planting designs

I've got my seeds in my plastic
bottles ready for action to take place.
Meanwhile, I've decided to plant my
flowers in 4X10 sections thur out
the backyard, keep in mind the yard in
completely naked ( or as we say in the
south nek kid). what would be some
attractive shapes or designs to use?
deller

Hi, Deller Wouldn't that depend on the landscaping. Is it flat, contoured, etc?

Formal gardens tend to use linear shapes (rectangles, squares, diamonds) or circles and ovals; often in symetrical (mirror image) layouts. Informal gardens tend to have looser, flowing curves and asymetrical planting schemes.

If your tastes lean toward the less-formal, here's one tip I've discovered: Many sources will tell you it works pretty well to use a garden hose to lay out curved beds, and they're right. But then I take the lawnmower and walk it around the outside curves as though I were mowing around the bed. That helps me judge whether the curves are too tight to easily mow (and if they are, they're probably going to look fussy and unnatural, as well as be difficult to keep the grass trimmed.)

No matter what you decide, 4' across is a good maximum width - you can easily get to the middle of the bed from both sides without stepping in/across it.

This message was edited Jan 13, 2004 11:56 AM

All good points, Terry. I think I've made every single mistake you've mentioned... beds too close together for the mower, beds so wide I can't weed.. yep, and some others I can't recall at the moment.

It would be exciting to start with a big bare spot and make it into something. I've got all my big bare spots filled up now. Deller's got an adventure on her hands!

the outback is flat, I could
blacktop it and make a tennis
court. Has anyone ever tired
( saw this on HGTV) a knot
layout? Nothing formal for me,
I do like the english cottage
garden look. what about the
knot design?

Deller, I looked up Knot Gardens on the web, and came up with this definition. Sounds pretty formal to me:

"Knot gardens are symmetrically-designed gardens employed in formal landscaping, using geometric patterns, in which control is exercised by the precise use of edging plants. Shrubbery often plays a dominant role in knot gardens, since it can be pruned to conform to precise measurements. Knot gardens gained popularity with the nobility during the European Renaissance and are especially associated with the grand English estates."

Knot gardens are also a great deal of work to keep looking tidy. All the hedges need to be exactly the same height, all the plants need to be exactly spaced. They look great to begin with but if one plant decides to grow faster/slower or in a different direction the entire look is ruined. If you can keep on top of the work they can look stunnngly beautiful.

There is a way around the traditional knot garden and make an informal style. Instead of using Box or Lavender as a hedge, mark the knot garden out and use gravel/bricks then plant the beds inside with things that have a more upright growing pattern but remain what people like to call 'cottage garden'. Herb plants particularly lend themselves to this type of garden, you could also (sparsely) sow tiny plants like Violas and Thyme in the gravel to give it a crumbling elegance and a scented pathway.

Okay, you've all made up my
mind, NO to the knot garden..
I'll keep things simple, but
I will incorporate my birdbaths
and standing feeders into my
planning, also got to have room
for a bench or two, I love to
sit and ponder..Guess there is
no such thing as a laid back
formal garden, is there>

Amen to that, Deller. One has to allow for the whimsy of the plants, unless one has several other like plants to replace them. I've found that nature generally seems to have the better plan for gardens, if one is willing to comply.