Seeking to design my own garden

[BlueLioness]

Of course I have consulted several books on the topic but I still have no idea what I am doing, despite what they tried to teach me about designing gardens.

 

[parsley]

Just look at your yard, and decide where you wish there were beds of color. Then figure out if each is feasible, with lighting and water.

If you have clay soil or sand, invest in some richer/fluffier loam to mix in where the plants are. You might not need a lot -- just where the plant grows.

Don't try to grow where you have puddles or constantly-dry spots, or all-day shade. No need to fight against nature, or where plants are comfortable.

I built ours up over the years from impulse buying. If something didn't work, I didn't struggle to make it work.

Planting too much of one thing in a patch can lead to quicker spread of disease and bugs, so scatter things a little.

If you have shady spots, throw in some hosta -- they look great most of the season, and provide a nice backdrop for accent flowers.

It helps to plant a few floral bushes or trees, since they return reliably each year without a lot of work. (Rose of Sharon, lilac, rhododendron, azalea, viburnum, potentilla, larger heather) They will still look good when not blossoming.

You're up north, so might want to put some bulbs in now that will cheer you up in the spring. The smaller ones like crocuses and aconites tend to come up first (if you're desperate for plant life in the winter like I am.)

I like to mix vegetables and fruits in with the flowers, as some like raspberries or peas can look messy...and plants do well sharing space more naturally, exchanging nutrients.

 

[MissAdventure]

Good garden design is very complicated and you may need some help from more experienced gardeners or even a landscape architect.

Call your local botanical garden and extension office to find out if someone there is a garden design consultant.

And while you are at it, sign up for the Master Gardeners' class.

 

[pdudgeon]

Of course I have consulted several books on the topic but I still have no idea what I am doing, despite what they tried to teach me about designing gardens.

designing gardens really isn't that hard.
If you're familiar with the area that you want to plant, the first thing is to decide whether the garden area/s are mostly in the Sun or the shade.
Just start with some perennials, and remember that you are designing for 4 seasons.

It's not hard, and i can walk you through this pretty easily, so grab a measuring tape, a pencil and paper, a sack of lime or a garden hose, and let's go!

The first thing we're going to do is to mark out your garden area. If it's a garden that is already established, then all you need to do is to measure it for size (width and length) and jot that down on a piece of paper.
if it's to be a new garden, then mark it out and take the measurements. Use the sack of lime by the handfuls to mark the boundaries of the garden if it's a large area, or arrange the hose on the ground to mark the borders if it's a small area.
Doing this will give you a very good idea of how large your garden will actually be in real life, and it will also give you a good perspective of the work involved in taking care of it.

The second thing is to think about what plants you would like to have in the garden. just make a list of them, what season they bloom, and how tall they grow.
For example you might choose the following:
rose bush (red), blooms in Summer, grows 4 ft high by 3 ft wide.
etc, etc, etc.

let me know when you're ready to move to the next step and i'll be here to take you through it.