Before you plant anything, you need to have a plan of what you want and what you want the garden to do for you in terms of display, privacy, shade etc. Certainly, some folk would like to have a huge expanse of lawn, but lawns must be looked after – mowing, edging, feeding and watering, lots of watering, must be taken into consideration. How much time are you going to be prepared to afford an enormous lawn? A garden full of flowers, similarly, will take up a lot of time, ongoing expense – and water.
I have always thought it to be a good idea, to sit, actually sit in your yard, and try to visualise just what it is you are hoping to achieve with the garden. If you entertain a fair bit, a barbeque area might be the go. Maybe a quiet lunching area with a pond, or some such. If you have children, then depending on the area you have available, somewhere for them to run amok. Without a plan the garden won’t have a cohesive flow and that will show when the plants have matured.
Research right from the start is important, as, even though most plants are quite forgiving in what they may endure, they none the less are not a cheap item and can at times just drop dead for no obvious reason. Far too often, this is caused by poor planning. Over-crowding, out-shading, inappropriate varieties, too wet, too dry, or inaccessability for that matter, can all spell the demise of your expensive little editions.
When buying plants, consider their expected mature height and breadth, a large tree blocking the view can actually devalue your property, possibly shade-out your neighbor, or your own garden for that matter. These days, all plants from reputable nurseries, come with information tags, giving descriptions on how to best plant your purchase, as well as the expected dimensions the plant will achieve. This is only an indication of what the plant is capable of, given optimal conditions, so don’t get too disappointed if they fail to achieve what the tag says.
The location and design of the different aspects of your garden, will be determined by many factors that are unalterable, such as the position of the house, garage, etc. It’s a good idea to get a hold of the site plan, too, so that you won’t run into any nasty surprises, like buried pipes, or cables. Aside from the obvious constraints that you will need to work with, you will also need to take other factors into consideration.
These factors will include the lie of the land, where the land is shaded or how much sun it gets, or doesn’t, during the day, the view from the rooms of the house, privacy factors and more. If your land is sloped, just how deeply so? If you have a very steep slope, it may be that terracing is the most practical approach.
You will also need to consider irrigation and drainage, as these will determine how well you will be able to manage the garden and whether you will be able to supply the plants with the necessary water, or prevent them from drowning. This will also determine the kinds of plants you will be able to have. If it is a sloped yard, drainage won’t be so much a problem as irrigation. Should you be lucky enough to have a large area to play with, where will you situate the water outlets. Dragging around 50 metres of hose tends to quickly fade any enthusiasm you may have had for watering the garden, after a long summer’s day commuting.
Consider the proximity of the plants on your neighbors side of the fence as these can also affect the growth of your garden if they are shading your property, or their roots are taking the nutrition from your soil. Likewise, you will have to take into consideration, whether or not the plants on your side will, at some future time, encroach upon your neighbors.
Once you have a good plan, having given due consideration to the long term of your garden and your evolving lifestyle, you will be ready to start digging and planting, that’s when you can start having fun. Rather than realising too late – that you should not have put the garden where you did, it is far better to work out how you should locate your garden, first.