Chapter 5
Your garden is an extension of your house. Just like you would a room, you’ll furnish it, not with overstuffed couches & coffee tables, but with plant materials, garden structures, fences, & walls. In this chapter, I will show you, step-by-step, how to create a master plan for your front yard, identifying what goes where & why. Once you have this master plan, I will help you choose the plants for your garden in Chapter 6 & then select paving materials, structures, & accessories in Chapter 7.
Creating the Outdoor Room
The ultimate goal is to create an emotional connection between you and your garden so you approach your house with a serene feeling of “Ahhhh, I’m home.” To take a shortcut and throw in a few plants from the local nursery might fall short of that “ahhhh” factor that gives you the sense of your home’s being the sanctuary you crave. So what are the components that create a space that’s comfortable; proportioned; rich with color, texture, smells, and fragrances; the one that reflects who you are and what your vision is for your home?
Building upon the basic design principles from Chapter 4, I will now discuss how to begin to lay out your front yard so that it works for you.
Public/Private Zones
