How do you see it?

I'm sitting here enjoying my lunch and thinking about my yard. I have a vegetable garden planned for the backyard. I think I can handle that. But then there's my front yard. There's some tiered flowerbeds that wrap around the front porch and are currently a mix of dirt and something brown. I think there would be a lot of potential to them.

I look at magazines and see beautiful flowerbeds, and I think, "I can do that." But then I physically look at what's there and I see... dirt and something brown. This might be too much for a forum post, but how do you "see" what your flower gardens will look like? How do you plan them out? Am I too left-brained? Or perhaps I'm making it harder than it needs to be.

 

There is software available on eBay that is very useful for designing your landscape. You can import photos of your property and place any of 4500 plants where you think you may want them. Then view it/them in 3D. The software will not work on Windows 7 though. Vista and XP work fine. Here is a link to the software. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Total-3D-Ho...900?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2585d9f1d4

 

Toni, your post made a lot of sense, and it was actually extremely encouraging. I'm an overachiever to the Nth degree, and I think I'm trying to over-think it. Yes, I've been reading gardening magazines and books. I chuckled at your narration of how plants would just jump into your shopping cart. So the lesson I'm taking away from your suggestion is to just play with it. Fail or succeed have fun with the colors and such. LOL... we'll see how that works come Springtime when I have to put theory into practice.

jbest... thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately I'm on Windows 8 right now.

 

I sort of had a plan when I started my garden from a clean slate... but that quickly feel to the wayside. I started off by just putting all the things I had in containers in the ground paying attention to what sun requirements they needed. Some didn't survive the summer. Some didn't survive the winter. Some didn't survive ME!
So I've been planting things that are better suited to my climate... and added lots of Natives this past year.
So basically, I'm like Toni, the plants dictate how the garden will look. And so does one's personality.
I like an informal garden and keep the vision of how I want it to look someday in the back of my ever-changing mind.
I love looking at everyone's gardens here... I get great ideas on plants to try and which one's look great with this one or that one.
I don't think I have ever picked up a garden magazine... I just don't like the super-formal beds and designs they have. I just jumped in and started learning... with lots of help from everyone here, I might mention. :-D

 

First of all, gardens should be an expression of the gardener. That said, my garden says I need therapy, a lot of therapy!
I fall in love with plants and stick them in the garden wherever they would be happy. I do try to keep some in bounds, but let others stray where they will. I also consider if the plant is "useful" in that it supports wildlife in some way. We have a lot of butterfly nectar/home plants, and other plants that our bees like, and others that offer shelter to beneficial insects.
A garden is never static--it is always growing, evolving, getting added to or having plants moved around--but it is always a source of joy. Remember the joy part when your back aches and your manicure is a thing of the past!

 

I started by looking at loads of books and magazines too, and then realized that I was overwhelmed by all the things I read and photos I saw. Start slowly, putting in the plants that YOU love, after all a garden should reflect its creator. Sometimes I have a plan and then it completely changes once I start. And every now and then I stand back at just LOOK at what I've done and a whole new idea will start in my head. Sometimes I will be at the greenhouse and plants will start jumping in my cart, and a whole new garden is born! So yes, play with it! You will have some success and probably a few failures too, but it's how we learn!

 

Wow, I'm seeing a common theme... basically, put away the books and magazines and just go with it. I appreciate all the great advice. I have a distinct feeling this first year is going to have a HUGE learning curve for me. But I guess I should expect that. Trust me, there will be lots of before, during, and after pics this Spring and Summer.

 

I don't agree with buying a plant and then trying to figure where it will fit in. If you have an area that needs a plant you should be able close your eyes and see an image of that area. Then when you see a plant or a photo/image of a plant that you like close your eyes and visualize that plant among the other plants in that area. If you have a visitor, I think you want the aesthetics of the whole area to catch their eye and not just a collection of beautiful plants.

 

for what I'm doing/planning, I've been looking through old magazines and photographs of what gardens looked like in the 20's and 30's. Seeing the flowers and accessories that were popular then., -I bought a load of Better Homes and Garden magazines off Ebay I haven't even went through yet.

 

John, you do have a valid point. I suppose that's where I'm struggling some with... the whole visualization part.

I'm having a lot of fun, however, reading the different perspectives of how it should be done. You say go at it with a plan. Toni and Cheryl like whatever jumps out at them. Many tossed their magazines and books away but Atwood Terrace went out and bought a library of back issues...

... and Marlingardner is hinting that we all are a little off our rockers.

 

I'm only out to please myself when it comes to my garden. If someone else likes my garden, that's wonderful, but I certainly don't buy or plant anything with anyone else in mind.

Now... if I were a professional landscaper, then of course I'd have to plan and design and make it appealing to the masses.

 

In the first few years we waited till spring. Then off to the garden center, we bought mostly annuals and a few perennials. The annuals provided the color we wanted and the perennials the foundation of a permanent garden. We also looked for an occasional bush. We filled in what beds we had those first few years and that sufficed for awhile. As the years passed the beds increased in number. Now, we have a lot of perennials with splashes of annual color mixed in to have color all season long. Since we have mostly shade, flowers dominate the landscape. However, courtesy of Carolyn K. and Donna S., tomatoes and peppers test my ability to locate the plants in areas that afford the necessary sunlight. I have found gardening oodles of fun with a challenge or two mixed in for good measure. Occasionally we plant some humor and all have a good laugh. That has been our approach and it seems to work. Each gardener has their own challenges to meet but they provide the opportunity to learn and grow with the plants. Plants will tell you what to do, you just have to watch and listen. I walk around the gardens, even in the fall when the plants are asleep. There is always something to learn. And a world of friendly gardeners are just a few clicks away. We are all here to listen and help. Happy gardening.

Jerry

 

No, no, not all gardeners are off their rockers, just me (but I'm harmless so I haven't been carted off yet)!
V, do what pleases you--if you decide later that the plant is "wrong" or in the wrong place, that's easy to remedy.
Remember that at garden shows and in many magazines, those plants in "model gardens" were just put in and will either be yanked or allowed to expire. Magazines and such are going for effect--we gardeners are going for pleasure.
Go for it!