Thoughts on Landscape Design

When we first saw this property I knew this space had potential.  Lots of sun, clumps of trees, an apple orchard, a gorgeous old house.  The shape of it, is simply a large flat rectangle.  Nothing difficult here like steep hills or boggy low spots.  I should be able to put whatever ideas I have into this yard quite easily.  But I'm not an idea person.  I find that I generally lack the ability to visualize.  So though I knew there was potential here I just wasn't sure how to go about making something happen.  I thought that perhaps I would find a design in a magazine or a book that I could just fit into our land.  None of the pictures I saw fit my space though.  So I perused garden blogs trolling for ideas and hoping that something would strike me.  Plenty of ideas and many beautiful gardens but nothing that felt right yet again.

So I'm going to have to do this the hard way.  Step by step and create a plan.  My inner voice tells me this will be a good exercise despite my initial desire to shortcut the process.

One of the first things you hear when you start talking about landscaping and garden design is that it is imperative to know what you want out of your yard.  For instance, there's no sense in designing a children's play area if you haven't got any children.  So you need to take a look at who you are and what your desires may be.

To that end I've compiled a list of necessary items.  These are the Gotta Have items:

• A vegetable garden.  There is nothing more satisfying than planting a seed and watching it grow and then being able to eat it.  And nothing tastes as good as fresh out of the garden vegetables.
• Flowers.  I like pretty things.  I like smells and textures and bright smiley happy flower faces.  This will always draw me out of my house into the great outdoors.
• Clothes line.  Electricity costs a heap here and the wind blows day and night.  This is just good common sense.
• Compost bin.  I need to feed all those flowers I want to grow.
• Rain barrel.  Water is quickly becoming our most precious commodity.  Without it we die.  And so do our plants.
• Place to park the truck and trailer close to the house as possible.  Must be practical.  It snows a lot here and we need to access both of these at all times of the year.
• Firewood.  When we moved in we installed a wood boiler to replace the ancient oil boiler.  Now space is needed to split and store all that wood.  Must also be close to the house for access in winter.
• Garden shed.  Need a place to store all the garden tools and paraphenelia.
• A space to sit out of doors and barbeque.

Some of these items have already been addressed.  There was a garage already standing on the property that was too far away from the house to be of any use for a vehicle.  So this has become the garden shed.  That was an easy decision.  Deciding where to put the vegetable garden was a little more difficult.  I initially wanted it as close to the house as possible.  However, we intend to do some work to the outside of the house in coming years which will be messy.  So I have decided not to garden near the house in the immediate future.  The front of the house looked promising but didn't seem to get enough sun and the septic system is in that area.  The side of the house was also promising but it's on a slope.  Eventually the space next to the garage was decided on because it would be close to my tools, it got plenty of sun, was completely flat and our neighbour suggested it.  Seriously, David told us a pig barn used to be located there and the ground would be full of manure.  Made the decision much easier.

Then there's the other list.  Things that I wish for and desire but aren't practical.  This is the Dream List:

• Cutting Garden.  A place for flowers and green stuffs strictly for filling vases.
• Wisteria Arbor.  Who doesn't dream of being able to walk through an arbor dripping with purple blossoms into a magical garden on the other side?
• Herb Garden.  I just like the sound of a herb garden.  I think of hot afternoons, gravel paths and scents of lavender on the wind.
• A shady spot with a hidden bench.  This property is very open.  No matter where you are people can see you from the road or from their houses.  I'd love to have a hiding spot.
• A fountain.  Maybe located in that shady nook.

Well perhaps the fountain could be on a slightly smaller scale than the one above.

The idea is that your landscape design should be functional.  It should take into account your needs and the attributes of your property.  It should also appeal to your personal sense of style.  When you think of a fountain what do you picture?