Design Your Landscape

A well-designed landscape will incorporate the following:

Unity is the principle that ties the landscape together as a whole. To achieve unity, resist the urge to have one plant of each variety and in every color. Repeating the same plants in various parts of the landscape gives unity. As tough as it sometimes is, try not to buy a plant, take it home, and only then decide where to put it.

Balance can be formal (symmetrical) or informal (asymmetrical), but it should achieve exactly what the word means — even distribution or equality. In a symmetrical design, the left side will be a mirror image of the right side. An asymmetrical design would not be identical on each side, but would have equal points of interest.

Proportion addresses the need to keep the landscape features in scale with the house. It is critical to keep the ultimate size of a tree or shrub in mind when selecting one for planting. That 8-foot tall maple tree at the garden center may be 20 feet tall in a few short years, on its way to up to 100 feet. Proportion also applies to smaller plants. A faster-growing neighbor can easily hide smaller shrubs, perennials and other plantings.

Variety and diversity allow you to be creative and have some fun. Be careful though, too much variety can be annoying or distracting. When the best features of your landscape have to compete for attention, they may go unnoticed. If you have the space, consider having several outdoor "rooms" — each with a different theme. Empty spaces can be effective, too. Use them to draw the eye towards a focal point. Resist the urge to fill every inch.

Form: Plants large and small have various forms, each offering something different to the landscape. They can be weeping, round, pyramidal, spreading, oval, vase or columnar. Look at trees for example. In addition to a tree's form during the growing season, consider how much shade it will provide and where the shade will be during the spring and summer. If it's a deciduous tree, imagine how it will look without leaves in fall and winter.

Line: Whether curved or straight, lines are used to draw your eye towards a focal point or to separate areas of the garden. Establishing bed lines is one of the first things to do when designing a landscape.

Texture: Leaves, flowers, stems all have texture. Finding plants and features that contrast or complement is basic to a good backyard garden landscaping idea. Foliage that is lacy in appearance would highlight a plant with more rounded leaves. Consider the year-round appearance of your prospective plants.

Color: Color is the most obvious aspect of the landscape and may be the least understood. A well-designed landscape can look good without any color (other than green). Color used wisely will accent your garden, while too much color can appear harsh or grating. When deciding which plants to use, keep color in mind just as you would when painting your home. The house is almost always the dominant feature of your landscape. The color of your plantings should complement your home's color. When choosing flowers, for example, consider the almost infinite combinations of color, the flower and foliage shapes, the timing of blooms and their duration, and the height of the plants. Decide whether you prefer the instant gratification of annuals versus the long-term investment of perennials, or a combination of both.

Determine what you have to work with. There are some aspects of your landscape that you can't or don't want to change (driveways and large trees for example). Also, remember your budget constraints.

The landscape may have to develop in stages. Make a map of your property. Draw a bird's-eye view to scale on graph paper. Start with large items and fill in around them. Be sure to include:

• The house
• Exposure (which way does the house face — north, south, east or west?)
• Boundaries (noting the neighbor's landscape style as well)
• Outdoor spaces like a deck or patio
• Features like a pergola or fire pit
• Existing plants
• Utilities (dryer vent, air conditioner/heat pump)
• Service areas (dog kennel, storage buildings, trash cans)
• Views you want to preserve or hide
• Privacy issues
• Downspouts and drains
• Grades, slopes and drainage
• Existing irrigation systems

Now that you've got the basics down, you need a plan. Decide what you want and need. What are your priorities — outdoor dining, play space for kids or pets, growing flowers and vegetables or simply relaxing in a hammock? Don’t forget to consider future plans. Here are some points to think about:

• Just as you have a style when decorating your home, use style outdoors to keep the entire property cohesive.
• Consider your house exterior for design inspiration. A traditional house works well with a variety of landscape plans while a modern dwelling does best with clean lines and simple plantings such as ornamental grasses.
• Think about the neighborhood. Will your new landscape fit in with the rest of the homes on the street?
• Do you want your landscape to have a theme? Match your landscape to your personality. Are you formal or informal, public or private?
• Are there individuals with special needs in your household who could benefit from easier access? Raised beds or wider paths may be the answer.
• What's the view from inside your house?
• How much maintenance are you willing to do?

Use tracing paper to draw your ideas. Lay the tracing paper over the map to get an idea of how the new landscape will look. Let the whole family do a design. You might be surprised at what you get. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Sustainable landscape design considers every aspect of your landscape with the goal of conserving water and energy, decreasing runoff and reducing waste. A sustainable landscape encourages a thriving natural environment and ecosystem, while reducing a negative impact on the environment.

Benefits of sustainable landscaping include:

• Water conservation
• Less water runoff and maintenance
• Minimal use of pesticides and fertilizers
• Pollution reduction
• Wildlife habitat
• Erosion reduction
• Healthy ecosystem
   

Choose native plants, trees and shrubs over exotics or non-native plants. Native plants are plants that are indigenous to a region or ecosystem. Many have deep root systems that encourage new growth and allow them to hold soil and slow runoff. Native plants also provide sustenance for local wildlife and attract native birds and pollinators.

Another way to make your landscape sustainable is to collect roof runoff in a rain barrel and use the water for plants and flower beds. To reduce the need for fertilizer, leave grass clippings on the lawn after you mow — a process called grasscycling. The clippings decay and release nutrients back to the lawn. If you decide not to grasscycle, consider reducing the size of your lawn to cut back on the amount of grass clippings. You can replace your lawn with ornamental shrubs, trees and hardier plant material. As you add more plants to the landscape, consider creating multiple levels of flowers and foliage that attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies and birds.

For more ways to create a wildlife habitat, read Attracting Wildlife With Your Garden.