Beginner's Guide to Garden Planning and Design E-Book

Helen Yoest

• Herausgeber: Creative Homeowner
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Seitenzahl: 244

Beschreibung

Gardeners are generally always looking for inspiration. In the forward of Planning & Designing Your First Garden: 50 Ways to Add Style for Personal Creativity, P. Allen Smith states, "Helen has outlined 50 ways to add style to express one's personal creativity in the garden--when in fact her 50 will inspire at least 50 more ideas." Rather than force her own creative ideas on you, author, gardener, and horticulturalist, Helen Yoest teaches you to recognize and act on your own creativity. Easy to follow sections are divided into four basic priorities when thinking about your garden: Garden Basics, Garden Styles, Garden Elements and Your Garden Environment. Chapters include how to create rhythm, scale, and balance along with curb appeal to shape your owns ideas as well as a chapter on creating a sustainable garden environment where plants and animals can live together. Also learn about the importance of selecting the perfect space and sketching out your plan first, how to use containers effectively, as well as how to incorporate other features including water, walkways and walls. Let your imagination go wild and create an amazing space that will give back season after season!

Leseprobe

DEDICATION

For my three favorite flowers, Lara Rose, Lily Ana, and MichaelAster. Watching you grow and explore is the best part of mylife—both in the garden and out.

Copyright © 2012, 2024 Helen Yoest and Creative Homeowner

Beginner’s Guide to Garden Planning and Design (2024) is a revised and expanded edition of Gardening with Confidence (2012), self-published by Helen Yoest. Revisions include a new title and design and updated text and new photographs throughout.

This book may not be reproduced, either in part or in its entirety, in any form, by any means, without written permission from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts for purposes of radio, television, or published review. All rights, including the right of translation, are reserved. Note: Be sure to familiarize yourself with manufacturer’s instructions for tools, equipment, and materials before beginning a project. Although all possible measures have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the material presented, neither the author nor the publisher is liable in case of misinterpretation of directions, misapplication, or typographical error.

Creative Homeowner® is a registered trademark of New Design Originals Corporation.

Beginner’s Guide to Garden Planning and Design

Managing Editor: Gretchen Bacon

Acquisitions Editor: Lauren Younker

Editor: Sherry Vitolo

Designer: Freire Disseny + Comunicació

Proofreader: Kelly Umenhofer

Indexer: Jay Kreider

Print ISBN: 978-1-58011-608-4

eISBN: 978-1-63741-333-3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024930449

We are always looking for talented authors. To submit an idea, please send a brief inquiry to [email protected].

Creative Homeowner®, www.creativehomeowner.com, is an imprint of New Design Originals Corporation and distributed in North America by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 800-457-9112, 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.

Unless otherwise noted, photography is by Helen Yoest.

Photo on here by Juli Leonard.

The following images are from Shutterstock.com: front cover, 32–33, 34–35: L. Feddes; back cover background, 202–203: Maria Evseyeva; back cover top, 42–43: Eric Krouse; back cover second from top, 10–11, 108–109: Molly Shannon; back cover third from top, 40–41: Steve Cymro; back cover bottom, 148–149: Scorpp; inside back cover: Yoko Design; 1, 4, 46–47: Zabavna; 8–9, 66–67: Hannamariah; 16–17: Toa55; 18–19: p-jitti; 20–21: Elena Elisseeva; 22–23: KELENY; 24–25: Shelli Jensen; 26–27: Douglas Barclay; 28–29: Theresa Lauria; 36–37, 38: Joe Kuis; 44–45: Gardens by Design; 48–49, 182: Paul Maguire; 50–51: Mikael Broms; 52–53: romakoma; 54–55: fotocraft; 56–57: Jamie Hooper; 58–59: LENA GABRILOVICH; 60–61: T photography; 62–63: Hanahstocks; 64–65: Aleksandr Kondratov; 68–69: ifiStudio; 70–71: Matthew J Thomas; 72–73: Ginger Wang; 76: Art_Textures; 80–81, 134–135, 152–153: Jorge Salcedo; 84–85: Matthew Ashmore; 86–87: Sidneyphotos; 88–89: Worraket; 90–91: John Szpyrka; 92–93: Gillian Pullinger; 94–95: MagicMore; 96–97: nnattalli; 98–99: U__Photo; 100–101: Antonina Potapenko; 102–103: qingqing; 110–111: Rob Hainer; 112–113: Jason Finn; 116–117: MZinchenko; 118–119: Beekeepx; 120–121, 196–197: Kathryn Roach; 122–123, 150–151: 1000 Words; 128–129: nieriss; 130–131: New Africa; 132–133: Bartkowski; 136–137: PRILL; 140–141: Chen Liang-Dao; 142: funkyteddy; 144–145: JohnnyZMI; 146–147: pim pic; 154–155:friedgreenbeans; 156–157: Vilda.S; 158: sirtravelalot; 160–161: AngieC333; 162–163: Maximiliane Wagner; 164—165: Andrii Salomatin; 166–167: Baloncici; 168–169: Cynthia Shirk; 170: James Laurie; 172–173: Ms.Karyn; 174–175: Leena Robinson; 176–177: Susan Law Cain; 178: Martins Vanags; 180–181: Alex Manders; 184–185: Konmac; 187: Debu55y; 188–189: symbiot; 190–191: Delpixel; 198–199: Orhan Cam; 200–201: Pefkos

