How do I make a garden plan? Do I really have to?

17. Start drawing a plan

Now that you have decided on a general layout, looked over your wish list, chosen a style (or two?), and developed some idea of what you like, its time to start drawing a plan. Or a few plans. You don't have to get this right on the first try. In fact, it might take several, with each try getting closer and closer to what you want.

Start by drawing a scaled drawing of your yard, showing the house, and all permanent features such as the driveway, existing decks or patios, large trees, plantings that you don't want to move. Mark window and door locations on the house outline to help you locate pathways and views. When this is done, consider making a few photocopies of it, so you don't have to redraw it each time. Or you can use one drawing, and use tracing paper overlays to draw your plan on.

Refer to your general layout sketch, and start to mark in the hardscaping (non-plant items like a fence, deck, patio, pool, hot tub, walkways, gazebos, etc.) you want. Next, consider the placement of large, more permanent plants like trees, large shrubs, and hedges. Then mark in some planting beds. And don't forget lighting. Mark in locations of lights, as well as where the required wiring will run. (Conduits for lighting should be installed where needed under driveways, patios, etc., when those items are constructed, even if the lighting won't be installed for years to come (consult an electrician for more information regarding this)).

Finally, if you wish to go into more detail, plan out the plantings in the beds, and locations of smaller features like furniture, statuary, containers and pots, bird baths, and so on.

Another part of your plan will be a schedule for doing the work. It is helpful to break the plan down into individual projects, and to determine the order in which to tackle them. The schedule might be a short one, with something to do each weekend for the next couple of months, or it might be a very long-term one, with one or more projects being done each year, and the entire plan completed over several years. There is a logical order for doing a lot of work. For example, in our yard we had the fence replaced first in the fall of 1997, and the back yard done in the spring of 1999. By having the fence replaced first, we could take the new fence into account in our design of the back yard, and we knew that the new plantings would not be damaged later by fence work. Similarly, in doing the back yard, the "hard" features were done first, followed by the pond construction, and lighting installation. We then started planting vines along the fence, a new tree, and then perennials in the new planting beds. Next year we hope to tackle the side yard, and some of the front yard.

A large consideration is the impact of doing the work. The bigger, messier, and more destructive the job, the better it is to do it first. Then there is cost and time. Expensive items might have to be spread out over a few years. On the other hand, sometimes it will cost more overall to spread things out, and it would be worth saving for a few years first and doing it all at once. Or calling up that friendly person at the bank to see what he or she can do for you, and doing it all this year.

18. Get to work

If you've made it this far, you are all set and ready to start working. Or perhaps to call a landscape contractor for some estimates (use a lot of care in choosing one). Oh, and don't forget to take those "before" and "after" photos to show off to friends, and to post on your web site.

Just remember that even the best plans can need adjustments, and that over time you might change your mind about any number of things. And that's okay, because isn't that what gardening is all about - evolving and growing, and responding to changing conditions?

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