Tips for Designing the Perfect Garden

May 29th, 2009

· Go through magazines or the net to see what plants appeal to you. Not all plants are going to be able to thrive in all areas of the country so head off to your local nursery and see what plants they carry that are similar to the ones you like.

· Use different elements in the garden; stone, brick, metal, glass, water, sand, etc.

· Break up large open spaces into smaller garden rooms. Create a play are to hold the swingset and trampoline, a garden area for vegetables, a patio area for meals and relaxing, a covered area made from trees or an arbor to escape from the sun.

· Grow herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and onions on the patio or convenient to the kitchen to be able to use in food prep and making salsa.

· Break the rules. Do you even know what the rules are? Who cares! Use your own common sense and plant what appeals to you. Do read the care tags though to make sure you’re planting and watering properly and it has the right amount of sun.

· Look at the view from inside your home. When we first moved into our home I hated our front yard with no grass or plants, so I would look across the street to our neighbors beautiful yard with full grown trees, beautiful flowers and plants. I told them many times “thank you” for having such a beautiful yard for me to look at and be able to daydream about how my yard would look some day. When planning my landscaping I took the view into consideration. How is your view from inside your home? Do you need to make any changes?

· Add containers to bring flowers to patio, porch and deck areas. And to soften the edges along paths, sidewalks and driveways.

· Use interesting plants with colorful foliage, varying textures and shapes, and colorful blooms.

· Direct the eye and create movement through the yard by using color, shape, height and architectural elements.

· Use easy growing, easy care plants and trees in the garden.

· Don’t forget to etch out a place for you to enjoy different areas of the garden. Create places for you and your family to relax and enjoy the sights and sounds around you.