Tips for Designing a Planting Pattern

Before you can design a planting pattern for your garden, you’ll need to walk around and see just where the sun and shade lies. Take note of external factors like power lines, fences and other buildings and also remember underground pipes. Trees should be kept away from them as the roots could destroy the pipes and cause harm to the foundations of your house or swimming pool.

Make a design on paper showing where the sun and shade are for most of the year and also taking note of wet spots, areas with little shelter from prevailing winds and places that catch the sun and so are really hot. Lightly color in those areas that are dappled shade or deep shade. If you have trees that are being left, add them to the design and don’t plan on planting too much around their bases because tree roots are greedy and take a great deal of nutrients and moisture from the soil.

Basically you need to achieve as much greenery and color per season as possible, otherwise your garden will be a blaze of glory in the spring and fade out to a brown patch in midsummer. By autumn you might be lucky to see a red or yellow leaf. Your planting pattern must be designed so that as springs blooms fade, summer beauties are taking their place. Then when they are past their best display, the fall flowers and leaves are starting to come into bloom.

You’ll want some plants with attractive foliage for those times when the flowers are betwixt and between and some just for their beautiful texture and shape. Try and choose plants with a long flowering season to get the best value from them. If trees also have attractive bark, and good fall color in the leaves then their value is trebled because they give pleasure in all seasons.

Your planting pattern should also take into consideration not only the sun and shade on your block, but also the climate. Choosing plants that are not natural to your region is often a recipe for disaster. Also, some plants are considered pests in some areas, but not in others. It should be remembered when bringing back plants from a trip or holiday, or even buying online, that some species can run wild in some areas and escape into national parks where they cause much havoc amongst natural vegetation.

Another thing to remember is that tiny plant that looks so bare in a big empty garden may sprout up to a giant size in just a year, so be sure you don’t crowd too much into your garden. Make sure you know what the mature size of each plant will be and whether is has a spreading or upright habit.

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