By Jeff Floyd
Certified horticulturist and arborist
It’s difficult for a plant lover to walk through any nursery without buying a cart full of plants. We often start with some unclear notions about where we’ll put them in our landscapes, but we’ll buy them anyway. This can lead to either chance beauty or a yard of complete chaos. Stay tuned for a multi-part series on how to increase your likelihood of ending up with the attractive low-maintenance landscape envisioned by your mind’s eye this year.
Begin with a plan. Developing a cohesive landscape plan doesn’t require fancy drafting gadgets or unusual paper or years of specialized training. A good imagination and a plain sheet of 8.5 by 11-inch copy paper are all you need. Sketch out the basic shape of your home and any existing features or plants you want to keep. Indicate the various areas that make up your property like the front, back and side yards. The scale doesn’t need to be perfect; you’re simply making an illustration of what already exists in your mind. Jot notes on zones used for entertainment, child play equipment, pets, hens, or storage sheds. Don’t Keep any areas or structures on your drawing that you plan to eliminate. Identify areas you may want to hide from view like trash or utility service locations. Draw a North pointing arrow in one corner of your plan. This will become important later. Make notes directly on your plan about areas that hold water or receive a lot of shade or sunlight. Indicate any areas that receive a lot of noise from traffic or business activity. If your property faces any unsightly views, indicate those on your drawing.
Now you’ll want to begin considering things like the size of your property and how close adjacent structures are to your home. You’ll also want to start thinking about the height of your home. Does it have two stories or is it a single-story structure? What is the predominant color of your home? Do any windows on your home receive more sunlight than you want? In the next installment, we’ll begin to address the types, sizes, and locations of plants for your design.
