Start with your backbone plants - some shrubs, grasses and maybe some small evergreens to give it structure throughout all the seasons. Then fill in. As you know, I use color schemes too. Can't help it, I think it has more impact.

I try to plant things together that bloom at the same time. I'd rather have one big area all blooming at once, next to a out-of-bloom green area than just a little bit of bloom all over the place. Your eye will focus on the all-blooming area.

I also cram my plants together. I plant an area for late summer interest, then overplant it for spring interest. The spring flowers will die back or be cut back and then late bloomers will take over an otherwise "dead area" in the late summer. Late summer bloomers don't get growing until late and don't interfere with spring blooms. That way you get 2 bloom seasons out of one area. Bulbs are easier to sneak in after perennials are in place.

I have some gardens planned, and some unplanned, and honestly, I'm more satisfied with my planned areas. That's not to say that I haven't had some nice surprises that happened completely by accident in my holding beds.

Don't forget, you can always move things around after the first season. I play musical chairs constantly with my plants. It always needs more tweaking.

Something I once read was "It's more to make a garden than to have one." Enjoy!

I've tried going for areas which bloom all white, all yellow, or whatever. Other colors have a way of sneaking in for various reasons, and I've found that works well for me.

I was planting one area in white roses, but I couldn't find as many varieties of whites as I wanted. I settled for adding two whites which have pink edges. The nursery also had a large, gorgeous yellow St. Patrick's rose bush for a great price. I decided, what the heck, and stuck the yellow rose in the middle of the whites. In the long run, I was glad that I did. It struck me that all whites would have been too contrived looking. The yellow adds some jazz. I've come to appreciate that mixing colors causes the individual plants to stand out.

Lorna

Tracy, why not try to think more in hues than in colors.

For example, pick "intensities" instead of color - bright yellow, orange and red are so saturated that they can handle a purple and even in the garden a white.

Then in other areas you could pick a butter yellow, pale pink, lilac, blue, peach/apricot etc. Once you get some plants in you will be able to "feel" where you might be able to use another color of foliage or flower... with your artistic eye I think it will be easy. You just need to get into the mindset of changing the way you look at things. Consider also using your camera to sort this out. My camera sure helps me see things the way other people see them...

GGG

Tracy, I plan and then I reformulate and rearrange as needed. I like analogous colours, even in my dress, so my beds tend to be in shades of similar colors, say, from light pink to burgundy. I also have some areas where I go for sharper contrasts, such as fuschia/magenta with white. Still, because I need to garden for 4 seasons interest, due to no snow cover, and the fact I enjoy the garden the most in Fall and Winter, I'm constantly tweaking the arrangements. I do however tend to stick to a somewhat similar pattern of color. Nothing wrong with a jumble of colors, it's just not me and cottage gardens are very personal, aren't they?

The bed I'm currently working on has 3 roses, from light pink to deep magenta and lilac. I have Autumn Joy sedum, salvia leucantha, purplish verbena and lantana, lavender and pink mums as perennials there. There's a backdrop of lilac and strawberry tree (which has tiny white flowers and redish fruit), deep pink broom, plus a climbing rose (Veilchenblau) that also has purplish tones. I have just added red twig dogwoods. Once they are leafed out and bloom, the flowers are white and as such will provide a nice background for the roses in front. The coming weekend I plan to add another variegated holly, plus direct sow pink poppies in between the dogwoods.

I do have yellows/reds/oranges elsewhere in the garden, namely my front garden, a.k.a. Winter garden, but I tend to keep colors separated.

Eduarda

Thank you all for your responses, I really appreciate them.

Gottagarden: I like what you're suggesting regarding bloom times. I'm definitely going to try that out.

Lorna: I know what you mean about adding jazz. That was my fear- that color schemes might seem boring. I think some pop here and there might help.

GGG: I definitely find that using my camera helps. I have some photos of the area taken this past summer and I'm trying to use my editing software to work out the garden areas. I think once I get a few plants in though, my plans will change.

Eduarda: Ok, I'm glad I'm not alone in segregating certain colors. Sometimes my eyes need the repetition of colors in areas for things to feel connected.

Thanks again everyone, I will be keeping this in mind as I continue planning.

Tracy

Hi Tracy,
Everytime I've planned a garden, I've done it a different way, using many of the excellent suggestions above.

