Plan Before You Plant

If the gardening bug bit you last week while we enjoyed that surge of summery weather, don’t let this drop to milder temperatures temper your motivation.  There’s still plenty of important planning you can accomplish from inside your house. 

You don’t want to waste time and money reworking spaces in your yard just because you didn’t start with an overall plan.  As a landscape designer, I see this happen all too often.   To avoid doing—and then redoing—elements of your backyard, whether they’re landscape or hardscape, follow these helpful hints.

·        Think about the time you want to spend enjoying your outdoor space.  Will you be entertaining tons of friends on Friday night?  Hosting children's birthday parties or graduation get togethers?  Or is this spot just for you? A secret garden that serves as your escape?  

·        Then, with your space’s purpose in mind, plan the hardscape, which includes walks, patios, decks, etc.  It is important that your hardscape is the correct size to fit your needs. Obviously a dinner party patio needs to be a bit bigger than a small breakfast nook for two. 

·        Finally, work the rest of the greenery around your hardscape. This keeps you from having to move foliage later in the process because it has ended up right in the middle of your patio.  Even if you aren’t ready to do the hardscape quite yet, but want to plant this spring, having an overall plan of what your space will be is sure to cut down on ‘do overs.’ 

They don’t say “Measure twice, cut once,” for nothin’!  Get those plans in order before ordering your plants.