Designing A Cohesive Garden Landscape
Moving into our new home in 2004 I was filled with great excitement at having over 2 acres to garden. Starting off with nothing but 2 acres of flat lawn and a scrub brush, I have, over the past few years, been at times excited, at times challenged and more often than I like to admit, overwhelmed. Where should I start? Should I get a formal garden landscape plan? That didn't fit in with my overall desire to do it myself. So I have effectively planned my garden, segment by segment, trying to keep in mind that each new project should work with the whole.
For the first time this year, I finally had a sense that I was nearing my objective of creating a cohesive and flowing landscape. Not being a landscaper by trade, I approached our yard quite differently than many of the traditional landscape designed yards I have seen in our areas. We did not have an overall garden plan for our yard design, rather each area seemed to spring up from yearly ideas and projects, one often overlapping another as new ideas popped into my head. Yet I am quite pleased with the results so far, and also happy that I still have many years ahead to tweak and re-arrange to my hearts content.
1. Work in small vignettes
Not being a landscaper by trade or by nature, I found trying to design a landscape for our entire property much to daunting a task. So instead, I worked area by area, creating a look and feel that I felt fit that particular spot... a bird garden, a woodland, a native garden, a vegetable garden, a small grove, all designed to fit in with their particular location and needs. Yet each was also designed to tie into their surrounding landscape. For example the vegetable garden was surrounded by fencing to keep the critters out but to enhance it's appearance from the house we added an arched gate with climbing roses and a rose hedge along the lawn side. Short ornamental shrub gardens were planted on either side to anchor the view yet not shade the vegetable area. Some of the planting in this area even matched the produce garden theme by adding blueberry shrubs, teepees to grow cucumber vines etc.
Another small vignette actually serves as two views, depending on your vantage point. From up close the bird feeder and clematis take centre stage. From a distance the sitting area as a whole is the main focus.
2. Make use of what is already there
Although it is tempting to start with a blank slate, if at all possible make use of what nature has provided. Our hawthorn grove is a great example of this. The back of our property was lined by very unattractive scrub brush. Although mostly raspberry canes, grape vine and invasive weeds, there were some great treasures. A natural grove of hawthorn trees provide a spectacular site in bloom in spring. By clearing the underlying brush, limbing up many of the trees, adding some paths and a seating area, another view was born with little material required.
Sometimes however it is necessary to remove overgrown or problem areas. In an area where we are creating a small bush, two large trees needed to be removed as they were largely rotten in the middle. Leaving them in place would have risked them falling on any new trees planted in the area. Having said that, I rescued many beautiful ash, apple and black cherry trees previously entangled with grape vine, encompassing them into our new woodland garden.
3. Use a variety of materials
It is a fact today that there are many invasive bugs and diseases that are harming many shrub and tree species. Having watched my father have to remove an entire bush of ash trees due to the emerald ash borer I decided that my approach would be to provide the widest variety of plant materials possible in our yard, creating as much bio-diversity as possible. It also meant researching much of the trees and shrubs I planned to use for potential problems down the road. Remember, avoiding potential problem trees and shrubs now will likely mean less maintenance down the road. A believe me, there is plenty of variety out there. Avoiding a few problem species, no matter how pleasant their descriptions in the garden catalogue, does not mean you will have a boring landscape.
To avoid a mixed jungle look just remember to repeat key elements, either plants or colours, throughout the garden.
4. Add native species to the landscape
When I started our landscaping, my first priority was the gardens surrounding the house. Although I incorporated a variety of plant materials, most of these were newer cultivars found in most garden centres. As I expanded my plant repertoire, I became more aware of the beauty and benefits of adding native species to my garden. Although I do not plan to limit myself to just native plant material, there are benefits to increasing the number of native varieties in a garden. The wide variety and unique nature of many of the native species makes for a more interesting garden. Native species are also more durable in the garden landscape as they are hardy for the area and more disease and pest resistant. Since they are already adapted to the climate, soil, insects and other wildlife in our area they are more likely to survive without the intervention of fertilizers and pesticides. Native plant materials are also more adapted to attracting and feeding local birds and beneficial insects.
5. Connect the vignettes
Having designed our entire yard piece by piece, the main challenge was to make sure everything flowed and appeared as a cohesive landscape. Despite the wide variety of plant materials and concepts I think my gardens fit together nicely. This was accomplished through the use of a few key design principles.
Repetition helps tie different beds together. This may mean repeated us of certain trees and shrubs or colours across various garden beds to tie the whole together.
Pathways and seating areas between different vignettes is another way to transition from one section to another. Pathways through and between major areas also help give the appearance of a thoughtful overall design plan. I also used natural stone walls and stone edging to mark the edges of our landscape or connect various gardens.
6. Vary plant heights
With such a large area I wanted to be able to look through one garden and see other gardens as a backdrop. Rather than following the tradition of smaller plants in the front and larger in the back, vary your plant heights throughout your beds creating small view windows through which you can see other vignettes you have created.
7. Plant what pleases you
Lastly, and I think most importantly, design and plant for what pleases you. I am a confirmed tree and shrub addict and not at all a fan of most perennials. Although they can add colour, I find the colour explosion mostly short-lived and the amount of work not worth the return for me. My selection of perennials is limited to those that look nice all season and require low care. But that's me. You on the other hand might like the cottage garden look. Whatever your style, follow it no matter what the garden books say!
More pictures of our landscape can be seen in the Garden Gallery Landscape Projects.