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A Design Unfolds
A little over a year ago I contacted a garden coach to work with me on the layout of the front garden. Instead of plunging forward, I spent some time gaining focus on what I hoped to achieve with my garden. As I searched through a considerable amount of design ideas, there was one that I kept coming back to. My garden was to be a habitat for birds, pollinators, and wildlife. A garden which brought me back to days growing up near a natural meadow, a place where we spent much of our time as kids. Thoughts swirled around a meadow garden that was filled with grasses, colors, and textures. One that incorporated some native plants which would benefit both the land and the wildlife. For a while, I entertained the thought of creating the design myself. I found myself full of ideas, but the one thing I was having trouble with was how to pull all of my ideas together. I was having difficulty seeing the big picture, and wished for a fresh pair of eyes. Someone who would be looking at the land for the first time, and perhaps view the layout differently than I. That’s when my thoughts went back to Judith Irven, the garden coach I had contacted several months before. Judith is a Master Gardener who teaches the design portion of the MG program offered by UVM. She offers coaching sessions and workshops assisting with plant selection, design, or a complete landscape plan. Using her extensive knowledge and expertise, Judith works with clients to develop a plan which incorporates their ideas and personality. Browsing through her blog and website which contain many pictures of her garden in Southern Vermont, her passion and talent are apparent. I emailed Judith and explained my hopes for this front garden, and included some photographs. We began with a simple sketch of the front and side of the property, Grasses certainly dominate the plan, though the planting will not be a a true meadow which would approach a ratio of 90%/10% grasses to forbs. Also on the plan the plants are shown in recognizable groups; whereas in an actual meadow there would be more co-mingling of grasses and forbs. The plan would be better referred to as a meadow-inspired design. I was delighted to see the incorporation of some grassy paths, a seating area, some stone steps, and a split rail fence which will define the garden space as well as add some winter interest. Judith’s design focuses on strong summer color as well as good fall and winter presence. Some of the beauties that will be gracing the planting include: Amelanchier canadensis or Serviceberry, with beautiful early spring blooms and fall berries for the birds, Cotinus ‘Grace’ and ‘Royal Purple’, two of my favorite Smokebush species, Spirea ‘Ogon’ with beautiful chartreuse summer color followed by a brilliant salmon-orange for fall, some native Virburnum, a few of my beloved lilacs, and of course a variety of grasses and perennials. The design will be incorporated over a period of years. This spring I plan to get started on a small section – the areas closest to the garage and front porch. I am so thankful for Judith’s help in making what was a source of uncertainty into something exciting. In my efforts to come up with a plan on my own, I had hesitations that my lack of design skills would result in my never really being satisfied with it. I longed for a garden that I could sit in and enjoy without thinking about what was wrong with it and what needed changing, and feeling unsure about how to change it. I am so looking forward to getting my hands in the dirt this spring…
A meadow inspired design for the front garden 33 comments to A Design Unfolds |
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Incredible plan!! I love the meandering paths and steps for elevation changes. I look forward to the development and progress, what an exciting project!
Wow! What a great way to begin… your plan looks wonderful from what I can see… being the movement and forms of beds… the varieties you mention all sound luscious and wildlife will delight in your garden! I am very happy for you Liisa! I started out in such a unorganized way… and my gardens are still wild and rambling. I love the movement of the paths… It looks lovely!! Have fun!! ;>))
Liisa, how exciting that you have a design plan! and what a wonderful entrance it will be as you wind your way up the hill to your beautiful home. I can’t wait to see how you begin to develop. Cotinus ‘Royal Purple’ is one of my favorite plants in our garden, so much so that we have a number of them as they also self-sow in our garden.
Spring is here! have a wonderful week. Diana
Hi, Liisa; I’m impressed with your plan and also your discipline! I’m forever telling people my gardens ‘evolve’ — which is just a way to cover up the fact that they are expanding, with no rhyme or reason, thanks to my lack of patience.
Oh, I imagine you are very excited about getting started. I love that your garden coach planned for year-round interest in the garden. It will be nice to see photos of your garden through the seasons once you get started :^)
It is sometimes amazing what a ‘fresh pair of eyes’ can come up with Liisa. I look forward to hearing more about the realisation of your plans.
Liisa, it looks amazing. I love the curving paths, they have such great flow, and the steps at both sides. Fabulous. I like your plant choices as well. Make sure you get a few snowdrops in there, lol.
It’s going to be beautiful. I’ll look forward to seeing how it’s all coming together. I think it’s great you found someone that could help put your ideas together in the way you had imagined.
Liisa,This plan is wonderful! I love the countours and the paths and the use of the small flights of stairs between levels. Will you be able to do the execution all yourself or will this require some serious earthmoving or professional masonry? -Jean
Jean,
~Liisa
Thank you so much. I hope to do most everything myself with the exception of the stone work and moving the existing tree line. I plan to keep an informal appearance with the stone steps and bluestone pathway. Around the steps there will need to be small retaining walls. Right now I am thinking I would like a professional for this, as I am sure the end result would be much tidier than what I can achieve myself.