For my most recent garden I made a list of "work horses" that would return reliably each year such as:
Rudbeckias 'Goldsturm' and 'Indian Summer'
Coneflowers
Sedum 'Autumn Joy'
Iris siberica 'Caesar's Brother'
several coreopsis
daylilies
bleeding heart
geranium 'Rozanne'
daffodils and many other plants.

These represented good strong colors for either spring, summer or fall so there was always something blooming in every part of the garden all season long.

I repeated groups of these plants three or four times across the width of the garden to provide a continuity of color, tying it all together.

After having these main plants in place I then added lots more plants, now considering color and bloom-time combinations and also did a lot of plunking things in where ever there was room, or experimented with wild combos. Some successful and some pretty horrible.

The only unsuccessful gardens I've seen are ones where soil/sun conditions etc. were ignored. It seems like no matter how things get planted, they all turn out beautiful and I know yours is bound to be exceptionally lovely.
Good luck and have fun!
Patti

I never had a plan. Other than sun/shade. I just planted by eye. Plop them in and let them go.

Libby

I plan, plan, and plan - and always end up moving stuff around as I plant it, anyhow, lol. I do a combination of stuff - I have a hardline plan in AutoCAD (hey, I'm an architect, I gotta do it), plus random sketches and lists of plant ideas.

Last night, I actually started one of those lists where I listed all my plant ideas with colors, heights, bloom times and sun/shade requirements, to try and get a handle on what I want to add to my new border. Then I added in the stuff I have in the adjacent border. Realized I need more tall stuff (hopefully to be done with roses and maybe other shrubs), and I don't have much for spring. So, some tweaking needs to happen before I lay everything out.

I did that because I didn't feel like going on the computer, but I'm sort of at the point that I need to lay stuff out to scale to get quantities and such. And I don't have a functional printer at home - I need to copy the plan to my keychain drive so I can print it out at work so I can sketch some more!

Patti: I found myself doing that same thing last week. I had quite a list of things going that I knew worked for me previously. I'll be adding lots of hostas, scabiosa, geranium, & coreopsis. Then I also have a list of things that worked well but I need to try on a larger level, like grasses, irises, etc.

I think having these "workhorses" serve as the bones of some of my beds will allow me to interchange plants until I reach a happy medium without letting the beds end up bloom-less.

Thanks!
Tracy

I feel like a read dunce here, as I hardly ever plan, I plop, I fling seeds. I do move things and do put things I think will look good together, but basically, I fly by the seat of my britches.

FlowerLady

Me too FlowerLady. Its the surprises and clashing colours that make my garden what it is. :O It makes me laugh and that is what really counts. Many times the OOOpppssses are more entertaining than having everything planned perfectly.

But as I stated before, when I am working in other peoples gardens I do make up a formal plan and stick with it.....to follow their wishes.

Sierra

Tracy,

I sort of had a plan at one time, but over the years it has become more and more casual. The tried and true plants for me are TX natives and heat/drought tolerant plants such as various salvias, lantana, cosmos, zinnias, plumbago, coneflower and esperanza. I know I will have success with these, which frees me up to experiment with other things.

Some of my experiments work, others not so much, and some are out right failures but I love experimenting to see what works and what doesn't for me.

As far as colors go, I have always been drawn to colors in the pink-mauve-purple family, but about 3 years ago I planted some yellow/orange cosmos on a whim, and what a difference it made. They warm colors really brought out the beauty of the cool pinks, and vice versa, so I experiment more with color combinations as well.

Tracy, you landscaped beautifully at your old house, I know you will have lovely gardens at your new one, too!

Happy Gardening!!
Marilyn

I think that my friend Story Gardener is right. Plants are like furniture and can be rearranged. I find that my beds evolve over time. I always start out with an over all plan and then add something here, move something there and so on.

The one "rule" (use that word loosely!) I have is that I like to plant a short "edging" plant in front and/or afound a bed to unify the look. I've used Snow in Summer, short sedums and hardy geraniums for this purpose.

Enjoy your planning. Just remember that we can plan the plan, not the result. So if you don't like the result, rearrange!

