What is Garden Design?

           Garden design is actually the art of designing and then creating plans for planting and arranging landscapes and gardens. This can be done as a do-it-yourself project or with the help of professionals such as garden landscapers. There are countless ideas that you can consider when creating a garden and backyard design. Time and cost would be the most obvious, but it's also important to consider your personal style, resources, environment, budget and available space.   It is important to emphasize that your location can greatly affect the appearance of your garden. For example, landscape design features such as hills, vistas, steep slopes, and other associated elements can determine or suggest aspects of a garden's layout. These elements can also be used to create a certain impression. Keep in mind that soil and climate will affect the types of plants you can grow in your garden. When creating a design, you should also think about the maintenance of the garden. Choosing garden plants based on growth rate or whether they are perennials or annuals, and many other characteristics will help determine garden maintenance requirements. Let's look at some common design elements. To achieve the best results, you need to think about the natural features of your garden with regard to soil, climate, architectural design and natural elements such as sandstone and limestone. Architectural elements must always complement the overall style of the home. This ensures that the design of the garden blends perfectly with the natural environment and that the plants flourish in the best habitat. Last but not least, the garden design must include how you will use the space; whether it is informal, formal, traditional or modern and how the space would relate to the house and any other structure in the area. There are certain elements that play a vital role in creating an effective garden design that meets your needs and desires. While it is common to have a garden with green and colorful plants along with a grassy l awn, you can add many natural elements to enhance the overall decor of your yard and plants. Garden design elements include hard landscaping such as patios, paths, seating, water features, walls and plants or vegetation. For the latter, you must consider horticultural needs, their appearance through the seasons, growing environment, longevity, size, growth rate, as well as how to combine them with other plants and landscape features.  Starting a garden is one of the most rewarding things you can do. Plant fragrant florals or start a vegetable garden (or both!), and everyone can benefit from getting their hands a little dirty. But if you're new to gardening, it can be difficult to know where to start. Still, it doesn't have to be complicated; when you break your project down into manageable steps, you can ease into gardening at your own pace. And soon you'll see the rewards of your efforts with beautiful views, delicious flavors, and colorful blooms. These steps will help you get started from scratch, but if you have something particular in mind, you could also use a garden plan to guide your design, do you want to plant a vegetable garden? A herb garden? A flower garden? If you choose vegetables and herbs for their contributions to your dinner table, plant ones your family will eat or be willing to try. If you want flowers for their flair, color, and fragrance, decide whether you want annuals that bloom most of the summer but need to be replanted each spring or perennials that have a shorter bloom time but return year after year. Each one, or even a combination, makes a stunning garden but will have different maintenance requirements. One bit of advice: Start small until you know what you're getting into.   Almost all vegetables and many types of flowering plants need 6 to 8 hours of full sun each day. So you need to observe your yard throughout the day to figure out which spots receive full sun versus partial or full shade. Don't worry if your yard is mostly shady: You won't be able to grow tomatoes in the shade, but many other plants (such as host as and outdoor ferns) will do just fine. Check plant tags or ask the staff at your local garden center to help you understand out how much sun a plant needs. If possible, pick a relatively flat spot for your garden because it's more difficult, time-consuming, and potentially expensive to deal with a sloping garden. And make sure your new garden will have easy access to a water source.  Get rid of weeds and sod in the area you plan to plant. If you want quick results—for example, if it's already spring  and you want veggies this summer—cut it out. Slice under the sod with a spade. Cut the sod into sections to make it easier to remove, then put it on your compost pile to decompose. For a longer term project, it's easier to use the lasagna gardening method: Cover your future garden with five sheets of newspaper; double that amount if your lawn is Bermuda grass or St. Augustine grass. Spread a 3-inch layer of compost (or combination of potting soil and topsoil) on the newspaper and wait. It'll take about four months for the compost and paper to decompose. But if you start in the fall, by spring you'll have a bed ready to plant with no grass or weeds and plenty of rich soil.  To learn more about your soil, have a soil test done through your county cooperative extension office. They'll lead you through the procedure: How much soil to send from which parts of the garden and the best time to obtain samples. Expect a two-week wait for the findings, which will tell you what your soil lacks and how to amend it. You can also use a DIY kit that may not be as detailed, but will give you an idea of your soil's nutrient levels.  Residential soil almost always needs a boost, especially in new construction where the topsoil may have been stripped away. In addition to being low in essential plant nutrients, your soil may also have poor drainage or be compacted. The solution is usually simple: Add organic matter. Add a 2- to 3-inch layer of compost, decayed leaves, dry grass clippings, or old manure to the soil when you dig or till a new bed. If you decide not to dig or are working with an established bed, leave the organic matter on the surface, where it will eventually rot into humus (organic material). Earthworms will do most of the work of mixing humus in with the subsoil.  As your garden begins to grow, help it reach its full potential by keeping up with garden chores. Water the plants before they wilt. Pull weeds before they go to seed. Get rid of dead, dying, and diseased vegetation. Banish destructive insects (such as tomato horn worms) by picking them off the plant and dropping them into a bucket of sudsy water, hosing them off, or spraying on an insecticidal soap purchased at a garden center. Support tall plants (such as tomatoes) with a trellis, stake, or a tepee. Also, harvest vegetables as soon as they're ready. And remember to stop and smell the...well, whatever it is you're growing.