LANDSCAPING YOUR YARD

by Glenn Davis, El Dorado County Master Gardener

March 2003

Annually I have attended the San Francisco Home and Garden Show and I am continuously amazed at the variety of landscapes that are on display. I always come home with dozens of ideas for landscaping; unfortunately they most often remain ideas. We also travel a little and try and include gardens in out itinerary; the result is that we have plenty of landscaping ideas that remain in the “garden of possibility” realm. The question is always, “How do you start?” whether it is a new landscape, a landscape you have inherited or a landscape change in your established garden. Just what do you include in your landscaping plans to make sure the plans meet your gardening needs?

Obviously there have been books written on the subject and my little addition to all of them is “ look at a lot of gardens.” You don’t have to travel great distances, go to the library, bookstore, park, garden center or local neighbors and see what they have done. Get a visual idea of what is pleasing to you.

Try and identify your personal garden needs, and believe me they may change over time. If you entertain a lot you may need a garden that provides a lot of space for people to mingle; on the other hand if your garden needs tend toward gardening for yourself you have to consider your space and how much time and effort you can devote to it. A lot of beginning gardeners create gardens that are considered high upkeep gardens; if you like to garden this is fine, but if you don’t like dirty fingernails and don’t have the time to garden, keep it small and under control.

Another consideration is resources; money, effort and time should enter into your landscaping equation. One method of overcoming this is to plan your landscape and divide it into stages, do a little at a time. This takes a lot of planning and the ability to stay on task and is not a suggested method for gardeners who are inspired one moment and bored the next.

Good landscaping plans start with an overall survey of what is available before you make any changes. Take a close look at the location of major plants, the house, the environment, the topography and the view. It is probably best to do this on paper and to scale as much as possible. If you are going to add plants make sure you know their mature size, not the size you purchase at the nursery. Remember to choose plants that have a high degree of success in your gardening zone, you can’t have a good shade garden on the south side of hill located in a Mediterranean climate. Nursery plants frequently look great, make sure the plant will fit in your garden and can survive in you weather before you purchase it.

If you have looked at a lot of gardens you have probably decided on a garden style or combination of styles that appeal to you. There are as many styles as there are gardens; you will probably encounter formal and informal gardens. The former takes more work to keep it attractive but sometimes lacks the spontaneity you can find in an informal approach. I suspect most gardeners blend the two together and approach gardening on a more personal basis. Garden styles are as numerous as geographical locations on earth. If you are in England you can see the English formal garden and cottage garden mixed in with the wild garden and vegetable garden in many estate gardens. You may want a landscape that includes focal points, color emphasis, statuary, or a water element; the ideas are limitless all you have to do is select a favorite and develop a plan of attack.

One final suggestion, take a good look at your house and landscape your yard to match your home as well as your personality. They should blend together and reflect your lifestyle choices.

For more information on this subject or any garden problem, contact the El Dorado County Master Gardeners, 621-5512, Monday through Friday 9:00 AM to Noon.