Catherine,
~Liisa
Thank you so much. I am so thankful for Judith’s help and her love of nature inspired gardens. I will certainly be posting as I make progress, though it is going to be a project that will be spread out over a few years.
Deborah,
~Liisa
Thank you so much. I too like the pathways, and was so happy to see the flowing, informal grassy paths in the finished design. I hope to get lots of snowdrops in there…
Anna,
~Liisa
It is so true. Judith certainly envisioned things in a whole new way. It is difficult as we look at the same thing every day, it becomes more difficult to envision things as a whole. At least for me, anyway. My brain seems to divide things into sections, which made it difficult when trying to figure out the picture I wanted to create.
The plan looks great and I’ll be interested in following your progress. I’m impressed that you were able to do this all by e-mail!
Fabulous plan – you and Judith have certainly worked well together – and I look forward to seeing the progress
K
I have to say, Liisa, I’m a little bit jealous. During my Master Gardener days, the garden design portion hadn’t been invented yet. It got kind of depressing discussing the pathological aspects of plant life week in and week out.
I look forward to seeing the implementation of your new design. Looks wonderful.
It looks like an amazing plan. I’m trying to imagine it. I do like the paths flowing through it.
What a thrilling way to start the season – with a plan and a vision! What fun you will have creating these elements. I love the flow of it and look forward to seeing it come to life. Yay!
Ms. S,
~Liisa
Thank you so much. I must admit that it is nice to have a plan in place. And, I am certainly excited to get started. I envy gardeners that are gifted in both design and the ability to keep a garden that flourishes. I hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend!!
Thank you, Helen. It will be interesting to see the plan unfold, and I do hope it is as lovely as it is on paper and in my mind’s eye! Have a fabulous weekend!
~Liisa
Grace,
~Liisa
Thank you so much. I do look forward to enrollment in the Master Gardener program. Unfortunately, I don’t think that time will allow for this until after school has been completed. I envy your knack for design, especially since you did not have the formal training through the MG program. Your talent is apparent in the layout of your beautiful garden.
Thank you, Karen. Judith is amazing, and I am so thankful that I found her. I hope you enjoy some sunshine and mild temperatures this weekend!
~Liisa
Phillip,
Thank you so much. I was also impressed at what we were able to accomplish through email. While Judith had offered to have me come to her place and go over the final design, she was so thorough in her letter and notes that accompanied the final plan that there was never any need.
Noelle,
~Liisa
Thank you so much. I am indeed very excited to get my hands in the dirt. It is nice to see some signs of spring, though they are very subtle as of yet. But, at least they bring reassurance that spring will eventually get here!
Kate,
~Liisa
I too have a lack of patience, and when we moved here I initially started a couple projects just to get some color to enjoy. Things were certainly planted willy-nilly, but I think this an important step in my learning process. I think it helped my love for gardening to take shape, and it also brought the discovery that I should face the fact that a designer I am not…
What fun it will be come spring and you can set these plans to work. I love the paths ~ It will be great seeing your progress. Happy spring!
Rebecca,
~Liisa
This will be a labor of love, and will take some time to complete as the gardening budget allows. I am really looking forward to getting started, and will provide updates as things progress.
Carol,
~Liisa
I do hope this new design will be a beacon for some additional wildlife. I must say that your garden provided me with much inspiration for this meadow-inspired design. I love your wild and rambling garden, as it is so inviting. It makes one want to sit and observe the beauty and movement of it all.
Thank you, Diana. I too am anxious to see things develop. Isn’t Cotinus ‘Royal Purple’ amazing? I love the red-purple leaves that emerge in spring. Spring has certainly arrived in your part of the world, and the awakening of your garden is delightful and inspiring. Happy Spring!!
~Liisa
Kate,
~Liisa
I think the paths are my favorite part, and I am so looking forward to getting started. Though it will be a work in progress for some time. I hope you are enjoying some milder temperatures, and we can now enjoy the pleasures of longer days! Happy Spring to you, too!!
Wow, I had no idea your blog had evolved so marvelously
)) Looking forward to reading up a bit when I have time. Wonder if you could plant a wee bit of stevia, just experimentally, to see how it fares so far north. 
) I NEED to get a veg garden going here – will be quite a learning project, as I have never started my own garden before. All the best to you and Mr B 
Hi all, just came here after a fast yahoo search. Neat website you got here! Keep it up!
I always love reading your posts, i just used this website SwapmySeeds.com, as a way of giving away my unused seeds. Anyone know what I can sell them for? I have maybe 100 chrysanthemum seeds left.