The Basics Of Garden Design

This content originally appeared in IPR's Garden Variety newsletter, which brings together the Iowa gardening community for expert advice and up-to-date tips for gardeners of all ages.

Whether you're starting a new garden or renovating an old one, a solid plan for your space is key to success. We've gathered some expert advice to help you get started.

First things first: motivate yourself!

Look in magazines, online photos, even your friend's yard and see what they are talking about. Ask yourself what you like about a particular design: what color is it? Sheet size? The shape of the plant? Find out what ingredients you need and then start putting them together for your garden.

With this inspiration in mind, you can start planning your physical space.

Take a picture of your location and start doodling

Take a picture of the flower bed or area you will fill with plants to visualize your end goal. Print that photo or drag it to your phone or tablet and draw a plant over it.

You don't need to be detailed or hyper-realistic: experiment with rough drawings of different sizes and see how it looks in your space . For example, if you plant along a curved road, you will see that round trees blend into the landscape, not pyramids.

If you have a large space , consider using this interior design worksheet to help you in the process.

design advice

Keep some of these garden design tips in mind as you dream and plan.

dry your plants

Adding layers and rows of plants can give a space a more complete conceptual look.

Use different plant heights : Plan to have larger plants at the edge of your garden or along the walls of your house, and smaller plants further away. This will make your space look brighter and scale with its surroundings.

Note : If you're planting a border along a driveway or sidewalk, it's best to stick to a row of smaller plants.

create a drawing

Creating a common design with your plants can help create a more cohesive feeling in your garden or patio.

Patterns are visually appealing and make spaces look textured and can be useful for filling long borders. The final design can be as simple as swapping two trees.

Think about texture and color.

Plant structure refers only to the shape of the leaf. For a visually appealing garden, try mixing coarse-textured plants like hostas with fine-textured plants like grasses.

Many new gardeners jump at the thought of color, but this garden is very fleeting. Save color for the end of your planning and limit yourself to a few color options.

Try complementary colors and pinks like purple and yellow or blue and orange.
This narrow focus will help bring your garden design together and guide you in plant selection.

Design and plant an indoor garden.

If you plan to grow vegetables, there are some additional considerations for your location. You'll probably want to set aside a dedicated space for your indoor garden so you can easily keep track of these plants and their growth, pruning, and harvesting schedules.

Don't know how to organize your garden? Follow this ISU Extension guide for inspiration and advice.

choose your plants

When considering plant options, don't forget to consider how your plants will perform in the winter. Some mow their gardens in winter. If so, it's not a major issue. But if you plan to leave your plants as they are, choose ones that will keep a certain shape in cold weather.

Try mixing perennials with shrubs, such as ornamental grasses . Perennials with attractive seed heads, such as coneflowers, can also look beautiful in winter.

Consider the shape the plants will take as they mature, and pay attention to shape, texture and size for a complete look.

You should consider grouping or grouping plants , strictly planting the same plant in a designated area. It provides visual impact and serves to balance and dose the landscape.

The dos and don'ts of planning your garden

What to do: ask a professional.

With that planned, it's time to decide which plants to buy.

If you're an experienced gardener, finding plants with the shapes, textures, and colors you want can be easy. But if you're new to the field, experts can give you specific advice for your garden or location. Take your ideas along with your drawings to the garden center and ask the staff what plants would be best for you and your garden.

don't do it

When buying or transplanting seeds, plan your future garden, not your garden.

It's important to avoid overcrowding: If you plant too many plants at once, your garden can feel crowded and require more pruning. Also, if air can't circulate around the plant or if competition is a problem, more aggressive plants start to establish themselves, and you can run into a disease problem.

Use the picture or information on the seed packet to determine the distance between individual plants.

Whether you carefully plan every detail of your garden , experiment and have fun! Don't worry about your garden looking perfect. Plant radiant joy and get ready to watch it grow!

Download a printable version of our garden design tips.