FOREWORD

It is always a joy to learn new things and to be reminded again of others. I’m always looking for resources to continue to hone my gardening design skills. Beginner’s Guide to Garden Planning and Design accomplishes just that. This book methodically outlines a foundation of best practices starting with the basics and adding to those building blocks to help us develop into the best gardeners that we can be. The confidence gained from understanding how to add design features, while developing our own personal style, will take us and our gardens to that next level.

Beginner’s Guide to Garden Planning and Design is a true labor of Helen Yoest’s love of our common pursuit. Helen has outlined 50 ways to add style to express one’s personal creativity in the garden when in fact her 50 will inspire at least 50 more ideas in us.

Helen covers all of the topics that any beginning gardener will want to know about and offers more seasoned gardeners many inspiring ideas. I am taken in by all the themes but particularly by the chapters on garden planning and creating your garden environment. I am crazy about moss gardening and all the wildlife topics she documents in the book.

In this book, she instills gardening self-assurance with her relaxed and easy, unprescribed approach. She introduces us to basic concepts and patiently explains them with an informative and gentle voice written with the ease of someone who has garnered a wealth of personal experience over the years— making her an ideal guide to lead readers through all the helpful ideas and concepts. She gives readers the courage, the confidence, and the tools to strike out on their own and develop their personal style. Each step is a rewarding journey encouraging us to take that next step, then another and yet another.

Beginner’s Guide to Garden Planning and Design provides all of us an overview of garden style without dictating what it should be. Helen helps readers explore, discover, and express what their own style actually is. She leads us through this voyage of self-expression not as a designer would approach the subject, but as an enlightened guide who over the years has worked through the obstacles. It’s obvious Helen has practiced and discovered what works and what doesn’t.

This experience helps her to communicate on the same level as the reader. Like working through a puzzle with a trusted friend, she gives us the gift of gardening success through self-realization.

