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Cottage Gardens

Garden Planning - Where To Start?

12 years ago

Last spring we purchased a house with a garden that has great potential but will need a lot of time and work.

I've got some gardening skills, but for investments in trees and other pricier perennials, I'd like some help to make sure I'm putting them in right and conditioning the soil to ensure they will thrive. And I'd like to have a cohesive vision of the whole garden, rather than just tackle a corner at a time, if that makes sense.

Ideally, I'd like to hire someone who can spend some time to look at the light exposure and soil, then incorporate some of my ideas with some of their own, and work with me to design a garden plan that I can implement in stages - some I would do myself and some I would hire out. In a perfect world, this would be a long term relationship, so I'm not looking for someone to just stick some shrubs in the ground and send me a bill.

Does this sort of thing exist? And if so, where would I look to find this type of person? Is that a landscape architect? Someone from my local nursery? Is there such a thing as a garden designer like there is a kitchen designer?

Thanks for any advice you can give!

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Comments (3)

Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca
12 years ago
Hi there! I have heard of garden designers that do just what you describe. I had a friend who had clients and maintained their garden for them. I'm not sure what her title would be. But she owned her own business doing this. I am sure a google type search in your area could bring up some people for you!
I can't imagine how much time and money I've spent that a person like this could have helped me !! Good luck to you!
User
12 years ago
Try googling "garden coach" and see if there are any in your area. You might also check to see if there is a master gardener group in your area. They could answer some of your questions and perhaps would know if there are nurseries in your area that offer help with design. We used to have a nursery here that advertised to bring a picture of the area you wanted to landscape and they would help you with the design. Then you could do the work yourself or they would install.
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hey constant snow cover tends to make protection moot ... they are buried.. which is fine ... but the problem can then become how to insure they dont get stepped on under the snow.. if children are involved ... a tall stake will help ID where they are ... how much space do you have.. that will define how far apart ... if you have 1/4 acre .... or 50 feet square.. its of no use to plant them at the 10 year size apart ... otherwise its hard to tell you w/o knowing which plants you have ... annual growth rates are for leaders.. many plants do not extend laterally.. as much as upwards .... or else they would all be fuzzy balls.. not the usual xmas tree shape ... why did you not plant them??? .... and what is your plan to hold pots over the summer .... and how do you keep a black pot coolish in august .... its not that hard.. but you should not leave it to blind luck ... i would say that is your primary issue right now .... what size are the pots right now???? they need to be at least one gal ... i would not try to hold over 2 1/4 inch pots ... what is your native soil .... ken
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There are a couple of things you can do that will establish what's currently in your garden and what areas need to be developed. First is a shade study. On or about June 21st (longest day of the year), step outside once an hour from 7 a.m. and continuing until 7 p.m. and note where there's full sun, part sun, part shade, full shade. Divide your property into segments and note the light conditions for each. When the time comes to plant perennials, trees, shrubs, etc. having the light conditions lets you do so with confidence based on their individual sun/shade requirements.

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