Our conclusion to this series on Garden Design Basics leads you through the final steps needed to create your new landscape. Eager as you may be to get your plants into the ground, this ultimate preparation phase is as important as all of the others. To save time and money, we recommend that the last thing you do is go shopping for plants!
Infrastructure: Before digging any holes for plants, complete the installation of your infrastructure, including all hardscape, irrigation lines, and drainage facilities. Build berms, install focal point(s), pour concrete, place landscape rocks; all of this comes before the living elements are added. Planting beds can be outlined with rocks at the same time as planting, if the rocks are relatively small and placing them will not disturb the plants.
Irrigation: Before planting is also the ideal time to test your newly installed or revamped irrigation system: make sure that flow and volume are correct, and that emitters for hydrozones (if included in your design) are properly sized. Resources for learning more about drip irrigation can be found in the Drought and Water-Wise Gardening section of our website.
- AIR: Compaction is the bane of healthy soil. It reduces space for air and water movement and creates anaerobic conditions (which in turn attract and feed detrimental bacteria, fungi, and protozoa). Try to protect your soil from heavy foot traffic and heavy equipment during hardscape installation. Lay down wide boards to distribute the weight more evenly in areas that experience a lot of foot and wheelbarrow traffic. Keep heavy equipment use to a minimal, restricted area if possible.
- FOOD: Organic compost and mulch provide nutrients to soil. Nutrients from organic mulches are leached into the soil through rains and irrigation, while organic composts are manually incorporated into the soil itself. Composted organic materials improve air and water movement, improve soil structure, reduce surface crusting and soil erosion, and increase water absorption and infiltration. Organic mulches reduce soil erosion, reduce annual weeds, and reduce evaporation and runoff. Good examples of organic mulches include leaves and the various sizes of wood chips.
- WATER: The texture of soil directly affects its ability to hold or shed water. Soils with a high proportion of clay drain poorly, creating waterlogged environments low in oxygen. This is hard on the roots of most plants and on the organisms which thrive in healthy soil. Soils that are too sandy allow water to leach nutrients below the root zone and have a low water holding capacity, allowing moisture stress to occur more quickly. Amending either soil type with compost can help: adding compost to clay soil increases aeration and water infiltration; adding compost to sandy soil increases its water and nutrient holding capacity.
- PROTECTION FROM ABUSE: Compaction is not the only form of soil misuse. Erosion is a culprit as well: overwatering bare soil can cause runoff and reduce the nutrients in the soil. Applying mulches and/or incorporating groundcover plants can protect soil from eroding on a slope. Create mini-berms around plants on slopes, and add terraces to steep yards during the hardscape phase of garden preparation. Neglect is another form of abuse! Check plants on a regular basis to catch pest infestations or signs of stress. Irrigation systems need regular check-ups too, as small rodents and problems with water pressure can wreak havoc on water lines and emitters.
Now you can go shopping. Happy Gardening!
This series of Real Dirt articles summarizes the presentation Butte County Master Gardener Eve Werner created for the Butte County Master Gardeners Spring 2017 Workshop Series.
UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area, visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu (preferred) or call (530) 538-7201.
Welcome to this special interval in our series on Planting Design Basics. Before diving into our final installment, “Is my yard ready to plant?,” let's explore how to develop an appropriate list of plants for your newly designed yard.
On a fresh sheet of paper, list the descriptive information for each plant mass, leaving space between each entry to add candidate plant species.
- Screen plants at north corner: Structure, evergreen, full sun, 5 to 7 feet, medium texture, rounded form.
- Screen at patio: Structure, evergreen, morning sun, 3 to 4 feet, fine or bold texture, vertical form.
- Accent at focal point: Filler, seasonal changes, full sun, less than 2 feet, medium texture.
- Groundcover at step stones: Filler, seasonal changes, shade, less than 12 inches, medium or bold texture.
- Ground cover near sidewalk: Filler, evergreen, morning to full sun, less than 12 inches, medium texture, uniform
Brainstorm ideas for actual plants that support your chosen garden style while providing the desired characteristics. To help with this daunting task, resources are available to guide you. Brent McGhie, a Butte County Master Gardener, has put together Climate Appropriate Plants for the Northern California Landscape, a list which describes many of the needed attributes for each plant.
As you find suitable plants, enter them into the appropriate spot on your list. To help you get started, here are sample plant lists for different garden styles keyed to the preliminary planting plan described above. (The plants listed here have not been sorted by color palette).
