depth of a bed is determined .. by me anyway ... by how YOU ... are going to work it ...

a 2 to 3 foot bed.. which is pretty darn small.. can be worked from the front ...

the real key to a GREAT bed.. is NOT walking in it too much.. compacting the soil ...

a 4 to 5 foot bed.. starts to make that problematic ... and i would start thinking about making it 6 foot.. so i could leave a foot or two behind.. so i could walk back there to take care of the bed from the back ... and it also takes into account ... being able to do maintenance on the house or fence behind.. without destroying the garden ...

then there is getting totally carried away.. and going say.. 10 feet ... and putting a meandering path thru the whole ... so you can ... really GET INTO IT ... literally ... lol .. and that would give you 4 foot beds on each side of the path ....

but.. all that said ... one trap to avoid.. is thinking you can 'plan it all out' on paper ... sooner or later.. the grass starts disappearing.. and plants get moved.... and next thing you know... the beds are wider.. because you need more space ... lol .. we have all been there ... and besides kids needing grass ... of what use is it to the rest of us ... its just a weekly mowing job ....

make any sense???

i would go a big as you can handle .... its rare.. that we hard core... ever say.. i wish i had less ... and that is usually at age 70 or so .... of which i am doubting your at.. based on your premise ... and i would recommend.. you do half of a plan.. big ... than do the whole 'halfheartedly' ... there is another word.. i am choosing not to use.. lol .... so do, say... one side... see how it works out... and then.. with experience.. plan the other half ....

ken

The longer it is, the wider it should be to look in proportion. Outline the area with a garden hose and it will probably be clear to you whether or not it looks right.

I'm with Ken on this - go big or go home! How many times have we started with what we thought was a bed/border of 'reasonable' depth only to find in subsequent years the edges of that bed start creeping out further and further. "I'll just take a little more of the lawn out"........yeah, right!

The advise from Ann is appropriate as well. There is a proportionality that will work best with your specific site. Just err to the generous end of things. Many perennials can get much larger than you expect and you will also need the depth if you intend to grow those that put on considerable height. A crambe stuffed into a 4' wide bed looks ridiculous but will be majestic in one 8-10' wide.

It also does not need to be the same depth throughout. If you use a hose to layout the bedline, you can work out a gently curving form that varies the shape and depth of the bed. Just don't get too carried away with too many curves - keep it simple.

I would not be overly concerned about walking on or through the border unless it starts to exceed 10'. Typically, the only time you need to do this is once or twice a year - early spring for any winter clean-up and perhaps in fall for similar maintenance and mulch spreading. Just using a length of wood to walk on and distribute your weight will serve to avoid soil compaction.

soil compaction depends on soil type ...

if you spend 1000 hours.. and 1000 hours amending a bad clay soil ... you would never walk on it .. dont you think ...

but it is just something to think about ... always keep it in mind ...

one thing i forgot... try to avoid a straight line for the bed... undulating is so much more eye candy ....

i would finish by saying.. 90% of your success ... is in bed prep ... do not skimp on such ...

now off to your other question ... brilliant to separate the issues in different post ... but try doing a topic specific title.. so others may find it in the future ....

ken

I would like to suggest that you plan your borders around your oak tree, lilac bush and the grass that you already have. They will provide focal points and permanent/semi permanent structure to your borders. You might consider add a few more shrubs such as Oakleaf hydrangea, and native Viburnum (to attract birds) and provide interest.

Other suggestions:
- Plant in group of 3 - 5 or 7 of the same plerennials -> swatches of plants rather than a single specimen of each if these are small plants. This will avoid pokadot effects on your borders.

- Vary sizes, shapes, height, forms, colors (example: mix in plants with large bold leaves with smaller ones, plant spikes among shorter plants.
- Avoid uniformity. Planting small plants in front, medium size in the middle, large plants in the back of the border. Put some taller ones in front or in the middle so they will stand out.
- Avoid planting the same plant in a straight line like a regimen -> try curvilinear planting. In fact, don't make rectangular borders but curved ones instead.

- Strive for a succession of blooms and yearround interests.

- Consider adding interesting foliage and barks. Don't just focus on flowers alone.

- Add bulbs among perennials

Remember to have fun.

With enough sun, mixed perennial gardening is very feasible here.

For me, the size of a perennial bed is primarily related to the number and diversity of plants the bed should contain.

Many perennials only bloom for a relatively short time, perhaps 2 to 3 weeks in the year. Consequently if you want blocks of continuous colour in a perennial bed, it should contain a large and diverse collection of plants.

The fact that they're perennials means the colours will change continuously through the growing season, for me, the major attraction of perennial beds.

In my experience, this requires continuous intensive gardening through the growing season and the materials are not cheap.

As indicate in a post above, an informed choice of perennial plants is required. Personally, I would avoid seeders as well as runners to help in maintenance.

Bedding with annuals is much easier.

The real success in a perennial bed is foliage. Flowers are fleeting. Foliage is always there. So plan for variety in size and shape of foliage (think spiky leaves, broad leaves, etc), color of foliage (green, blue, purple, yellow, though of course you don't have to use all colors).

