help you envision the space. Sure, you have it on graph paper. But staging it out makes it that much more real.
GO VERTICAL
If you have a smaller space to landscape, consider going vertical, creating the illusion of more space. Tall planters or a trellis will bring up the natural gaze and offer more room if you have a tighter space to design. The sky’s the limit!
LOW MAINTENANCE FLORAL AND GARDEN OPTIONS
Sunflowers
Sweet peas
Nigella
Aquilegia
California poppy
Nasturtium
Marigold
Hardy geranium
Fuschias
Pansy
LOW MAINTENANCE SHRUB OPTIONS
Common Witch Hazel
Sugar Tip ‘Rose of Sharon’
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Blue Star Juniper
‘Stewartstonian’ Azalea
‘Moonshadow’ Euonymus
Now, it’s time to get to the drawing board! No matter the landscape design or floral selection, we meant it when we “typed” it. The sky really is the limit. If you want to learn more about general contractors and fellow landscapers on our team, contact us here!