P. ALLEN SMITH

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1. Carving Out Space

Chapter 2. Sketch Your Idea

Chapter 3. Prepare a Plan

Chapter 4. View from the Inside

Chapter 5. Rhythm, Scale, and Balance

Chapter 6. Curb Appeal

Chapter 7. Style

Chapter 8. Bulbs

Chapter 9. Container Gardens

Chapter 10. Cottage and Country Gardens

Chapter 11. Formal and Informal Gardens

Chapter 12. Gardens Out Front

Chapter 13. Herb Gardens

Chapter 14. Moss Gardening

Chapter 15. Rock Gardening

Chapter 16. Vegetable Gardens

Chapter 17. Wildlife Gardens

Chapter 18. Adding Color to Your Garden

Chapter 19. Fence Follies

Chapter 20. Creating a Focal Point

Chapter 21. Movement In the Garden

Chapter 22. Sound

Chapter 23. Privacy

Chapter 24. Garden Seating

Chapter 25. Accenting Your Garden with Art

Chapter 26. Arbors

Chapter 27. Covered Porches

Chapter 28. Garden Bed Edging

Chapter 29. Foundation Plantings

Chapter 30. Water—Fountains and Ponds

Chapter 31. Fragrance in the Garden

Chapter 32. Garden Gates

Chapter 33. Level Changes

Chapter 34. Layers of Light

Chapter 35. Mailbox Gardens

Chapter 36. The Garden Path

Chapter 37. Retaining Walls

Chapter 38. Garden House

Chapter 39. Trellises

Chapter 40. Kids in the Garden

Chapter 41. Attracting Birds, Bees, and Butterflies

Chapter 42. Critter Control

Chapter 43. Energy Conservation

Chapter 44. Gardening for the Seasons

Chapter 45. Layering the Landscape

Chapter 46. Ideas for Reducing Lawn

Chapter 47. Simply Sustainable

Chapter 48. Water-Wise Gardening

Chapter 49. Time

Chapter 50. Gardening with Confidence

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

INTRODUCTION

Each of us brings a unique quality to everything we do. While garden types are definable— cottage, formal, contemporary—your personal style will make your garden unique. There are some gardens that make me feel like I’m in the pit of a well-balanced orchestra, with each instrument—a flower, a shrub, a tree—insignificant on its own but lyrical within the arrangement. These gardens may not all be expensive, but they are all thoughtfully arranged, with each addition carefully considered. The rhythm, the scale, the color echo—it all works well together. Nothing dominates or upstages the other important performers.

Considering the garden as a whole allows it to sing. Knowing what makes a garden work begins with understanding the elements of a garden. Once you understand how to use and place elements, an arbor, a trellis, a bench, you can give your garden a voice.

This book is designed to give you insight into the basics of arranging the components of your garden. The confidence you’ll gain from knowing how to add design features, while developing your own personal style, will help take your garden to the same levels occupied by the fantastic gardens that inspired you to begin your own work of art in the first place.

The gardens with the most melodic voices are those that reflect good design along with the owner’s individuality. You may find you’re comfortable with your fashion or interior style, but once you step outside, you lack the confidence to create a beautiful space. The purpose of this book is to teach you how to develop a stunning design that reveals your own signature.

Keep in mind that each childhood memory, each turn of the page in a gardening book or magazine, and every trip to a botanical garden has influenced your gardening style. It’s not a mystery. Hand me a garden magazine you’ve just read, and I can tell your garden style by reading the dog-eared pages. If you peek at the colors in your bedroom closet, you’ll realize they’re echoed in the garden; racks of red or pink or blue or yellow clothing often repeat as rows of colorful flowers or foliage in your garden beds. Even the way you hang your family photos on the refrigerator door can say a lot about your gardening style. Those of you who allow your photos to touch and overlap or to be a bit off-kilter will gravitate to a certain gardening style. Those of you who don’t want your photos to touch at all will likely incline toward a different style.

If you express your true self and let your passion be your guide, your unique style will always be the right choice.

Natural curiosity and wanderlust took me around the world several times over, and with each trip, I sought out great gardens along the way. I learned to appreciate each and every garden type and all the many styles that fit within each. I’ve never met a garden I didn’t like. It’s true. From frothy cottage styles to minimalist, contemporary styles. I see something to appreciate in each garden I visit.

During my career working for of some of the nation’s leading shelter magazines and gardening organizations, I found myself in a position to evaluate gardens for touring and publication merit. In every case, whether I saw them for a tour or a magazine, the most memorable gardens had good design, with the homeowner’s unique touch.

This book shares my design perspective, providing tips that you can apply to your garden at home. Each chapter will walk you through an element of design, allowing you to think about your own situation at home. Then you can add your own flair so that you can create a fantastic garden, a garden that sings.

So, get comfy and come along with me as we journey down the garden path.

HELEN YOEST

Flowers are just one of the tools for adding color and uniqueness to a garden.

CHAPTER 1

CARVING OUT SPACE

Nature has a magic number: 3. Threes abound in all forms of art, nature included. It’s called the “rule of thirds.” Used in architecture, painting, photography, and landscape design, the rule of thirds helps put things into perspective. It’s the handiest tool to use whenever you want to create art, and landscape and garden design is certainly art.

