Take my garden. I dutifully laid out a list last year of all that I wanted to accomplish: Build a deck, build raised veggie beds, finish the gap in the fence that was left when the garage was built, set up my rain barrels, restart my dried-out composter... let's just say that it was long and detailed at the beginning of the summer, and pretty much the same way at the end.
To be fair, I did finish off the fence, which involved saws, levels, cement and me wearing a tool belt. It was a great weekend, and an even better sense of accomplishment, but then time evaporated in favour of two book manuscripts that had to be written to unforgiving deadlines.
Not this summer.
The list strategy didn't work last year, so I'm thinking that what I really, really need (aside from a month off work, but that's a whole other article) is a clearly laid-out plan with even clearer goals that I can publicly commit to. I do so love a plan. (I love it even more when it all comes together.)
So, I asked the Calgary Herald's gardening columnist, Donna Balzer, to help me out. I had ideas, but I wanted an expert's opinion on them: Would they work? Would they complement the house? What kind of plants would flourish?
Donna and I quickly realized we had a similar, no-nonsense approach -- I would draw out my yard to scale, putting in only the permanent, immovable features such as the house and yard, and collect pictures of the plants and gardenscapes that I liked. She would assess what I had, and make suggestions based on the space, time, money and sunlight that I had available.
Since she charges by the hour, my advance planning would equal money saved for me.
The night before her arrival, I hauled out the graph paper (one square on the paper equals one square foot), the original land survey and the survey version that I'd created for my garage permit. Some artful additions and subtractions and one Scotch later (math never was my strong point), I had the property lines, fences, garage and house marked.
The next morning, I quickly ran down my priority list: I love the English cottage garden look, but have lived through enough Canadian winters to know that native plants -- or at least those suited to drought, wind and minus-30 winters -- are the answer. I like practical plants, those that earn their keep, such as fruit trees and herbs. I adore the scent of lavender, roses and peonies. I have a miniscule budget, but a generous friend who's about to divide her perennials. And last, but certainly not least, my house is all about vertical lines and edges, and the garden is my solution for softening the facade.
Donna and I first walked my yard (which, being all of 32 feet wide, didn't take very long). She assessed the plants that I already had, and the space -- an unshaded east-facing front garden with two small beds in front of the house and two smaller ones on each side of the path where it connects with the sidewalk. I really like those two patches of drought-resistant flowers -- lamb's ear, snow-in-summer, thyme and juniper -- but even leashed dogs find them an irresistible temptation for territorial marking.
I've already lost one small cedar, so moving the remaining plants before they're chemically fried seems like a wise idea.
Over a hot cup of tea, Donna sketched out two wide, curved beds in the front yard and filled them in with circles and squiggles of plants: three lilacs (which I already have), three hydrangeas, a peony, lupins and two more buffalo juniper to balance the one that's out front now, along with assorted grasses. To add a more expansive feeling of welcome, she suggested a 1.2-metre-wide exposed aggregate path with a small patio in front of the porch.
She also reviewed my intentions for the backyard, including the deck off the back door and the raised vegetable beds, a few more curves and squiggles, and I suddenly had a raised flower bed to complement the one in the front.
Donna left me with a soil list (7.6 cubic metres) should raise all of the flower beds and fill the veggie area properly), a plant list (ready for shopping) and tips about mulching (to hold back the weeds) and edging (skip the expensive stonework that I'd considered, and simply edge the raised beds for a softer look). She also left me feeling inspired enough to commit -- in print -- to recreating my garden.
On my regular blog at calgaryherald.com/lifeathome, I'll be chronicling my progress. I've decided to tackle the deck first, so that I'll have somewhere pleasant to collapse at the end of a long day cutting sod, adding soil, moving plants, planting trees and laying paving slabs (my first compromise: with exposed aggregate for the path running in excess of $1,000, I've decided that paving slabs laid width-wise to achieve a wider path are just as good, at least for now).
More garden planning information:
Garden consultant Donna Balzer can be reached at donna@gardenguru.net
-- Canwest News Service