Screen plants at north corner: Structure, evergreen, full sun, 5-7 ft, medium texture, rounded form
- Naturalistic Native California Garden Style: Ceanothus ‘Frosty Blue' (wild lilac); Arctostaphylos ‘Howard McMinn' (McMinn manzanita)
- Mediterranean Garden Style: Cistus (rockrose); Myrtus communis (myrtle)
- Mid-Century Modern Garden Style: Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus' (maiden grass)
Screen at patio: Structure, evergreen, morning sun, 3-4 ft, fine or bold texture, vertical form
- Native CA: Muhlenbergia rigens (deer grass); Festuca californica (CA fescue)
- Mediterranean: Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster' (feather reed grass); Juniperus communis ‘Compressa' (dwarf fastigiate juniper)
- Modern: Chondropetalum tectorum (small cape rush); Phormium ‘Tom Thumb' (New Zealand flax)
Accent at focal point: Filler, seasonal changes, full sun, < 2 ft, medium texture
- Native CA: Eriogonum grande rubescens (red buckwheat); Salvia ‘Bee's Bliss (bee's bliss sage); Epilobium canum ‘John Bixby' (CA fuchsia)
- Mediterranean: Dianthus ‘Tiny Rubies' (dwarf carnation); Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (bear berry)
- Modern: Dymondia margaretae (silver carpet), Gazania rigens (gazania)
Groundcover at step stones: Filler, seasonal changes, shade, < 12 inches, medium or bold texture
- Native CA: Salvia Spathacea (hummingbird sage); Heuchera rosada (alumroot)
- Mediterranean: Teucrium chamaedrys ‘Prostrata' (dwarf germander);
- Modern: Ophiopogon ‘Nigrescens' (black mondo grass), Liriope ‘Silvery Sunproof' (variegated lily turf)
Ground cover near sidewalk: Filler, evergreen, morning sun, < 12 inches, medium or bold texture, uniform
- Native CA: Arctostaphylos ‘Emerald Carpet' (Emerald Carpet Manzanita), Festuca ‘Siskiyou Blue' (blue Idaho fescue)
- Mediterranean: Rosmarinus ‘Blue Boy' (Dwarf Rosemary), Origanum ‘Betty Rollins' (dwarf oregano)
- Modern: Artemisia ‘Silver Brocade' (wormwood); Cerastium tomentosa (snow in summer)
In our upcoming series finale, we will explore our fourth and final question: Is my yard ready to plant?
Happy Gardening!
This four part (plus bonus!) series of Real Dirt articles summarizes the presentation Butte County Master Gardener Eve Werner created for the Butte County Master Gardeners Spring 2017 Workshop Series.
UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area, visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu (preferred) or call (530) 538-7201.
Are you ready to convert your thirsty lawn to a beautiful array of low water plants? Have you had your fill of the “crazy quilt” approach to planting? Do you wonder why some gardens seem perfect in their space? Would you like to create a garden that makes a personal statement?
Eve Werner's Planting Design Basics can help. This and three subsequent Real Dirt articles will summarize the PowerPoint Presentation she created for the Butte County Master Gardeners Spring 2017 Workshop Series.
What are these four basic questions? 1: What can I give my plants; 2: What garden style do I want; 3: What plant ‘jobs' need to be filled in my yard; and, 4: Is my yard ready to plant. This article focuses on question one. Questions two through four will be covered in coming weeks.
What can I give my plants: A great design starts with understanding what you already have. Matching plants to your site conditions is an easy way to create a beautiful garden with happy plants, and reduced maintenance and water use. Perform a simple site analysis to gain a solid understanding of what you offer plants.
Begin by drawing a base map, to scale, of the site. Include the house footprint, the location of doors and windows, existing plants that you want to keep, hard scape areas such as paving and fencing, and utilities. Note the architectural style of your home. Make several copies of your base map.
Observe and record onto your base map information that you want to consider when designing your garden. First, note your yard's relationship to your home. This could include potential locations of features that you want to screen or highlight when viewed from within your house. Next, note slope and drainage issues, including areas that puddle easily or slopes that cause water run-off. Finally, consider the relationship to neighboring properties; record features such as large trees or buildings that cast shade on your yard, unattractive items that need to be screened or beautiful elements that you want to ‘borrow' for your scenery.
Next, determine cultural conditions - solar exposure, soil texture, water, and maintenance – that will affect plant growth. Knowing your cultural conditions will lead you to select appropriate plant species.
Soil texture refers to the proportions of different sizes of mineral (sand, silt, and clay) and organic particles in soil. Sandy soils have a large percentage of coarser particles. These soils drain fast, lose nutrients quickly, and are easily eroded. On the other end of the soil texture spectrum, clay soils have finer particles, hold water, retain nutrients, and are easily compacted. Most soils are composed of a mix of sand, soil, and clay soils with varying amounts of organic matter. Look up online how to use the soil texture “ribbon test” to quickly estimate your soil type.