If the foliage is interesting, the bed will always be interesting.

To me "the real success in a perennial garden is----" the outcome of the garden becoming what the gardener intended the garden to be.

Personally, I don't garden for green-on-green, textural contrast, etc., but for flower colour. The locations in which I garden permits me to aim for this.

For me, the real challenge is in the maintenance of the gardens.

I am doing a similar project . I ran 2 beds along each side of my fence , 6 ft deep to start. I had a yard stick and just measured that way so it would be consistent . I sprayed the edge with round up , so I had a temp boundary to see. Then I paid a neighbor with a front loader to scrape up the beds , put it in a massive pile , and began work . Here is what I learned .
While the 6 ft is certainly a good depth , my roses will exceed that so really it was only a baby step. Straight lines are boring but easy to mow around . I plan on adding curves soon.
Cardboard is an amazing weed keeper downer. Mulch right on top and it will break down over winter , gives worms something to munch on . Also goes down quick ! I plan on skipping the front loader work ( I really only did this bc I had about 40 roses to go in the ground before winter) . I'm going to lay more cardboard , mulch and let it sit till spring. Grass will be dead , I will have a fresh bed.
Paper plans are a great idea to brainstorm but I find I never stick to them. Esp as I get inspired by other peoples gardens !
And if this is your first garden , and you don't have tools just yet , a sharp shovel will make a world of difference. I have an old craftsman , I thought I'd replace with a lowes Kobalt shovel. Well it's pretty dull and I went back to my craftsman . Didn't realize there would be such a difference! :)
Have fun ! Don't forget to share pics . :)
Oh and get yourself a nice seating area in there. Weather it's a swing or a small bench , adirondack chairs . Nothing is as satisfying as plopping down and admiring your handiwork.

our website is designed as a teaching site for garden design and technical info both. take a look ; hope you find it useful.
mindy

Here is a link that might be useful: The Cotton-Arbo retum website

Arbo - Your website is beautiful. My husband and I are both from New England (me, Maine, him, Rhode Island), and next summer, I hope I can plan a short diversion as we travel between those 2 states to come and see your amazing gardens!

Lilyfinch - FYI, shovels need to be sharpened. Even brand new from the store, the first thing you need to do before using them is sharpen them. If you aren't sure how to do it yourself, call around and find a pro. Here, we have one who is at our Farmer's Market every week, and there is another guy who spends an afternoon at our nursery every month. For a small fee, you can get it done.

Eterprincess - Although you can get amazing advice from people here, it's very difficult to tell you how to design a space without seeing it. I recommend you take a bunch of photos and measurements, and hunt down a good, high-quality nursery in your area with a design department, and see if they will do a mini-consult with them. It's worth a small investment of cash to get professional advice when you consider you are going to be planting probably thousands of dollars of material, and your blood, sweat, and love in this border. A professional can give you specific recommendations that are suited to your site, to your gardening needs and desires, and help you identify potential problems to help you avoid costly mistakes. That said, the people here have already given you great information, so spend a little time combing through that and note down the things that appeal to you or strike you as important. Good luck!

I thought I'd replace with a lowes Kobalt shovel. Well it's pretty dull and I went back to my craftsman . Didn't realize there would be such a difference! :)

==>>> ummmm ... sharpen the new shovel ...???

ever gardener should own a file ... or a grinding wheel ... maybe a cheap vice ...

my shovels.. and other garden tools.. get sharpened.. when the lawnmower blades get sharpened ... at a min.. first thing in spring ...

i bet a good hardware store would do it for a buck or two ...

it makes sense.. they ship them dull ... rather than a crate of battle axes.. lol ... [dear???... why is the shovel in the bedroom closet???]

ken

crikey ... almost forgot ... OP ... original poster ... do one bed at a time ... if you cant handle it all at once ... say the east part ... and next summer.. work on the north part .... and use the east as a nursery ... and then in fall.. move the plants out into the north ... while also starting the west bed ...

your plan MIGHT be one way you get discouraged ... if you HOPE to do the whole plan.. in one season ... a garden plan.. should be a 5 or 10 year plan ... presuming you are NOT doing this.. checkbook style... but if you can.. go for it.. i cant review the facts.. as i already hit review ... so i dont know if this has been addressed ,,...

to rephrase... perfect a nursery bed right now ... buy plants and insert in spring, planting almost farmer style [one foot on square, or some such] .. rather than design ... start second bed .... by fall ... move plants from nursery .. and start applying the design .... etc ... rarely is it recommended.. to move plants in july and august.. what i call the heat of summer.. depending on where you are ...

and never forget.. you arent a gardener.. a green thumb .... until you have killed every type of plant.. 3 times ... its all part of the learning curve ...

ken, again

Ken's last point:

Totally agree that the key component of successful gardening (as recognized by yourself/other people) is learning through experience.

Nobody knows your precise growing conditions but you working in them. So advice should be given for you to test.