How does one plan a garden/landscape?

[aregard]

I’m hoping the great minds of COTH can help me.

I’ve moved to a rather neglected property that needs work work work, but the biggest visible eyesore to me is the back garden. Our house is sited on a gradual slope, so we sit on a back deck overlooking the little valley, and below us is the 35 X 75 foot ‘back garden’. Right now, it’s a mess of self-seeded african daisies and a huge mexican sage bush that’s going to eat Chicago.

When I think about what I want to “do” with that space, I’m just lost, frankly. Considering putting in an aboveground pool just to avoid having to landscape the area (or at least reduce the amount of square footage needing plants). BUT I don’t want to draw wildlife with a pool or a water feature, or anything too tasty.

There are a few large trees outside the backyard fence: maple, Jacaranda, persimmon. The rest of the property I have plans for (How is it possible to know what you want to do with an acre and be unable to come up with a single idea for a back yard?)

How does one even “get started”? Advice?

[ShenanAnna]

Perhaps your county Extension agent/office can help. They’re free.

[3PonyFarm]

What views would you like to have in that spot? Maybe you can mow it down/spray with roundup and start over. If you want it to stay a garden, make a list of what you would like to have and arrange them by drawing them on paper.

[LCDR]

I recommend asking around for a landscape designer/contractor. I was in a quandary when I moved to my new farm, and finding the right person really ended up a blessing. He came by word of mouth from other horse people. I shudder to think how much money I’d have blown being on my own. He talked us out of a big garden and cut back our big thoughts about planting trees and shrubs. Said that board fencing, green grass, and grazing horses was the best scenery.

And with his local contacts, I get quick and excellent service by local electricians, plumbers, arena graders, irrigation installers, hay suppliers and such. If he makes a little off the top it is worth the aggravation of trying to find and hire people for the small jobs.

[Weezer]

A landscape designer is worth every penny. They will set it up beautifully, and in a way that will likely increase the value of your property. You can hire landscape designers to just draw up the plans if you want to do the work yourself.

[Willesdon]

When I design a garden, I always have a few basics at the back of my mind. Do you want the garden to occupy your time or be a low maintenance one? Do you want to use it as outdoor entertainment space or to grow your own vegetables, to have loads of colour, to be an oasis of calm etc - or all of the above? What big trees or feature plants or rocks or views are already in in the garden - or are very obvious in the area surrounding your plot which you can then incorporate into your design? How many seasons? Water supply, water conservation? What grows well in your neighbourhood that would you like in the garden? A bit like planning an interior, an “idea book” can he helpful and looking at other people’s gardens can be inspirational. It may take several months of observation to get to know the subtle details of your patch in all it’s aspects. Then when I get down to more detailed thoughts, I always start with the winter. What will the garden look like with snow, frost, rain, dark evenings because the things that look good in the winter tend to be fairly architectural forms, interesting shapes, varied heights and that often means shrubs and trees and hard landscaping. Once that framework is in place, the other seasons just fill in the gaps with lots of flowers and herbs. Alternatively, what will still be interesting and attractive in a dry season when everything is parched? Again, architectual forms can provide a basis for design. And the modern, trendy thing, using native species to support wildlife. Except deer.

[PeteyPie]

I would start with researching formal gardens and informal gardens to decide the look you want. It may sound counterintuitive, but a formal style is not necessarily more difficult to maintain. Briefly, formal styles rely on symmetry more than informal gardens. I tend to think of formal gardens as using more hardscape and more hard elements like large planters, topiaries and statues.

After you decide on style, look to function as recommended above by @Willesdon

[erinmeri]

I like to peruse Gardenista for inspiration and ideas. Their “Garden Design 101” section might be a good place to start:

Gardenista - Sourcebook for Cultivated Living

[Bebe_Falcon1]

I usually like to start with Houzz … under their ‘Get Ideas’ menu they have the outdoors, gardens, etc. and you can get a feel for the style or design that speaks to you. From that point, you’re taking into consideration all the things @Willesdon mentioned, and then you can paint quite a clear picture to whoever you bring in to create a formalized plan.

We had a landscape designer do up a plan for us, even though we’re both well-versed in all things plants, and it was worth it just for some of the design elements she recommended that we wouldn’t even have thought of ourselves.

[Postandrails]

I’d start with Pinterest if you’re completely stumped. Just start with some general search terms like “small back garden” or “small low maintenance garden” and pin anything that you like, regardless of whether you think it’s achievable. As you start pinning things you’ll get more and more suggestions pop up in line with your tastes. Once you get enough photos pinned then you will start to get some clear ideas and a direction to take.

[endlessclimb]

My garden design, at least for shape, is ALWAYS to minimize weed whacking. Some people like lots of little curves all over the place - me personally I like straight lines with the sweeping curves on the edges (again, minimize weed whacking). My gardens are not “low” maintenance, but appropriate use of preen and mulch keeps everything to a hobby level, instead of a full time job.