When in doubt, break your design into thirds relative to a reference point. Most often that object will be the house itself. For example, you can use the rule of thirds when determining the width of front yard foundation beds (the plants that hug the house). Imagine if the front of the house were to lie down flat. The width of your foundation bed should be two-thirds of this length.

During new home construction, a row of foundation plants may be planted with no regard to the scale of the home. A single-story house might get the same depth of bed as a two-story house. A well-planned foundation bed, however, should be in proportion to the height of the house. With the bed done, you can then move on to your planting scheme.

Avoid putting all your planting beds around the perimeter of your house and the outer perimeter of the property line. It’s easy to carve out creative space in other areas of your landscape, too.

When carving out space, it’s important to know your “aspect”—basically, you need to know which way is north. It matters. Knowing your aspect will help you understand the amount of sun the plants will receive. When you are locating features like patios, playsets, or swimming pools, you need to consider what sort of sun they’ll get. South-facing slopes are hot and sunny. This would be a good location for a pool but not necessarily for a playset. Make sure that the place you’ve chosen for your sunny wildlife garden doesn’t have too much shade.

Don’t be afraid to use straight lines when forming bed edges, lawn shape, paths, and retaining walls. It is often best to mimic the shape of the house. Most home shapes have straight lines, and it works well to repeat this pattern. As you move away from the house, the lines can begin to form a more natural curve.

What do you like about the garden here? Most likely, it’s not the plants or the accents that please you, although they may. Take a closer look at the scale. Does it seem like it’s a good fit? Creating a garden that is in scale with the lot and the house is one of the most important things you should consider for your design. This particular garden followed the rule of thirds with the patio, steps and landing, and privacy wall and gate beyond. It all works together beautifully.

For my home garden, I carved out space by using low boxwood hedges to define the edges. The straight lines give shape to the garden, allowing for year-round structure as the spring, summer, and fall flowers fade. Rows of trees can also give the same effect but with a more casual look.

Look at your existing beds. Are they pleasing in scale? If not, follow the rule of thirds, and increase or decrease your garden and its components to fill two-thirds the width of the closest structure, whether that structure is a house, fence, or gazebo.

This patio with steps and green areas creates a sense of balance within a smaller area.

GARDENING WITH CONFIDENCE

Scale and Balance

When I first pulled up to the curb of our current home, it was obvious something was off. The two-story brick traditional home sat elevated about 8 feet (2.4m) higher than the sight line from the street. There were no large trees; the ground was covered in English ivy; and the foundation plantings were tight against the house, lined with identical boxwood hedges. To make matters worse, the faux Georgianstyle home had these ostentatious columns that made the house look even more imposing from up high on its hill and entirely out of scale with everything surrounding it.

The first thing I did was extend the foundation beds out from the house to two-thirds the height of the house. Immediately, the house “felt” better, with the extended beds keeping the space from feeling tight and anxious. Even without plantings, widening the beds to be in scale with the house improved the look.

I also added trees to visually “bring down” the imposing height. The trees reached about two-thirds the height of the house. It worked. Today, the curbside view is of a home that is comfortably in scale with its surroundings.

This patio space is well-defined by the chairs and potted plants.

CHAPTER 2

SKETCH YOUR IDEA

Agarden is a place of wishes and wants. Often you imagine how something would look over in the corner or under the old oak tree. You wonder how a swing would look in that space. Or maybe you have a vision of a bench, plantings, or a container or two.

When planning your ideal garden, landscape designs are a valuable tool for placing plants, but you may decide to add much more than greenery or flowers. If you’re considering creating a structure or putting “hardscaping” (paved areas, patios, or walkways) in an existing location, it’s fun and easy to mark up your ideas on a photograph.

Confidence is born with pen and paper. Start by taking photos of your garden from various angles. With several copies of a photograph, printed from your computer or scanned, begin to play with lines, seating, buildings, arbors, and so on. Something as simple as marking over an existing bed can bring life to the image, allowing you to better visualize your thoughts. This technique is an amazingly handy way to look at your garden and imagine change, and it is used by many experienced landscape designers, including myself, to help homeowners visualize their new gardens.

