GARDEN DESIGN AND EVALUATION

Dyann Goodfellow of Made In The Shade Nursery in Langley, B.C. offers the following advice for those designing their gardens.

Winter is a great time of year to sit back and do a thorough evaluation of your garden. What did you like about your garden over the last year and what didn't work for you? When the leaves are off the trees and the perennials are asleep for the winter, the bones of the garden are exposed and the true picture stares back at you.

The bones include hard landscaping such as walls, pathways, arbors, decks and anything else that is non-movable as well as specimen plants that are considered focal points or the stars of your garden. These starting blocks really determine how your garden comes together in the peak of the season. Some questions to ask yourself as you are looking over your plot are

Does my garden flow from one area to another or does it lack continuity? This does not mean that your garden has to look the same throughout, in fact, one area can look very different from another - the different areas should simply flow together. This can be done by having the same type of path run throughout the garden or even having one plant that creates a common thread through the whole garden.

Are there differing levels of elevation? When scanning a garden, your eyes should be moving up and down as well as back and forth. A flat garden is much less interesting than a garden with varying heights. This can be achieved quite easily by adding an arbor or structure that will support climbing plants.

Do I have any focal points? A focal point is an object that is usually placed at a distant point that draws your eye immediately. Effective focal points are trees and shrubs with contrasting color or foliage that stand out against a background.

Have I taken advantage of the change of seasons? Here in B.C., we live in a climate that allows our gardens to be of interest year round so why not take advantage of this? Plant trees and shrubs that give winter as well as summer interest! These do not have to be evergreen - some of the more interesting winter trees and shrubs are deciduous, such as Hamemelis mollis (Witchhazel), Corylus contorta (Harry Lauders Walking Stick), and Acer palmatum dissectum (Weeping Japanese Maple).

A garden is never finished; it should keep evolving from year to year. This is why yearly evaluation and re-evaluation are so important to keep the process moving.

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