19. Further Reading and References

Here are some web sites for further reading on this subject:

• How to be your own Landscape Designer
  This article, on the Virtual Garden web site, goes into more detail about various design concepts then my article does. It has some good diagrams, and is easy to understand.

• The Creative Gardener
  A good site to learn about designing planting beds and borders. There are articles on use of colour, choice of plants, and more.

• Traditional Gardening: Choosing a Style For Your Garden
  This article is a good introduction to the concepts involved in choosing a style for your landscape plan.

• Traditional Gardening: Redesigning a Front Yard
  Another article from Traditional Gardening Magazine, this one features a case history of the redesign of the front yard of an historical house. It provides a good example of basic design concepts at work.

• Better Homes and Gardens: Garden Plans
  If you are interested in some premade plans for various garden beds, here are a few. Even if these don't suit your needs, they will likely give you some ideas for your own designs.

• A Great Garden in Just One Year
  This article from Fine Gardening Magazine is an interesting, step-by-step description of one woman's experiences in creating a garden that looked full and lush in just one year. It is full of good ideas.

• Gardening Design Links at About.com
  This is an extensive, categorized and annotated list of links to articles and web sites about garden design. I'm sure you will find plenty here to help satisfy your thirst for more information.

• Gardening Design
  Just in case you still haven't had enough, here are more articles, and another annotated list of links about garden design, this time at Suite101.

The following references were used to write this article:

• Four Season Gardening, by Marjorie Harris

• The Small Garden Book, by John Brookes

• Better Garden Design, by Roger Turner

1. How do I make a garden plan? Do I really have to?
2. Get to know your site
3. Think about the future
4. What do you want to do in your yard?
5. What kind of gardening do you want to do?
6. Don't forget storage and utility requirements
7. What about driveways, walkways, and paths?
8. Think about privacy and security issues
9. Make a wish list
10. Categorize your list
11. Prioritize your list
12. Look at other gardens and yards
13. Make a general sketch of your yard
14. Go through your wish list again
15. Think about the style you want
16. Keep in mind some general design guidelines
17. Start drawing a plan
18. Get to work
19. Further Reading (web links) and References

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