When I planned my garden, I needed to keep my children in mind. Their time at home would be about half the time I expected to live in the house, so my design needed to be adaptable. Using black-and-white printed copies of an overall view of my garden, I could mark up the photographs to see how my ideas would affect the space.

A long, flat area in the back garden serves as the kids’ soccer field, where all sorts of balls are hit and kicked about. At one end of this space is a gazebo, and at the other end the children’s playset. While the kids already enjoyed this area as their space, I planned how to add a bit of space here for myself, as well.

My dream came to life on the page as I sketched and crumpled one page after another until I got my thoughts down. I wanted to have a garden house. By sketching the garden house on the page, I could immediately see the scale I needed and the best position to place my new “home away from home.” I was able to perfect the idea with my sketches. Today, the garden house sits in that area and brings many hours of enjoyment, whether I am alone or watching the kids play in the yard.

Before I did my sketch, I measured out a footprint of the space available for my garden house. What I could support with regards to space based on the footprint was at least 50 percent bigger than what the space could visually hold. The scale would have been overpowering. If I had put in a garden house based solely on the available space, I would have made a very big and expensive mistake. A simple sketch gave me perspective—I could see that my garden house would need to be smaller. This gave me a more informed point from which to move forward.

When sketching over printed photographs, I recommend using a permanent marker like a Sharpie® because the bold lines show up better on the page. Mark up your ideas on the printed photo. You don’t even have to be good at drawing. (I’m certainly not.) Once the thick line is drawn, the existing lines fade away. Your new vision becomes clear and prominent. Immediately see the effect of widening the beds, changing the curve, or adding a bench, an arbor, or a gate. If you don’t like what you see, crumple up the page and toss it into the recycling bin. Begin again. It’s that simple.

One of the best advantages of this technique is that it allows you to see the scale at a glance. Even though you may not know the exact dimensions of your space, you’ll have a relative sense of the proportions. Try it. You may just surprise yourself!

With your sketch, you can shop for your needs with a better understanding of what you have to work with. Take it with you when you shop at the garden store. Showing the staff your sketch will help them put the dimensions into perspective, too.

This is the sketch I made over the “before” garden space.

GARDENING WITH CONFIDENCE

Sketch First

After 25+ years in my garden, I began to evolve further. I started to move away from squiggles and curves in my front garden. My house was very linear, and I started to think that, rather than trying to mimic nature in a clearly manmade garden, it would be more appropriate to follow those lines.

I had trouble visualizing what the new bed lines would look like going from curved to straight. And I couldn’t grasp how much this change would add to (or take away from) the current bed space. Within minutes, I’d printed photos of the front beds, pulled out a marker, and sketched on top of the pictures until I finally got it right. I could easily see on the paper where and how to change the existing lines into new edges. With this confidence, I took a can of blue marking paint and marked my new lines. I stood back, looked everything over, and said, “Yeah, man; that’s it!” Now I can say that it’s hip to be square.

The “after” photo of how my sketch became reality to transform my garden space.

CHAPTER 3

PREPARE A PLAN

The best part of having a master plan to work from is that the design will carry you through the process of building your garden as resources become available. Not all the work needs to be done at once. Creating a plan, by yourself or with a designer, ensures that you are building a garden you’ll love that will truly reflect your style and your vision.

Planning ahead also helps to minimize disruption to the garden—less will need to be edited, moved, or unearthed if, for example, you decide at a later date to add electric lines for night lighting. You will consider the obvious things, of course: your own preferences. Do you want a formal garden? A low-maintenance one? Wild splashes of color or orderly, precise patterns?

Consider the practical issues, too, like shade, sunlight, and soil type. When you’re digging during the initial installation, it’s the perfect time to add hardscape features and maybe an irrigation system. This will save your garden from being torn up as you move forward.

