Post #39A Garden Design Series Part 1
Post Description: How to design your South Florida forest garden. Part one of a three-part series.
Welcome to the first in our three-part series on garden design. This is where functionality meets beauty. Where your favorite plants get evaluated for positioning. Some of us take great pleasure in the design process, while others can’t wait to get their hands in the soil. Either way, design is a very important phase of the gardening journey.
Once an initial garden design is decided upon, design can continue to take place on a seasonal or yearly basis. Gardens are like canvases in that they can be made over time and again. So you grew a design that didn’t suit your needs last season? Redesign it and try it out again. This is the beauty, and the wisdom, that the plant world offers us.
Of course, there are some more semi-permanent plans when designing a garden from scratch that you may want to take some serious time to ruminate on. The not-so-easy details to change season to season, such as the layout of the beds, the materials of your structures, your path designs, and more should be thoughtfully considered before implementation.
Today we’ll discuss the basics of structure and style. Once you’ve got that down, check out part 2, which will cover the needs and interests of the people and animals frequenting your garden space. Finally, in part 3 we will offer guidance on implementing your plan.
Let’s dig in then, shall we?
Before You Begin
Before getting too far into the process of deciding what to plant where, first make an overall plan based on principles of design – map out the areas based on zones of proximity, the availability of sun and water, and how you will use each area to decide on the rough outlines. Once this is all mapped out, then you can plan the planting in more detail.
Garden Structure Guidance
- Perennials are the bones of the garden. They will provide long-lived structure.
- Plant the canopy and/or sub canopy layers first.
- Start small – after planting the canopy strategically, choose some shrubs and maybe start with one garden bed.
- Include lots of native plants to support and feed pollinators and beneficial wildlife. This will keep them from raiding your edibles or flowers while also providing habitat to preserve the local ecology.
- Be wary of invasive exotics – do not plant them, they will take over your beloved native garden. Non-invasive, non-native species should be ok in small numbers, but watch the behavior of any plant you put in, if it tries to take over, consider getting rid of it.
Basic Principles of Landscape Design
- Balance – visual balance between right and left of an imaginary line produces harmony and a sense of relaxation. The balance can be symmetrical with the same items on both sides, or asymmetrical, with an equal amount of mass on each side even though the actual plants or numbers are different. For example, a large tree on one side can be balanced by a mass of shrubs on the other.
- Repetition – when the same part of a view is repeated so it becomes an element that draws attention. Monotony can be avoided by creating a rhythm, for example occasionally alternating two or more plants at intervals to showcase an aesthetically pleasing view of your garden.
- Sequence – where a succession of repeated plant forms, groups, or color masses is carried in an orderly progression from one to the next, holding the observer’s visual interest.
Style
You can build a garden in any style you like, this is where your creative expression comes in. In the most general terms, garden styles fall under formal, informal, or natural with formal being the most work for the gardener and natural being the least amount of work.
Here are some style examples that are showy enough to for curbside appeal yet evoke the low-key, classic beauty you might enjoy near the house:
- The Cottage Garden: small-leaved plants, roses, possibly some topiary, such as short, sheared hedges of Yaupon Holly in a design with roses and herbs in the spaces between, decorations informal or even Celtic or British styles.
- The Japanese Garden: more formal, small flowering trees, tropical plants, Bonsai-look, raked sand or rock area(s), large rocks, shaped plants, decorations in Japanese style such as tiles. Keep in mind, this type of garden tends to be more work than the other styles.
- The Chinese Garden: more open, less formal, spiritual journey elements, water, rock, and decorations in Chinese style, such as a moon gate.
- The Prairie Ranch Garden: less formal, more natural, with country style decorations, native grasses and flowers.
- The Gothic Garden: formal or informal, think poisonous plants, black flowers, Voodoo lilies, carnivorous plants, Dutchman’s Pipe vines and other unusual flowers & shapes.
As you can see, there’s lots to think about when designing a new garden. Daunting? Perhaps. Fun? Absolutely!
A new garden design presents a new opportunity to express yourself artistically if you so choose. You can also stick to functionality if that is your thing, and focus more on best placement of plants to meet their needs. A combination of the two will yield the best results.
Are you planning a new garden space? Revamping one you already have? Post pictures in the comments if you want, we love to see a good project! Let us all know what your plans are and if this post helped organize some of your thoughts. We love hearing from you!
Happy Gardening!
Until next time,
Mary