Good design Basics ( Part 2 ) Using the Simplistick Garden Planner

Rhythm   This is visual flow; the eye wanders throughout the entire garden design, but comes back to the focal point. It can be achieved with repetition and contrast.

 

Balance   Try to achieve a good balance in your design. Don’t crowd plantings in one area and leave blank spots in others. Create unity by planting in colours, textures and groupings. Plants and structures should appear to be connected or in harmony with one another.

 

Colour    This is another major thinking concept; colour has an amazing impact on our emotions and as such becomes one of the best tools for creating moods and effects in the garden. Don’t just be limited to colour of flowers and blooms, consider foliage as well. If in doubt use a colour wheel to assist in creating the scheme you desire.

 

Texture Most plants are green, but they are not all smooth and shiny. Pay attention to the foliage of individual plants. Are they broad and flat, small and fluffy, spiky or thin and wispy? A combination of textures gives fullness to a garden, creating interest and structure.

Sustainability   

In many regions, the current level of demand on water resources is unsustainable. An average household can use approximately 112 000 litres of water per year on their garden alone.

Reducing household water demand with efficient landscaping and garden designs can make significant contributions towards a more sustainable future. A sustainable landscape is a healthy and resilient landscape that will endure over the long term without the need for a large amount of scarce resources such as water. Ideally, its own natural functions and processes will be able to maintain the environment into the future. Sustainable landscaping is about being accountable for the environment when designing, constructing and maintaining landscapes and gardens.

A large range of desirable landscapes can be achieved whilst also considering the environmental impact and supporting natural environments. With a little research and planning, effective alternatives can be found to traditional unsustainable garden practices and plant selections.

Be mindful of the following when designing your garden:


• Try to use appropriate plant species for your geographic location.
Research flora which is indigenous to your region.
• Where possible, try to encourage the creation of habitats and food sources for local fauna.
• In choosing appropriate landscape materials, try to use alternatives to materials taken from ‘natural landscapes’ (moss rocks, river stones etc). There are many man-made and recycled options available. Be sure to sort and recycle the waste materials that you use.
• Design your landscape to minimise water usage and incorporate effective use
of mulch and sub surface water efficient irrigation.
• Consider installing rain water tanks and/or grey water systems.
• Use drought tolerant plants and lawn varieties that better suit local
environmental conditions. Minimise lawn areas where possible.
• Reduce the use of garden chemicals and use best practice application techniques to avoid contamination of air, soil and water. Consider, "companion planting" and organic pesticides.

 

Most homeowners may only get to design or redesign a garden two or three times in a lifetime. Either way there can be a learning period when errors of judgements or less than perfect choices are made. A good tip is not to rush the process. Think of and record several layouts, taking into account your personal requirements, blending your needs with all that you know about design principles and style.

Experiment with as many design options as possible, 20m2  of paving stickers is much easier to relocate on a plan than 20m2 of real paving in the wrong location. Have fun with your plans and remember it’s your garden and your design so it should reflect your personality, needs and lifestyle requirements. 

"Because a garden means constantly making choices,

it offers almost limitless possibilities for surprise and satisfaction."

Jane Garmey,

The Writer in the Garden.

Scale Guide

 Most of the items in this Simplistick Garden Planner are based on a scale of 1:100, but can be easily translated into imperial measurements also. Some items like pot plants and actual paver size is representative. These items may be oversized for illustrative purposes, but are still intended for use.

A scale drawing is a representation of the actual size, measured as a ratio, such as one to one hundred, which is written as 1:100. So a drawing at 1:100 scale is exactly one hundredth of the real size. You don’t need to buy a scale ruler – a standard metric ruler will work just as well. At 1:100 scale, 1 centimetre equals 1 metre.

A scale drawing is very helpful when planning a new garden or outdoor area. Take your completed, to-scale garden plan to your local gardening or landscaping service – you can discuss your project while looking at your actual plan, rather than having to describe it verbally or trying to ‘translate’ your notepad doodles to a professional. Trees, for instance, can then be marked on the plan, taking into account how big they will grow.

A thorough initial planning stage is essential in any project and by using the scaled graph paper and the other items included with the Simplistick Garden Planner, you will save considerable expense and end up with a clear and precise plan.

Part 3 of this blog will run through the 6 easy steps it takes to use the Simplistick Garden Planner to create A3 images of your garden dreams.

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