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Garden Design
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Posted: May/08/2008 11:58 AM PST
I have read about a million garden books and enjoyed every one of them. They are full of great ideas. However, I have never had much of a plan when I start making beds. If I find a plant irrestistable, I will buy it and squeeze it in. I plant veggies beside shrubs, roses, flowers or herbs. I love a cottage garden the best, I think. Formal is lovely to look at, but not my style. I know Yardgranny has an all white garden and that is pretty. What do yall conder when planning a bed? Do yall consider shapes and colors and contrasts? About the only thing I try to do is plant lillies under larger plants so they can grow up through the plant--I love the way that looks. I was first inspired to garden by a neighbor who planted yellow daylillies under pink oleanders. I loved that color combination and still use yellow and pink when I can. |
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Posted: May/08/2008 5:42 PM PST
I usually start with a general color scheme and after that it's just trial and error. I walk through a nursery and see plants I like, buy 'em, then find that they don't really 'fit' there, or I buy one of these and one of those and my bed looks like a hodgepodge. I am learning slowly, and am starting to become happy with at least several of my beds! I've moved a lot, I mean a LOT of plants from here to there over the past several years. I draw on graph paper if I'm planning a big bed. |
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Posted: May/12/2008 7:46 PM PST
gardenfairy--I'm with you. I like a variety of color, sizes and textures. Right now I'm in the process of converting a shady bed from annuals to perennials. It's the only annual bed I had left and it's had impatiens for 30+ yrs. My theme is various heuchera: key lime pie (bright yellowish green), creme brulee (orange/coral/peach, plum pudding (dark purple), mocha(something)(greenish/tan silver), amethyst mist (purple/silver). I found some others with nice colors, but they aren't in the smaller pots so I haven't bought them. I am also using variegated hosta with a lot of white on them, columbine with a gold variegation on the leaf and a dark purple bloom (leprachaun gold), ladys mantle, lady ferns, geum and Jap. painted ferns. My son is a ranger for the Army Corps of Engineers at a local lake and has access to wildflowers at his park. He is going to thin out some Virginia bluebells and a few others and give me the excess. I also have some plants from other beds around my yard I can use to fill in. It is a large bed (12ft diam) with lots of room. I am "layering" for size color and bloom time. The front is planted with tulips that I can't cut back for at least a month, so I am planting carefully between them. It will be beautiful when I am finished, but I'm doing it in stages. I'll try to post pics when it's established and the tulips are gone. |
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Posted: May/13/2008 1:19 AM PST
Fairygarden, my approach is a lot like yours. I like a mixture of colors and different types of flowers. I try to get ones that bloom at different times so I'll have some color all season long. I try to consider height and growth habit, but my plants don't always follow the instructions they come with! I know what you mean by a hodgepodge, Karslinky, that's pretty much what I have. I try to be creative with my flower beds, I guess you could say informal. The only time I get out the graph paper is when I plan the vegetable garden, because that's a garden with a purpose and goal, whereas my flowers are pure enjoyment for me. I too like huecheras, Junco. I have an amethyst one and one I forget the name but it's coppery colored. I have been working for years at making my beds all perennial. I still end up filling in a bit with annauals every year, and adding another perennial or two. |
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