Planning is Key When Self-designing Your Landscape

Dwelling is not primarily inhabiting but taking care of and creating that space within which something comes into its own and flourishes. - Martin Heidegger

Residential architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture and design are professional fields that work largely in creating and organizing functional, aesthetically pleasing space for people to dwell. The space must first be functional and also be aesthetically pleasing. Function ability without beauty is only stark mechanics. Beauty without function ability is only show. The ideal is a blending of both.

To achieve this blending while self-designing a landscape plan for your own property can be one of the most rewarding or frustrating endeavors you will encounter as a homeowner. There are many ways to approach such a project, but one thing is sure: to do it right will take a thoughtful process. The design process, broken down into its simplest components, is based upon collection of information, analysis of information, and sharing of information.

Make notes concerning the condition of elements on the property, your wants and needs list, and the assets and liabilities of the property such as wet areas, strong winds, hot sun, views to preserve, and views to hide. Be thorough here and try to represent the whole year, not just the current conditions. This phase of the process is called inventory.

A self-inventory should also be made asking questions about your lifestyle, your current ability to fund and maintain a landscape project, and where you are in your life cycle. Two important questions I always ask my clients concern their budget and time for maintenance. Do not lie to yourself about either.

Next, an analysis of the information gathered during inventory will reveal what is reasonable for your situation and will probably cause you to modify your want list. The inventory and analysis phase of the landscape process may not be the most fun, but it will save you time, money, and frustration both now and down the road. Don’t try to be Martha. You don’t have the money, time, or staff.

Based on your analysis of the property and self-inventories, make notes of changes you would like to make. This may include adding new elements, such as a deck or path, and deleting some existing elements, such as a diseased tree or inadequate patio.

There are many considerations in designing a landscape that could not be covered in this context but by following the above process you will come much closer to a realization of what features are most important to you. Most likely, you will consult with local contractors, nursery and landscape professionals, and others concerning your landscape project. The sharing of information is an important aspect of the design process, but only if the information is accurate.

Having worked at a retail nursery, I know the frustration of trying to help customers with plant choices when the information they are giving me is a guess on their part. It was much more beneficial when a customer brought in their notes, pictures and dimensions of the spaces we would be working with. Building a landscape requires attention to detail. Plants grow. Let me say that again: plants grow. The cute one-gallon rhododendron bought today will not be as cute when it has grown to the size of a small car unless you were planning on it being that eventual size and allotted it that much space on your planning.

The full color plan is an example of a completed professional site plan rendering.

This would be the graphic result of the process laid out above. We will use this while discussing different features in the landscape and how they might relate to your enjoyment of the space you have to work with.

One of the most interesting and challenging aspects of landscape design is the entry transition, that area between the drive where cars park and the front entrance where we enter the home. The right combination of hardscape, lighting, plant material, and garden accessories act as non-verbal communication that says to our guests, "Please come in. We’re happy you’re here!" Ornamental grasses gracefully waving hello or the sweet scent of lavender filling the air are greetings that any guest would find inviting. On the other hand, a dreary, dark entry is uninviting and convinces us no one is home, or at least that no one cares. An interesting entry transition design helps people forget about the cares of the day and begin to connect with us even before we answer their knock at our door. A main focus of the entry transition is invitation.

Our sample (1) is a feature-packed entry transition complete with (a) arbor, (b) fountain, (c) stamped concrete walk, and (d) unit paver patio. An arbor will do two things. First of all it will make the area more intimate by lowering the ceiling plane, and secondly it will act as a shadow creator, casting different length shadows throughout the day. The fountain is the focal point in this entry and acts as the invitation into the entire area. There is nothing like the sight of water glistening in the sun or lit by low-voltage lighting to create a welcome mat to our home. Its sound cools us off in the heat of summer and reminds us in winter of what’s just right around the corner. The walk’s shape and pattern causes us to slow down and enjoy the many surprises along our way to the front door. The sturdy unit paver patio, under the arbor, supports the fountain and other amenities that could be used such as table and chairs, planted concrete urns, and beautiful garden statuary.

