Planning Your Garden

Putting your plan on paper

The exciting part of redesigning a garden comes when the basic structure is on the drawing board and you can start to work magical transformations as you try to test your ideas. Drawing to scale is the next step to reach this goal.

With the rough sketch from the garden drawn accurately to scale,the simulating part of garden planning can begin. It is when dreams can start to be translated into reality. Making an accurate scale drawing of your existing garden is an essential starting point if you want to simplify the design work that follows.

The rough sketch must be transferred to a scale drawing before any detailed plans ca be sketched out. Drawing it to scale will help you to calculate the amount of any paving required, and also enable you to tailor beds, borders and lawns to sizes that will involve the least amount of cutting of hard materials such as paving slabs or bricks.

Front Yard Cottage Garden:

Majestic delphiniums, charming foxgloves, fragrant lavender, and more combine to create a delightful show in your front yard. Garden size: 7 by 12 feet.

English-Style Garden:

This mix of annuals and perennials is an ideal way to soften a fence and provide months of color and cut flowers. Garden size: 6 by 22 feet.

Cheery Front Yard Garden:

Fill your front yard with color from spring to fall with this flower-filled garden plan. It looks great in winter, too, thanks to structural shrubs such as yew and barberry. Garden size: 18 by 10 feet.

Tiny Corner Garden:

Add elegance to the corner of your property or the spot where your driveway meets the sidewalk. Butterfly bush, cleome, and other favorites look great and attract butterflies to boot! Garden size: 11 by 11 feet.

A Side-Yard Cottage Garden:

Don't waste the space along the side of your house -- even if it's long and narrow. Use this spot to create a colorful cottage garden that will bloom all summer long. Garden size: 26 by 10 feet.

A Colorful Side-Yard Garden:

This garden looks great all year thanks to evergreen rhododendron and the structure of a smokebush, plus plenty of flowers all spring, summer, and fall. Garden size: 15 by 17 feet.

A Bold Cottage Garden:

Add interest and drama to your yard with this eye-catching, long-blooming garden plan. Garden size: 20 by 10 feet.

Summer-Show Cottage Garden:

This low-maintenance, high-color cottage garden plan laughs off heat and drought and still looks lovely. Garden size: 12 by 13 feet.

Bright Front-Yard Cottage Garden:

Punch up the color in your front yard with this cottage-style garden plan. Garden size: 9 by 11 feet.

Low-Maintenance Cottage Garden:

Soften a walkway with colorful blooms using this garden plan. Garden size: 6 by 10 feet.

All-Red Cottage Garden:

Red makes a bold statement in the landscape. Add drama to your yard with this plan. Garden size: 8 by 10 feet.

All-Blue Cottage Garden:

Give your yard a peaceful feeling with this floriferous garden plan. Garden size: 7 by 10 feet.

Create Cottage Style in the Shade:

You can enjoy a lush cottage garden, even if you don't have full sun. This combo mixes long-blooming perennials and shrubs like Endless Summer hydrangea for interest from spring to fall. Garden size: 18 by 9 feet.

Large, Lush Cottage Garden:

This flower-filled cottage garden packs in old-fashioned favorites for color through the seasons. Garden size: 24 by 24 feet.

Old-Fashioned Favorites Garden:

Bring about a touch of yesteryear with this beautiful garden plan. Garden size: 29 by 16 feet.

Traditional English Cottage Garden:

This garden plan uses soft pinks, yellows, blues, purples, and whites to create an old-fashioned English cottage garden. Garden size: 20 by 16 feet.

Victorian-Theme Cottage Garden:

Full of English charm, this cottage garden plan provides lots of color over a long period. Garden size: 17 by 25 feet.