Getting a Garden Design out of your Head and onto Paper

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Getting a Garden Design out of your Head and onto
Paper

• Rick Durham
• Consumer Horticulture Extension Specialist
• University of Kentucky

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Developing a design

• Initial
• Interview
• Plot plan or site plan
• Site survey
• Site analysis
• Later
• Design process

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The Interview..

• What kinds of things will I do in my landscape?
• How much time am I willing to spend keeping up my
  landscape?
• What is my budget?
• What is my time frame?
• Are there environmental issues or zone
  restrictions that may constrain my plan?

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The Plot Plan.
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The Site Survey.

• Make an inventory of whats present
• Buildings and other structures, utilities
• Topography (existing slopes, water, rocks)
• Soil Properties (pH, drainage, fertility)
• Existing vegetation
• Climate (sun, shade, air movement)
• Preexisting walks, paths, and drives
• External issues (views, noise)

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Site Analysis

• Applying the site survey to paper
• Note
• Views
• Sun exposure
• Other environmental issues
• Slopes
• Existing features

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The Design Process

• Bubble diagrams
• Concept plans
• Draft designs
• Completed design

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Bubble Diagram

• Defines spaces or rooms
• Integrates the interview, plot plan inventory,
  and survey

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The Concept Plan

• Add detail to individual spaces in the landscape
  plan
• Start with large features
• Define outdoor rooms
• Define lines to separate rooms

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Draft Designs

• Preliminary
• Increased detail
• Structures added
• Types of plants or planting areas indicated
• Scale
• Garden rooms take shape floors, ceilings and
  walls

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Completing the design

• Important design principles
• Simplicity
• Variety
• Balance
• Sequence
• Emphasis
• Scale

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Simplicity and variety

• Include needed elements
• Repetition can reinforce simplicity
• Avoid clutter

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Balance

• Formal symmetrical
• Informal asymmetrical

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Sequence

• Gradual transition in form, height, and/or texture

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Emphasis

• Plants and plant groupings
• Specimens stand alone
• Accents part of a larger group
• Groups several individual plants
• Massed plants allowed to grow together

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Scale

• Relative size of elements within the landscape
• Consider mature size of plant material

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Was this ever a part of the plan?
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Other things to consider

• Landscape sustainability
• Plant Hardiness
• Sun/shade needs
• Drought/flood tolerance
• Insect and disease resistance
• Plant availability

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Completed plan

• Allows expansion over time
• Flexibility some substitution ok, refer back to
  concept phase
• Take pride in your investment

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Many of the images were taken from

• www.sustland.umn.edu

Publication resource Home Landscape
-Understanding the Basics of Landscape Design.
PM-2004. Iowa State University. Purchase only -
6.50/copy
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Thank you Questions?