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Transforming my backyard into a garden retreat
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Posted by aspiring (z7) LI, NY (arpitip@yahoo.com) on Fri, Feb 3, 06 at 11:36
| Hi gang! Im starting to plan already. Anyone have any ideas how I go about this. I cant afford to hire a landscaper (too costly) and because I looove gardening I want to do this myself (with hubby's help of course).
so... where do I start. I have a good budget allowance for this and want it to look superb!
Thanks for any opinions, help and advise.
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Transforming my backyard into a garden retreat
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| Determine the needs for the prospective garden. How is the soil? How much sun does it get ? Wind? etc |
RE: Transforming my backyard into a garden retreat
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| Think about how you'll want to use the garden...entertaining, kids' play area, intimate conversations, just sitting with a cup of coffee (I do a lot of this ;) etc. That will help you figure out how to lay out your space. Will you have a compost bin? Do you need to set aside an area for a potting bench or shed? Where will the hose go? Do you want to put in lighting, irrigation? Are there any wet areas? You might need to think about drainage. Once you know all of that, start sketching out possible layouts - have fun with it. Go out there with some chalk dust spray paint or hoses and lay out the outlines of your beds and paths. Take a look, and adjust as needed. Also, consider how much time will you want to spend maintaining the garden? I wanted lots of different kinds of plants, with flowers throughout the seasons, but found that it makes for a lot of work, and time! Now, I'm trying to simplify. Take a good look, starting now, at where you have sun and shade. Try to remember where the sun and shade were in the summer and fall. When you're ready to select your plants, get your soil tested and then look for plants that like your type of soil and your sunny and/or shady conditions. Don't try to plant sun-lovers in the shade or vice versa. It's too disappointing. Think about year-round color and interest. Foliage is important. If you want fragrance, go for masses of a few fragrant plants - just one or two individual plants won't give you much impact. Look at lots of books and magazines to see what other people are doing. I've learned a lot from reading catalogs. Most of all, have fun!!! Best,
Jen |
RE: Transforming my backyard into a garden retreat
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| Thanks both for your advise. |
RE: Transforming my backyard into a garden retreat
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| See if you can find Roger Swaine's "the practical gardener ",it has a great deal of infomation |
RE: Transforming my backyard into a garden retreat
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| Tom, thanks I'll try to pick it up at tha library. Thanks again everyone. I did also get really really GREAT advise from here |
Here is a link that might be useful: GREAT ADVISE
RE: Transforming my backyard into a garden retreat
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| Sure check this out. It has great information to help you on your way. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Retreat
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