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Making a Landscape Plan - You Gotta Have a Map

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Even if you live in an area where there isn’t any snow during the winter months, if you want to add or re-do your landscape beds , drawing out a plan is the best idea to make sure you have the right plants in the right place. Winter is a good time to do so as the weather can quickly change from day to day, and trying to plan some time outdoors can be challenging. The lawn or yard care that’s best for your lawn depends on the region you’re in. Last week, I discussed the need to look at the growing conditions required for any plant that you want to place in your landscape beds of even in your vegetable garden. Without a landscape plan , you will probably put too many plants into too small of an area and will be disappointed with the results.

Sketching Your Garden or Landscape Bed

Your plan does not have to look like a landscape architect drew it, but you do have to take some measurements to make sure you sketch it out to scale. If you want, buy a pad of graph paper divided into quarter inch squares. I use graph paper and with a scale of one inch, each equaling one foot. I first go out with a tape measure and measure out the area I am going to add or re-do. Then, I transfer those measurements on to the graph paper, roughly laying out the garden or landscape bed. If you want, use a ruler or, if you have a steady hand, draw the shape free hand. For circular areas or arcs, I either draw it out free hand or find a jar lid or plastic container lid that approximates the size I want. Once I have laid out the boundaries, I start figuring out where to put everything. With vegetables, I look to see how much room each plant needs. For example, most tomatoes need three feet of space between plants and rows. Crowding too many plants into too small of an area will result in fewer tomatoes per plant. If you are not sure, do a search on the Internet. You will find a wealth of information. The same holds true for perennials. Usually spacing requirements are included with the plant description. At least the size will be included in the description, so use that as a gauge for spacing as well as placement.

Store Your Landscape Plan in a Safe Place

Once you have laid out everything, be sure to put your design in a place where you will be able to find it in three or four months. A good idea is to tack it to the wall where you keep your gardening tools. At least you will see it when you go to grab your shovel and rake in the spring.