For water analysis, know your average annual rainfall, and decide how much fake rain you are willing to provide through supplemental irrigation. Choose your irrigation methods (drip, spray, soaker hose), and check if you need to replace or update any existing irrigation systems.
Maintenance means the weeding, deadheading, pruning, raking, etc. required to keep a garden looking good. All gardens require some level of maintenance but plant choice and design style greatly affect the level of maintenance. Who will be maintaining your garden? What is their level of experience? How much time will be spent maintaining your garden? Your planting design should reflect your maintenance abilities. Formal gardens with many plants that are poorly adapted will require skilled care and much more maintenance than naturalistic gardens with plants that have evolved to thrive under your cultural conditions.
Once you have created a base map and performed a site analysis you will know the growing conditions that you can offer your plants. Now, you are ready to consider the remaining three questions that will be covered in upcoming Real Dirt articles. Happy Gardening!
UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area, visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu (preferred) or call (530) 538-7201.
- Author: Eve Werner
- Author: Laura Lukes
Our conclusion to this series on Garden Design Basics leads you through the final steps needed to create your new landscape. Eager as you may be to get your plants into the ground, this ultimate preparation phase is as important as all of the others. To save time and money, we recommend that the last thing you do is go shopping for plants!
Timing: The time of year you plant affects plant success. Most natives, in fact most plants in general, thrive best when planted in our cool seasons, fall through early spring. Milder temperatures and (fingers crossed) rain, allow them to establish sturdy root systems that will help them tolerate the summer heat. Plants that are completely cold-hardy in our area can be planted at any time during our cool seasons. For plants that are marginally hardy, install in early fall as very cold temperatures may stress these new plants. (Bulbs, in particular iris, are an exception to the cool-season planting rule, as they do best when divided and replanted in late July or early August.)
Infrastructure: Before digging any holes for plants, complete the installation of your infrastructure, including all hardscape, irrigation lines, and drainage facilities. Build berms, install focal point(s), pour concrete, place landscape rocks; all of this comes before the living elements are added. Planting beds can be outlined with rocks at the same time as planting, if the rocks are relatively small and placing them will not disturb the plants.
Irrigation: Before planting is also the ideal time to test your newly installed or revamped irrigation system: make sure that flow and volume are correct, and that emitters for hydrozones (if included in your design) are properly sized. Resources for learning more about drip irrigation include the Butte County Master Gardener website.
- AIR: Compaction is the bane of healthy soil. It reduces space for air and water movement and creates anaerobic conditions (which in turn attract and feed detrimental bacteria, fungi, and protozoa). Try to protect your soil from heavy foot traffic and heavy equipment during hardscape installation. Lay down wide boards to distribute the weight more evenly in areas that experience a lot of foot and wheelbarrow traffic. Keep heavy equipment use to a minimal, restricted area if possible.
- FOOD: Organic compost and mulch provide nutrients to soil. Nutrients from organic mulches are leached into the soil through rains and irrigation, while organic composts are manually incorporated into the soil itself. Composted organic materials improve air and water movement, improve soil structure, reduce surface crusting and soil erosion, and increase water absorption and infiltration. Organic mulches reduce soil erosion, reduce annual weeds, and reduce evaporation and runoff. Good examples of organic mulches include leaves and the various sizes of wood chips.
- WATER: The texture of soil directly affects its ability to hold or shed water. Soils with a high proportion of clay drain poorly, creating waterlogged environments low in oxygen. This is hard on the roots of most plants and on the organisms which thrive in healthy soil. Soils that are too sandy allow water to leach nutrients below the root zone and have a low water holding capacity, allowing moisture stress to occur more quickly. Amending either soil type with compost can help: adding compost to clay soil increases aeration and water infiltration; adding compost to sandy soil increases its water and nutrient holding capacity.
- PROTECTION FROM ABUSE: Compaction is not the only form of soil misuse. Erosion is a culprit as well: overwatering bare soil can cause runoff and reduce the nutrients in the soil. Applying mulches and/or incorporating groundcover plants can protect soil from eroding on a slope. Create mini-berms around plants on slopes, and add terraces to steep yards during the hardscape phase of garden preparation. Neglect is another form of abuse! Check plants on a regular basis to catch pest infestations or signs of stress. Irrigation systems need regular check-ups too, as small rodents and problems with water pressure can wreak havoc on water lines and emitters.
Now you can go shopping. Happy Gardening!