~~Mimi

Tracy,
Can I throw something into the mix?
Grasses, evergreens, autumn sedum, hydrangeas also have wonderful winter interest for those long months (like now) while we wait for Spring. I just read that adding different heights adds dimension ex: gotta's delicious red bed.
I just found Guara this summer(we've been pronouncing it a la Barbara Walters "ga waa waa"). I love it with lambs ear.
What a fun thing to do this winter.
Pics please!!!

georgeanne

Hello

Im new here.. just a long time lurker, but i had to throw my two cents in here. When i first started gardening a couple years ago (knowing absolutely nothing..well i still dont but thats another story) I bought the three ring binders and rulers and all sorts of things to draw out all my plans so my garden ideas would be oh so organized. Well let me tell you that lasted about a month. I moved things around so often that i couldnt even begin to keep up with putting it down on paper! But i think thats the way that works for me. I just tend to wander through the nurseries and stores and whatever jumps out at me (or looks like it really needs to be rescued) well thats what i buy with no clue on earth as to where i will put it. I usually just plop it into whatever empty space happens to be available and just go with it!

Sheila (lurker no more)

Welcome Sheila

Happy to 'see' you at last.

You said:
"I just tend to wander through the nurseries and stores and whatever jumps out at me (or looks like it really needs to be rescued) well thats what i buy with no clue on earth as to where i will put it"

I do that too. My garden is pretty well stuffed now but there's always room for 'just one more'. :)

Hope you post often.

Libby

Welcome Sheila, I think you've found a home.

I've put every one of my beds on paper and not one has come out as planned. Once we got the bones in, i.e. trees and hardscape, and shaped the layout of the beds, all plans seem to go by the wayside. Face it, there is a huge lag time for major landscape features to grow in. This is the time to experiment and be playful in your garden.

I've gone from planting groups of pastels to playing around with extremely bold combinations. I'm four full seasons into this garden and even the first beds I planted are still in flux. Some are about to get real shade for the first time. I have plants that have been moved around two or three times. Frankly, they don't like it, but who would? But, with care, they survive.

And I have to comment about color. In a small garden like mine, I initially thought that muted colors of the same family would give my beds that cottage look I wanted. Last year, I rebelled against that idea and decided to plant as much vibrant color as common sense would allow. I can't tell you what a difference it made to the impact. In a small garden, I don't think I will ever go back to pastels. Bold, brilliant colors in a small bed add drama I never expected.

Bring in plants that will give your beds heighth and depth. Hollyhocks, of course and sunflower. Nacotiana, cosmos, alliums will give you the vertical. But you want the eye to move. There's a reason why fences are so popular in cottage style gardens. They give that mid-range line. They are for vines and climbing roses. They give your eye a place to rest. All manner of wonderful bloomers can be planted low. Just make it so that everywhere you stand in your garden, you get a unique view. Focal points should be everywhere.

This was such an excellent question.

Steven

I prefer planning my beds from the comfort of my porch swing. :0)

Or standing and looking out the window where I want a new view....or sitting/standing and looking at the blank space in the yard. Since I do a little writing, my family is kinda used to me staring into space and calling it thinking. :0) Got them fooled!

I used to not plan at all, but I've found a few doodles help me *see* the space better. I get a prettier visual, complete with vertical interest if I draw a few things out.

After that, it is a free-for-all...I'm very prone to impulse buying at the nursery.

Here is a link that might be useful: Creative Soul

I bought two arborvita trees today, on impulse. They are in good shape, two and a half feet tall, and only $9 apiece. Could not resist! Have no idea where I will plant them... I've got a couple of acres, so space is not an issue. I've been known to get a big hole dug and then change my mind about where I want to put whatever it is. I always feel such a fool, when I do that! I'll wait a few days, change my mind several times about where to plant them, then I'll get them planted.

I also bought a bag of something called Sheep and Peat. I haven't seen that before. Has anybody used it? When I worked with the Organic Community Garden everybody used steer manure. Two new people came into the garden with new ideas. One used fresh horse manure, and the other used chicken manure. The guy who used the chicken manure ended up with the most abundant crops--the best garden in the group.

