Turn Your Front Yard into a Garden

Step 2 Structural Design Considerations

Paths and Entries
How do you envision people to walk around the property?
How do you walk around the property?
How will you be able to reach areas for fertilizing, watering, and weeding?
What material will you use for the paths?
How would a person in a wheelchair or stroller be able to move around?

Focal Points
Are you going to use a structural focal point such as a fountain?
Are you going to use a special plant as a focal point?
Do you like formal or informal gardens?
Do you want a man-made focal point or a natural one?
How many will you need?
Will you be using seating?

Whimsy
What place would you like to be able to visit every single day?  A Gothic Cathedral or a Fairy Castle?
What will make your garden a destination?
How will you add charm?

From walking around, there was one definite path in the yard, and two more paths were added for guests entering the property from the street.  Two of the three paths are wide enough for someone in a wheelchair to maneuver around.  We opted to use the same material for the paths as we did for the mulch, and we may add stonework or some other material later.  We have a variety of focal points, but most focal points are special plants.  Currently, the most obvious focal points are the arbor, stock tank, and ash tree, and the remaining focal points will require time for growth as they are still relatively young plants.  I wanted this garden to be informal in a Texas cottage sort of way, but there are still gnomes as a nod to our See Rock City mailbox.

 

 

Comments

[ann3angels]

I love your non-lawn.  I have seen this type of approach attempted before, and yours is definitely one of the most sucessful.  I think your willingness to go slowly is smart, I believe the space evolves in a more organic way.

I used to own a home and my garden was a wonderful source of recreation, relaxation and pride for me.  I had been there about ten years when I became ill and had to sell it.  Many of the plants were really beginning to come into their own at that point.  The rose bushes, the magnolia tree, the row of lush peonies finally blooming big and sweet.  The clematis, I could go on and on, but I don't want to bore.   But let me just mention the lilacs I'd planted under my bedroom window and the the fig bush which I'd bought as a cutting from a woman whose father-in-law had brought the original from Italy when he came to America in the 1920's.

I need advice!  In the apartment I'm in now, I have a little cement patio where I have some pots and a fairly large area where 4 big old pines live.   So, always pine needles underfoot, no sun and a good amount of pine cones.   But, squirrels, squirrels, squirrels, squirrels, squirrels, squirrels and squirrels.  The little grey  rodents managed to eat all the bulbs I'd put in the pots, I thought they would be a little more protected in pots.  Believe it or not, I was not able to find chicken wire to cage the bulbs in, so I sprinkled copious amounts of sparky spices (hot peppers, curry, that sort of thing) but it was totally ineffective.   I next put some really lovely shade seeking calidiums and deep rich purple calla lilies in a big shiny red pot and the little rodents decided the certainly looked delicious, so they plants were nibbled
off but not eaten.   Help, I want a garden.  I must be somewhat discrete as it is an apartment community, but there must be something I can grow under those pine trees that the squirrels won't devour.  

By the way, I live in the Baltimore suburbs, so that lets you know my growing region.   My dog does relieve himself under the pines, but I am always following right behind him to clean up.

Oh my, I have gone on!!!!  Sorry if I have bored or worn you out.  Like I said, just need some advice.
Ann

[AngryRedhead]

I know there are a number of deer resistant plants that are hardy in your area.  Check out hardy euphorbias and cacti for starters.  Some cholla are hardy to zone 4 and have GORGEOUS blooms and a great growth habit.  There are also daffodils and alliums that the deer hate although they'll need to be protected from squirrels.  Even my cats lay off the daffodils because they taste so nasty.

Since I generally don't have a problem with deer and squirrels, I couldn't really say what exactly is your best bet, but I hope those get you started.  Deer just aren't around here, and squirrels can find tastier foods than my bulbs because of the acorns falling from the mature oak in the back and the food scraps in the compost pile.  I also leave out ears of corn for them to nibble on - actually it's only been the 1 and it's been out for a while now...  If they can find something tastier to eat, they'll leave your plants alone.  Pine trees don't offer much for wildlife.

If you need some more ideas, give your local horticultural extension office a ring and ask for some tips.  If you start looking around online and catalog sources, you'll find a number of plants that are reported to be deer resistant in the descriptions.  I've never really gardened outside of Texas so I'm not too sure what's the best thing to recommend when it comes to specific plants because I can grow things you can't and you can grow things that I can't.  There are definitely plants that are less tasty and won't attract so much attention from the local wildlife.  Sorry I'm not more help.