Anytime you’re planting a new garden, you have to ask yourself a few important questions so your new space can live up to its full potential: What do you want from your garden? What’s its intended purpose? What will you do in it? What theme will it have? How will you use it? And what will you have to change in the existing landscape to help you get there?
A dry streambed can become functional when rainfall is heavy. Use it as a decorative element in arid gardens, sloping the stream to direct water away from structures and your garden and lining the soil surface beneath its stones with permeable landscape fabric to reduce erosion.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Low-voltage lighting illuminates a landscape as evening falls, increasing safety on paths and steps.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Impulse sprinklers are a good choice for overhead watering of turf and ornamental grasses.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
The first place to start is a good site analysis. Catalog your site’s existing features. Look at all the physical elements: buildings, fences, pool, paths, patio, large rocks, etc. Determine the features that suit your new garden’s purpose and function, as well as those that match the garden’s theme. Think of how these features can be adapted or remodeled to suit the new look.
No matter how your yard is currently designed, consider it a blank slate. (It may already be one if you’ve purchased a newly constructed home.) Imagine what your garden can become – at play, at rest and while entertaining. Now let’s look at what you’ve got to work with:
Drainage
Check the grade or slope of your property. Look for signs of erosion or standing water. If your property has any runoff issues or standing water problems, consult a licensed professional for advice before proceeding on your own. That said, it’s still a good idea to start considering your options, so you and a professional can come up with a good solution together.
For example, oftentimes drainage issues can be corrected by building raised beds so they channel runoff away from structures and neighboring yards. If perennial beds are installed adjacent to a house or other building, grade the soil at least 2 inches per 10 feet so that water drains away from the structure. Or consider different ways to use a steep slope – and be creative. Sloping sites with a steep grade can erode and be difficult to maintain. You can address these issues by terracing the area and forming level planting beds with attractive steps. You can plant groundcovers to hold the soil and eliminate mowing – or the steep grade could provide a course for a rushing stream or a waterfall garden.
Lighting
When planning your garden design, think of your outdoor rooms – patios, decks and eating areas – taking into account the views, both to and from the space. Consider microclimates – a patio with a northern exposure is cooler, while southern exposures offer warmth and sunshine. If you plant on being outside at night, you might want to consider installing low-voltage lighting.
Low-voltage lighting kits make garden lighting safe and easy to install. You’ll need to ensure that your site has an outlet protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). If not, ask a licensed electrician to install one. (The kit’s transformer will plug into this outlet.) Shop for a lighting kit with spotlights and floodlights rather than mere path lights, to focus light on the plants and keep fixtures hidden.
After planting, place floodlights where they’ll accent your tall plantings: Set some near the trunks of shrubs and tall, thin-leafed perennial plants to uplight the canopy. Set other lights at the curves of the bed or border, at the front edge to light up pale flowers or muted foliage, and in the middle to uplight thin, open or elegantly shaped plants.
Check from all vantage points to assure the viewer sees the plants rather than bright or glaring edges from the fixtures. Before connecting fixtures to the 12-volt cable, leave extra cable between them – loop it into a tidy circle at the base of a stake – so the fixtures can be adjusted as the plants grow. Cover the cable with mulch or bury it in the soil. Again, if you’re unsure as to how to install lighting, consult the help of a licensed professional.
Irrigation
An automatic irrigation system can be a lifesaver for your plants, especially if you live in a dry, low-rainfall climate, have limited time to water regularly or if you travel frequently. There are two basic styles of permanent irrigation systems: high-pressure sprays and low-pressure drips.
High-pressure systems are constructed of rigid polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe that delivers water to stationary or rotating spray heads. They deliver lots of water – 1.5-3 gallons per minute – equivalent to a heavy downpour. A low-pressure drip irrigation system uses flexible polyethylene tubing laid on the soil surface. It delivers water slowly – at rates ranging from 0.5-3 gallons per hour – through drip emitters.
Your choice of drip or spray irrigation depends on your water pressure – spray systems need more than drip systems – and the size and shape of the area to be irrigated. Use sprays in areas measuring 10-15 feet wide, rotors for areas 15-30 feet wide, and drip systems for any area size or shape. Sprays deliver too much water for sloping sites or clay soil; rotors and drip make better choices there.
Installing a permanent irrigation system is straightforward and simple, but it must be designed carefully to ensure even coverage. Personalized help is available wherever systems are sold, including garden centers, hardware retailers, irrigation suppliers, water districts and Extension offices.
With a good site assessment, planning and a strong idea of what you want your garden to be, your back yard will be well on its way to being all it can be – and more.
Installing a French Drainage System and Diverting Runoff
When it comes to figuring out your drainage issues, observe your garden after a hard rain to identify drainage patterns at your site. Consider installing drainage at spots where water stands on the surface for extended periods. Divert runoff whenever water flows quickly through your yard, erodes the topsoil, causes gullies to appear, or runs toward your home or other structures. Use your garden plan to determine the amount of pipe, gravel and root-barrier or filter fabric you’ll need for the project. Gather together shovels and helpers to perform the steps shown in the following pictures and described in their captions. Caution: Some sites and projects require strenuous effort. Always consult the help of a licensed professional when necessary.
Installing Inground Irrigation
An irrigation system can be a lifesaver when you’re establishing new plantings or experiencing a period of drought. To simplify your system design, group plants according to their water needs. In regions where freezing temperatures are likely, mount control valves underground and include a drain valve at the lowest point in your system. Use your garden plan to measure your water coverage needs. Gather together shovels, a PVC pipe-cutting tool, and take the steps shown in the following pictures and described in their captions.