Lorna

Nice blog happyintexas. When I lived on the farm I never worried about standing in one spot in the yard and contemplating design. After all, nobody was around to see me. Sometimes I would stand with outstretched arms and yell at my kids, "I'm a tree, how do I look here?" They giggled when I made them take my place so I could see my 'tree' from the porch. Now that I live in a subdivision, I feel self-conscious about standing around staring, I am always afraid it makes the neighbors nervous about my motives and my sanity. And I just can't seem to be able to train the dogs to sit still and be 'shrubs'!

Hi Tracy! I suppose you can see from all the posts that there's not one "right" way to go about this. Some plan, some plop, some plan & plop. : ) I think since you're not comfortable plopping, I'd suggest planning with the idea that your plan can, and most likely will, involve a number of changes through the years. What is that old saying about the only constant is change. ; ) And from what I remember of your old gardens, you won't be making many mistakes.

Welcome to the Cottage, Sheila! : ) I have that "wandering through the nursery" gene, too. Look out if I do such wandering with a shopping cart in tow. There's no telling what will follow me home. lol!

Happy, I do most of my "planning" from my swing or garden chair, too. I can visualize quite well so I sit a while and end up with a complete vision in my head. Then it's off to the nurseries and my holding beds to make it all a reality. The opposite is true when we're building a garden structure. I feel like I have to get every last detail down on paper. Maybe it's because I have to share my vision with DH, who can build just about anything but he is so bad at visualizing.

Diana

My neighbours must wonder about me!! I stand or sit in front of my gardens and think about what I want to do. I imagine or picture what should go where or what colours would look good together (bright purple and orange are one of my favs!!) I have had one neighbour mention that they wondered what on earth I was doing standing there for so long just staring at the garden. :)
I do try and have a bit of a plan written down somewhere. I get ideas and write them on a page in my garden book, but whether they actually ever come to pass is another thing.....I change my mind a lot!

It's called constructive staring, that's what I do best LOL.

Annette

Before I closed my nursery in 2006 I would always tell my customers not to get overwhelmed. Don't look at the big picture. Plant what you like. Perennials are like furniture, most can be moved. Start a garden journal, and visit gardens or your local nursery every 2-3 weeks, because something different will always be in bloom. Even if you don't buy any plants, you'll be able to see what a mature plant will look like. Bring your digital camera and take pictures. You can have your garden blooming from early spring till late fall. Most people forget about the fall and think only of mums.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Garden Travels

LOL! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who stands and stares. 'Constructive staring' that's a good name for it.

LOL Mechele211 on trying to get your dogs to be shrubs. LOL The plastic patio chairs and empty pots are my favorite stand ins.

Here is a link that might be useful: Creative Soul

LOL!! At least now if anyone asks what I am doing, I will have an answer instead of standing there and mumbling. It is difficult to explain some things to a non gardener. :-)
From now on I will tell them I am doing my "constructive staring"!! :)
gg

Boy, here I was thinking that on the 24th there would be no more comments! I forget that in the winter months this forum can get really slow.

I'm so glad I checked back. What wonderful comments and suggestions. I have so much to take into account this season.

Thank you all!

Tracy

Constructive staring must be a common trait of gardeners.

Do any of you talk to your plants too? I do, but don't tell anyone. : -)

HerbLady ~ I hope we hear more from you. I loved visiting your blog. It sounds like you had a wonderful 18 years with your nursery.

Tracy ~ Have fun with your new gardens this year.

FlowerLady

mechele211, your post is so funny - love it. Thanks for the chuckle!

I've been wintersowing for 5 years or so, and also fighting a walnut tree alongside one border. I also have drastically different shade conditions throughout my yard and have been filling in locations with inexpensive perennials and easy things from seed and then other perennials and specials as I come to them. As I get more and bigger stock to select from and as I learn more about what will tolerate the walnut or specific shade/moisture conditions, I move things around to improve the looks. As a result, the concept of a garden "plan" is very loose for me.

I have tried to fill out the beds so that I have something blooming from April til November, and also have planted for winter interest. I do find that my gardens tend to sometimes go through color phases - lots of blue, pink and lavender in May and early June, lots of hot bright color in late June and July, and lots of yellows, pinks and fuschias in August.

FlowerLady
Do any of you talk to your plants too? I do, but don't tell anyone. : -)

Of course. Common phrases include:

mmmmmmmmm you smell so good
oh no you don't
there you are
this is your last chance!
aren't you sweet
where did you come from?
sorry
perfect

and many more :)

Libby