[Bluey]

@Weezer

A landscape designer is worth every penny. They will set it up beautifully, and in a way that will likely increase the value of your property. You can hire landscape designers to just draw up the plans if you want to do the work yourself.

That, when I built this house the builder had a local yard care company put in the grass and gravel beds around trees.
Their designer drew several plans and we decided together what would work best with the well watering, how much water to use, desired plants and exposures etc.
Turned out beautiful and the cost was minimal.

At least go talk to some, see what they can help with.

[Foxglove]

My sister is Master Gardener. She belongs to a Gardening Club that volunteers to plant and maintain community gardens and landscaping. The club is often contacted by new home owners about new or existing gardens. One or two members will go to the location and make suggestions. The club does this for free, but donations to the club are appreciated! Look for Master Gardeners in ur area.

[PaddockWood]

When you say you bought a neglected property (we did too) and you’re on a horse forum I’m thinking you want to spend as little time as possible maintaining this new space.

Like Foxglove suggested, I have a dear friend who is a Master Gardener and she came to my house and took pity on my north side of our house that looked horrible. She designed the new layout and picked the plants. Then we tore out the existing crap, laid landscape fabric to kill all the grass under it, staked it in the ground over last winter and this past spring we planted it. I watered the plantings regularly to be sure it got the best start.

It all was SO beautiful already this summer and to think it will only get prettier and bigger as time goes by! It’s hydrangeas, bushes, and small plants. All perennials so upkeep will be minimal. Horse girls who work FT ain’t got no time for keeping landscape perfect and doing annuals, etc.

Does this help you?

[PaddockWood]

You could contact the local Master Gardner group and see if they would come help you and offer them a donation. Money well spent and they love plants. They have a plant addiction like we do for horses. My friend says she and her other Master Gardner friends pretty much plant something every day. Isn’t that great?

[aregard]

@PaddockWood

When you say you bought a neglected property (we did too) and you’re on a horse forum I’m thinking you want to spend as little time as possible maintaining this new space.

Got it in one.

Thank you, everyone, for suggestions. I’m not sure yet which direction I’ll ultimately go, since it is winter. I do have a lead on some good gardeners, but from their past work I’m not ready to turn them loose. They keep plants alive, but everything is planted in neat little circles. Ugh.

Partly, I have no idea how we will use the space. Maybe I should just fix the fencing and turn the chickens loose down there. We won’t use it for “strolls in the garden” because we have all the rest of the land that needs us to be strolling, weeding, de-pesting. We look over the top of it when we sit on the deck, so it’s not like “beauty” in this garden area is important – we mostly won’t see it!

I am seriously beginning to wonder if we should move the raised beds down to the back and plant our veggies there. Safer from the random deer who get in occasionally, and that leaves us more room on the rest of the land to build an ADU for the kids to come visit.

We also don’t have our water harvesting in yet, so irrigation is another open question. Maybe I’m just pushing a rope I should leave until some of the other projects are finished and/or spark different ideas.

[walktrot]

I rely on volunteers. When I bought my house 21 years ago I was cleaning up the garden. I found this 6" long piece of a plant. It reminded me of a peony. I stuck it in the ground and now I have a uge, truly spectacular deep pink plant. If someone offers you day lillies, take them. They grow and expand and pop up somewhere else on their own. Ground covers have covered large areas I used to mow.

The biggest problem is multiflora roses. They are invasive and pretty much impossible to kill. The best local nursery has a big catalog that includes some usefui lists. I use the deer resistant list. They are a problem. They ate a beautiful rhododendron the prior owner planted. They killed it in three years.

[tabula_rashah]

When I do a design for someone, I start with looking at the property from the outer edge- like looking at the front of the house from the woods or the back of the house from the property line. Then I start by placing a few taller pieces and a focal piece, then filling in with different shapes and textures with enough variety to have color (if they want color) as much of the year as possible. Try to not plant stuff that will get taller in front short stuff and I always plant in odd numbers, unless you have a very formal house, curved lines give a softer look. I also try very hard to use as much native material as possible- you state ag/ extension office/ etc websites should have lists of natives

[Obsidian_Fire]

@aregard

We also don’t have our water harvesting in yet, so irrigation is another open question. Maybe I’m just pushing a rope I should leave until some of the other projects are finished and/or spark different ideas.

This. Take this winter to get to know your land. Where the water runs or pools. Any other oddities. You mentioned deer, yes that will factor in to what you do and how much.
Do you need to clear any land? Do any work to the house? Things like that matter. Start first with things that ‘mess up the land’, your infrastructure, and as it finishes, you can then add the nice things. Kinda like hanging a picture on a wall that hasn’t been painted yet, you wouldn’t bother.

[LCDR]

Start by acquiring all the appropriate equipment. If not owned already you should have a tractor with a front end loader, a box blade, tiller, landscape rake, fertilizer spreader, and post hole auger (no hand digging to plant shrubs for me). The implements you own will help dictate the landscaping plan for you.

Oh, and a backhoe would be nice for trenching for irrigation line installation and French drains.