- 1). Decide on the locations and shapes of your gardens. According to "The Perennial Gardener's Design Primer," a bed is a garden that is not associated with an established structure of any kind, such as a wall, hedge or fence, whereas a border is planted next to a structure.
Your garden beds and borders can be designed in any shape you like; you don't have to keep things symmetrical or squared off at the edges. Often, the site you're working with will give you clues about the best shape for your garden. Long rectangular beds look natural in front of long walls, hedges and fence lines. Beds that are built in open areas look fine when done in free-form shapes, but be sure to make the curves sweeping rather than severe. - 2). Measure the areas that you intend to plant. You don't have to be exact, but the more accurate you are, the better your design will turn out. If you can get your hands on a landscaper's measuring wheel, you can use it to get accurate measurements. Otherwise, a tape measure will work.
- 3). Use your graph paper, pencil, eraser and ruler to make a scale drawing of your intended beds and borders. Include all existing structures. Work with your design until you have something that looks pleasing to you.
- 4). Begin to draw in representations of the plants you will use in your bed and border garden designs, based on their mature size. Choose plants that will thrive in the conditions you have. For example, if your yard is sun-drenched, you will use plants that enjoy growing in the sun, such as roses, coreopsis and Russian sage, and not shade-loving plants such as ferns, lamium and coral bells.
Plants look great when arranged in groups of three, five or seven. And unless you are using a large plant like a witch hazel shrub as an accent, it is generally not recommended that you plant one type of plant by itself. The idea is to plant in drifts or waves, as noted by "The Perennial Gardener's Design Primer."
As you draw plants into your design, leave a minimum of 1 foot between any structure and your plants. Also, remember that taller plants should be placed to the back of a border, or in the middle of a bed. - 5). Explore the idea of using of shrubs in your beds and borders, provided they are large enough to accommodate larger plants. According to the book "Step-by-Step Low-Maintenance Gardens," shrubs were once relegated to use only as specimens and as foundation plantings, but they look attractive when incorporated into gardens.
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