In this article we will outline the principles, questions and parameters that will help you with your garden design. Watch our video putting the principles into practice with a real-life example.
Find the complete list of the plants we mentioned at the end of the article!
The Need for Garden Design
When you’re designing your garden you have the task of merging the fantasy garden image in your head and your garden’s practical needs. All vision and no practical thinking leads to a garden that doesn’t function well. No vision and all practical thinking will give you a garden that functions brilliantly but doesn’t resemble what you want!
Identify Your Parameters in Your Garden Design
Narrow your focus by identifying parameters you want to work within. This will help you choose your plants.
Consider the budget you are working with. If you have lots to spend, you may want to buy more established perennials. If you are working with a tighter budget, you will want to choose a few established perennials to start with that you can propagate from later. You can start other perennials and annuals from seed. Although starting from seed is more time intensive, it will save you a lot of money.
Another example of a parameter is a color palette. Everyone has certain colors they adore and others they can’t stand. Resource your vision board to see what you are naturally drawn to!
Once you’ve established some helpful parameters you should start choosing the plants that will go in the garden you are designing.
Choosing Your Plants for Your Garden
While there is no one right way to begin to sort through the thousands of options you have for plants, we have identified a few starting questions to ask. Use these four questions to help you start choosing the plants for your garden.
What plants do I already know and love?
Although this is an obvious question, sometimes we need permission to grow only what we actually want–not what everyone else seems to love or what we see on social media. It’s not worth growing plants that you don’t love.
What plants are already growing in my yard that you can propagate?
Perhaps you or the previous owners have already planted something in your yard. If you like the plant, great! Most perennials are fairly easy to propagate from. To save time and money, divide these plants to fill out other parts of your garden.
What are the main elements of my theme for my garden?
Again, your vision board will come in handy here. What colors do you see in your garden? Are you growing for food production or aesthetics? Do you want your garden to have secret vignettes or are you looking for something more orderly and symmetrical? These are some considerations as you identify the main elements of your theme for your garden.
What beneficials can I add?
This is one of the most important (and least asked) questions for home gardeners. “Beneficials” refer to dynamic accumulators (e.g. comfrey, yarrow, nettle), biomass producers (e.g. sudangrass, comfrey), pollinator attractors (e.g. bee balm, borage, lavender), nitrogen fixers (e.g. goumi berry, lupine, red clover), and pest repellers (e.g. nasturtium, eucalyptus, chives). The good news is that many of the plants you already know and love probably perform at least one of these functions. Consider how you can fill out your garden space by adding these beneficials–especially the ones that will meet needs that are currently lacking in your garden space.
Garden Design Using Your Garden Map
Make sure to read our article on Creating a Garden Map. Using your map, we recommend that you start with the focal points of your garden. When you walk out into your yard, what are the first things you are going to see?
Once you have identified the central plants you want to see, work outwards to your smaller beds to fill in the space. Either hand draw or use a landscape template to draw in each plant you want to grow in these beds. This might feel like you’re “over-planning” for a garden. We strongly believe that under-planning is a greater risk.
We hope you feel closer to nailing the design of your garden! Remember to grow the plants you love, have fun, and enjoy the process. You will have a beautiful garden to show for it!
Here is a complete list of the plants mentioned in the video
From cutting/root:
- Comfrey
- Lavender
- Hosta
From seed:
- Yarrow
- Nettles
- Borage
- Echinacea
- Lavender
- Bee Balm
- Agastache
- Creeping Thyme
- Lady’s Mantle
- Feverfew
- Rudbeckia
- Baptista
- Golden Alexander
- Cupids Dart
- Blazing Star
- Russian Sage
- Pearly Everlasting
- Salvia
- Chives
- Sage
From bare root & bulbs in the fall:
- Peony
- Aster
- Alliums
- Tulips
- Daffodils
- Deutzia
Established plants we’ll buy in the spring:
- Butterfly bushes
- Hydrangea
These are the sites where we’re buying our plants: