Designing Your Ideal Green Space

There are few things in life (in my opinion) as exciting as designing something beautiful. Your yard, as all of us know (right?), should be no exception. With the right tweaking, you can turn a dull outdoor space into a gorgeous display of beauty, a fantastic entertaining space and an indispensable escape from the noisy world. A small, medium or large yard all have the potential of becoming something breathtaking.

Now that your appetite for beauty has been awakened, let's look into a few simple steps you can follow to move your space from blah into ooh lala. Or in more concrete wording, let's look at a few foundational landscape design keys.

Number 1. Think Long Term

As my professor said, remember the rule of 10s. How will this look in 10 weeks, 10 months, 10 years?  Look at the potential mature size of your plants - will they still all fit in place or will they be suffocating each other?

Number 2. Plant with All Seasons in Mind

When planning your yard, maximize the effect of every season. There's no reason your yard ever needs to be bland. Plant early blooming spring plants such as forsythia or alyssum saxatile (basket of gold) and annuals (e.g. petunias, zinnia, lobelia, etc.) that give good colour and show throughout the entire summer. Also make sure to plant late summer blooming plants such as chrysanthemum morifolium or summersweet, which have always proven to be absolutely refreshing in my experience. In fall, focus on adding some zest into your yard with fantastic colours - some good choices are maples, pin oaks, etc. And lastly for winter, plant trees or shrubs with interesting bark colour or shape such as Harry Lauder's Walking Stick, Silver variegated Dogwood or European White Birch.

Number 3. Height Difference

As a general rule, the tallest plants should be put into either the back of the bed or the middle if the bed happens to be in the centre of the yard. It is best to plant like a pyramid, starting with the tallest plants at the back and gradually going forward until the shortest plants are at the front.

Number 4.  Plant in Odd Numbers 

A general rule of green thumbs is always plant in odd numbers. "Even numbers tend to be divided by the eye." (My professor said that once upon a time).

Number 5. Allow for Air Circulation

Plants need air circulation to prevent disease. When plants are scrunched close together, bugs and diseases have a full out party. They love the moisture stuck between the plants as well as dry and stuffy, suffocating areas. To prevent these kind of conditions, plant long term (for instance, imagine how crowded things will be in 10 years, remember the rule of 10) and prune when needed.

Number 6. Pay Attention to the Tags

Whenever you purchase a plant, take special care to read through all the tag's information. Most everything you need to know for planting is often given right on the tag. It tells you what kind of conditions the plant likes (i.e. sandy soil, shade, etc.) and its mature height and width.