Now that we have considered our trip to the front door, let us be mindful of access to other areas of the property. Access to side yards and backyards, especially if there are projects being carried out, is vitally important. We see in our sample that the (2a) lawn,

(2b) stone path, and (2c) sidewalk all allow for ample access. The stone path additionally acts as a strong architectural element in the overall design.

A close kin to access is circulation. Circulation refers to the movement of people through areas once overall access has been accomplished. Our (3a) lawn, (3b) stone path, and (3c) sidewalk do double duty as access points and circulation routes.

Front yards are considered the public part of our property since they can be seen from the street. Our back yards, however, are where we do our living, and are considered the private part of our property. In planning our back yard layouts, we should use the wisdom of a landscape architect named Thomas Church. Church championed the concept of the "outdoor room" in the Southern California properties he worked with in the 50s and 60s. His mandate that "gardens are for people" is probably more relevant today, as we wrestle with the loss of green spaces around us.

Our sample property includes people spaces in the form of (4a) a deck, (4b) a stamped concrete patio, (4c) a sitting area with bench, and (4d) a nice, spacious lawn. Outdoor rooms most often coincide with our indoor rooms and are characterized by the activities that take place in them such as cooking and eating, lounging and reading, work space and hobbies, and places to get away. Our sitting area with bench is a good example of a space to get away. A nice lawn area can act as a place for lounging and reading as well as recreation. A deck or patio may act as a BBQ and eating area, which should be in close proximity to the kitchen.

Planting beds should be easily accessible and wide enough to hold several types of plant material that complement each other. Our sample plan shows beds (5a,b,c) utilizing layers of trees, shrubs, and groundcover to achieve the desired effect. When a single row of plants is used for hedging (6a,b,c) the planting space can be narrowed. Do not build beds right up against the house. The high, ugly concrete foundations of the 40s and 50s are no longer with us. Crushed gravel directly under a house’s overhang will allow access to windows that need to be washed and siding that needs to be painted. Consider this 2 feet a ‘no plant’ zone.

Screening, whether a single kind of plant, mixed grouping, or other material, is an important consideration when planning your landscape. It can mask an unpleasant view or provide privacy from neighboring homes and properties. I recommend that people use no higher a screen than necessary to get the job done. Remember, here in the Pacific Northwest we experience some gray wet winters. Do not block light that is greatly needed in those gray times. Use evergreen screening for areas used year round and deciduous material (which loses its foliage in winter) for areas not used much in the winter, thus letting in more light. Our sample landscape plan uses screening (7a,b,c) in strategic locations throughout the property .

Trees offer the homeowner the greatest visual impact for their initial landscape dollar. Both evergreen conifers and deciduous trees, usually classified as either shade or flowering according to their main feature or use, should be chosen for eventual height and spread, desired effect in the landscape, and their benefit to the overall planting scheme. Our sample shows evergreen (8) and deciduous (9) trees used in repetition, creating a sense of unity in the plan.

Shrubs are also either evergreen or deciduous and are the cornerstone of most landscapes. Choose shrubs that fit your spaces for the year round interest they will provide and for specific properties such as foliage and flower color, form, and texture. Note how the shrubs in our sample (10) are planted in multiples, instead of singly, to lend impact and continuity. Onesies and twosies of many different plants ends in visual ‘fruit salad’.

It’s always good to allow space for garden art or decoration in the landscape. Whether your art of choice is made of metal, concrete, or wood, give it a prominent spot (11) in the garden and it will keep giving back to you.

When a landscape does not fit the lifestyle of the people who are to dwell within it, enjoyment will not be found. There will be no flourishing. Flourishing only comes when space is created that is at peace with its people. By careful planning based on a thoughtful process, you can assure the spaces you create are spaces that you can dwell and flourish in.