You want a yard with great curb appeal, but you don’t have a lot of time and don’t necessarily know how to go about it on your own? This coming weekend The Plant Farm is hosting 10×10 Gardening, a landscaping seminar that will show you how to break your landscape up into 10’ by 10’ (or 100 square feet) sections that you can prepare and plant in one day. We’ll talk about the great-looking plants that are tried, true and tested in our Pacific Northwest landscapes.
Now that I’ve talked you into attending the seminar, here are a couple of things to consider about your yard and design in general, so you’ll get the most out of the seminar. The starting point of any good landscape design is careful consideration of your area. The circumstances of your flowerbeds such as sun exposure, soil composition and drainage, will inform you about the plant material that will be most successful in your landscape. The kind of sun exposure and the facing direction of your flowerbed is the most important consideration; if your bed has a south facing, full-sun exposure you will need to select plants that will thrive in a very warm, sunny environment. Conversely, if your bed is shaded all day you’ll need to choose shade-loving plants.
The next thing to think about is your soil composition and the drainage of your bed area. Sandy soils are looser which allows easy root penetration, but they often drain too quickly and hold little water. Clay soil tends to be denser and therefore retains more organic matter, but it drains poorly so a plant that needs a dryer environment will not do as well. You can test your soil to determine nutrient content and other characteristics such as acidity or pH level. The Plant Farm has pH test kits available that are easy to use and give you results right away.
Honeysuckle Bush
It’s also important to consider your personal aesthetics. Landscaping blends the scientific and the artistic. The shape of your yard, the style of your house and your personal style will shape and color your landscape. Several elements play a significant role in designing a landscape that is satisfying with an eye-catching, inviting appearance.
The elements of landscape design include:
- Theme – basing your landscape ideas around a theme, especially when breaking your yard into smaller sections, can be particularly effective. Themes can range from a particular color, styles such as Asian garden or English cottage, or a symbol. A theme of butterflies, for instance, could be based around a fountain or sculpture and incorporate plants known to attract butterflies, such as honeysuckle.
- Focal Point – focal point can mean many things. It could mean picking one plant to be the feature around which all other plants will be placed or a fountain or statuary. It can also mean that one 10’ x 10’ section becomes the focal point of your whole yard or perhaps the yard is designed in a way that makes your home the focus of the picture you’re creating.
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Coral Bark Maple
Color and Seasonal Foliage – choose colors that are a compliment to one another, but contrast enough to allow each plant to stand out when combined. In addition, think about choosing plants that have staggered blooming seasons, which creates visual interest year round. One of my favorites is Coral Bark Maple. An attractive small tree, which has brilliant coral-red bark that intensifies in winter, and in the spring, beautiful light green leaves edged in red.
- Form and Shape – form and shape can be expressed through trees and shrubs of various shapes, heights and sizes, which create natural flowing patterns and visual levels.
- Texture – plants with varying textures can add to the atmosphere of your landscape area. A flowing, soft texture of maiden grass provides a great visual foil for the wide, quilted leaves of a Hosta, for example.
- Fragrance – fragrant plants, such as Daphne or Sarcococca, along a walkway or near a seating area create a pleasing and inviting mood.
- Spacing – knowing how wide or tall your plant will grow and spacing appropriately is important to avoid overcrowding your plants, which can lead to disease issues.
Hosta
If you’re unsure what you like, or need inspiration, take a look around your neighborhood and snap a few pictures or clip images from gardening magazines. Better yet, come into The Plant Farm and take a spin through the store. Write down the names of plants that attract your eye and ask the staff for help pulling plants together to see how they look. Moreover, definitely come to the 10×10 Gardening seminar on Saturday, March 31st where we’ll be featuring plant combinations and talking more in-depth about the art and science of landscaping.
One last thought. In addition to considering your yard environment, there is a safety consideration: call before you dig! If you haven’t worked the area of your yard or are new to your home, we encourage you to contact your local utility company to make sure there are no pipes or cables where you’ll be planting.
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