Reading the dog-eared pages of magazines you’ve saved is one of the best ways to quickly identify your gardening style. It’s like reading palms or tea leaves—you’ll find messages in the pages. Notice how each page reveals a pattern—perhaps you repeatedly gravitate to hot pops of red and purple. Perhaps you bent the corner of every page displaying a jumbled mix of plants, or maybe you leaned toward images filled with specimen plants—those noteworthy enough to stand on their own. Identifying these themes will help you plan your garden.

If you feel that the whole process of creating the garden is overwhelming and daunting, help is but a conversation away. It might be as simple as asking a friend who has designed their own garden. Searching the internet is another good way to find designs you like. Many homeowners tinkering with their own designs who want to do their own work still rely on various professionals to help with certain steps along the way. Before you do your own final design, you may want to talk with a design professional. Hiring a landscape designer can be your best outdoor investment.

As an avid gardener and design professional, I understand how important getting another opinion can be. Long ago, I left my ego at the curb, gaining the confidence to ask for help. Sometimes we just need to step away from something that is too familiar and ask for help. Decisions about a design element that could paralyze me in my own garden were the same decisions I could easily make for my clients.

A designer can help with patios, decks, and dining areas, or even with siting children’s playsets. Designers can help you consider and place shade structures, rain gardens, a pool, or a spa. The placement of these elements within the design will give you a coherent plan for your entire lot, saving you from later heartache.

A designer can help you consider your future needs. Even if your budget doesn’t currently fit your wish list, adding a future dream to your master plan will allow the garden to grow when your budget is ready.

As with most professionals, each designer gravitates toward a niche. Working with a designer who has a strong interest in horticulture will help you with the selection and care of your garden plants. Certainly, if you are looking for a professional to help choose plants to complete a design, a horticulturist is the one to call. Working with a designer who specializes in swimming pool garden design will enhance your plan if your focus is to add a pool.

When I added steps leading up an incline and through my mixed border, in an area that would also be a very visible focal point, I went to a professional who specialized in this kind of design. It was the best decision I ever made for my own design, and I don’t say that lightly. I waited ten years to have the budget and inclination to make it happen.

Before your first visit with a landscape designer, make a list of all your wishes and wants. Identify any problem areas you want to address. Be sure to take your collection of dog-eared magazines along to show the designer your favorite garden elements and discuss why you are attracted to them.

It’s fun going plant shopping and coming home to find the best place to plant your newest acquisition. You walk the garden, plant in both arms, resting it on your belly, until you find the perfect spot. It may not be the most practical thing you and I do, but we all do it. We will all continue to do it, so we might as well plan for it.

With a plan prepared, you can better understand where new plants will fit in the overall scheme of your gardening vision. If nothing else, you can more quickly find a home for any new addition.

Garden plan sketches should include as much detail as possible, but still allow for flexibility.

GARDENING WITH CONFIDENCE

Be Practical

In 1997, when I first planned my current garden, I did it with kids in mind. At least, I thought I did. At the time, I had one child, who was one year old. Understanding what I needed for a child-friendly design was about as foreign to me as the Gettysburg Address would be to my dog, Pepper. You can read and do, plan and prepare; but life always happens. When planning your garden, be practical. Don’t plant bee-enticing flowers along the entranceway, spilling into the path. Don’t put pretty poisonous berries in direct reach of a curious toddler. Don’t forget to include an area of lawn for spread-blanket picnics and daisy-chain making, cloud watching and counting shooting stars. Kids should feel their bare feet on cool summer grass and know the sensation of the blades tickling their toes. Your weekend doesn’t have to be spent caring for a large expanse of lawn, but a patch of green can become a magical place where children build memories to last a lifetime.

Having a plan in place will help you visualize your new space even while it’s still in progress.

CHAPTER 4

VIEW FROM THE INSIDE

There’s no reason to enjoy the garden only while outside. Most of us will spend more time inside than out, even those of us who spend a considerable amount of time in the garden. It is also true that not all family members will share your enthusiasm for being in the garden. However, they can be captivated when the view becomes a part of their everyday scenery. Concentrate on views in areas where you spend the most time, and your garden will be enjoyed by everyone all year long. In addition to designing your view from the inside, considering good placement of plantings can also provide other benefits, such as buffering a direct view from a neighbor’s window or blocking the glare of the setting summer sun.