Stepping Stones to Perennial Garden Design
Site Assessment
Existing Features
What is already there? Many of you will not be starting with a new yard. For most, you are dealing with an existing yard that already has things such as walkways, telephone poles, utility boxes, and mature trees. It will help you visualize your property better by making a sketch to record what you see. This is a pencil sketch taken from a bird's view. It is an aerial view looking down on your property. It does not have to be drawn to scale at this time, but measurements do help us gauge distance and size better, and eventually you will need to measure. Example A shows the aerial view of the private area. Note what the homeowner has written. Viewing areas are indicated with yellow star. Permanent features such as the utility box and chain link fence are noted. Existing plant material is listed.
Example A
Source: Easy Garden Design, Janet Macunovich, Garden Way Publishing
Now that you have gathered all this information and determined an area, how best can you enhance it with perennials? A border garden? A center island bed? Frame a view? Cover up an eyesore?