This series of Real Dirt articles summarizes the presentation Butte County Master Gardener Eve Werner created for the Butte County Master Gardeners Spring 2017 Workshop Series. Please watch our website for our Fall 2017 Workshop Series. For more information about the Butte County Master Gardener Program, please visit http://ucanr.edu/sites/bcmg/
- Author: Eve Werner
- Author: Laura Lukes
Functional jobs affect the use of the garden. The metaphor for the functional uses of plants is architectural: Trees act as the “roof” of the garden, providing shade and large-scale screens, framing views, creating microclimates, and providing food for humans and wildlife alike. Shrubs are the garden's “walls” that define spaces, add lower level privacy screening and structural elements, and provide a background for focal points. Groundcovers create the garden “floor” that stabilizes the soil against erosion, reduces soil temperatures, and slows evaporation rates.
Aesthetic jobs affect the sensory aspects of a garden. These are primarily visual influences but also include scent, sound, and touch. Pleasing plant designs take texture, form, and color into consideration, incorporating these attributes through the principles of rhythm, line, balance, contrast, and unity.
- A plant's texture describes the size of its foliage and flowers and ranges from coarse to fine. Drifts of fine-textured plants tend to make the spaces in which they are planted seem larger. Bold-textured plants add flair to a garden.
- When referring to an entire plant, form describes its overall shape and stature. Plants with bold horizontal or vertical lines or strong visible branching are highly structural. They visually anchor a garden and add drama. Plants with rounded or billowy shapes contrast with and soften structural plants. Form also describes the varied shapes of individual flowers (for example: spires, balls, umbels, plumes or daisy-like configurations). Drifts of contrasting flower forms add interest to a garden.
- Infinite color palettes can be created with foliage and flower color. Foliage offers long term color, while flowers provide their hues in shorter bursts. Plant color palettes can be generally categorized as “cool” or “warm.” Cool palettes mingle purples, blues, grays, pinks with blue undertones, and pure- or greenish-yellows. Reds, bronzes, and oranges create a warm palette. Pinks with red undertones and orangey yellows go in a warm palette, too. Color palettes can also be monochromatic, combining different plants that have foliage, flowers or bark in the same color, such as red, yellow, blue/gray, or even white. Planting red, yellow, and blue together produces a garden in “primary” colors. And don't forget that green, in all its various shades, is a color.
- Repetition of any or all of the three attributes (texture, form, and color) creates rhythm in a garden. Gentle contrasts between texture and form and a monochromatic color palette make for subtle rhythm. For pizazz, bump up the contrast between form and texture or use vivid colors.
- Line is used to emphasize garden style and create directional cues. Plantings and hardscape can be used to create lines that lead the eye through a garden. For example, the line of a path or converging lines of plantings draw the eye to a focal point while curving paths, with destinations that are hidden by plants, invite the curious to explore a garden.
- In design, balance is the principle of distributing visual weight equally. Plant mass and color both affect balance. In a symmetrically balanced garden, opposing areas are mirror images of each other with similar plantings used on either side. In an asymmetrically balanced garden, unlike elements can balance each other. For example, a single strongly structural plant can be balanced by a boldly colored mass of filler plants.
- Contrast and unity are partners in well-designed gardens. Interesting gardens require contrast while unity ties it all together. To achieve unified contrast, follow the 2:1 guideline: Select any two of the plant attributes (texture, form and color) to create either unity or contrast. The third attribute will oppose the other two. For instance, contrast texture and form while using color to unify the overall scheme. Such a garden could feature bold and finely textured plants along with highly structural plants and billowy filler plants, all tied together by a monochromatic color palette. Applying the principles of rhythm, line, and balance will further unify the design.
For this phase, think about plant functions rather than individual plants. Start by ‘bubbling in' the location of structural plant masses, and then add filler plant masses. Within each bubble, note the plant function (shade tree, screen plant, accent), the cultural conditions, and whether the plant(s) are to be evergreen or deciduous. Next, think about which plant attributes you want to use to provide contrast and which ones will provide unity. Assign texture and form attributes to each of the bubbles, keeping in mind the 2:1 guideline. Double check to see that you have arranged the plant attributes to provide rhythm, line, and balance in a way that reinforces your garden style.
Your completed preliminary planting plan will show separate bubbles labeled with plant form, function, cultural conditions, foliage type (evergreen or deciduous) and plant attributes.
A special bonus section of this series will focus on developing a plant list based on your preliminary planting plan. Then, stay tuned for our final and fourth guiding question: is my yard ready to plant? Happy Gardening!
This series of four Real Dirt articles summarizes the presentation Butte County Master Gardener Eve Werner created for the Butte County Master Gardeners Spring 2017 Workshop Series. For more information about the Butte County Master Gardener Program, please visit http://ucanr.edu/sites/bcmg/.
