Basic Landscaping Design II – Style

Spring will come, fortunately much sooner than we think. Let’s be prepared by adding some style to the basic landscape plan we developed last week.

Where do I put features in my yard? That depends on style. Style is formal or informal. Formal tends to be symmetrical and balanced. Formal is usually more square and cornered than curved. In our illustration, symmetrical balance shows the same plants on either side of the door and house. The plantings are the same size. Things match. Informal is balanced in terms of visual weight and mass but not equal matches. Informal landscaping has curved beds, softer lines and balance obtained by visual weight without exact symmetry.

Style should complement and coordinate with the house and yard. A Victorian house tends to invite a more formal style. So does a traditional colonial. A log home, a country French, Tudor, ranch, cottage or any country style house invites informal, asymmetrical style. Informal is considerably more common than formal. The White House is formal. Our beautiful Kentucky log homes are informal. Most homes fall somewhere between. Symmetry has its place in country style landscaping but the materials or plantings might have a more casual air.

An informal home may have symmetry in its architecture. Informal landscaping will add interest to the symmetry. Formal landscaping will continue the symmetrical trend but might either crowd the house or be too repetitive. Asymmetrical home-style works well with informal landscaping. There are outsets and insets that are natural places for foundation beds.

Tall homes like tall trees. Low slung ranch style is flattered by rounded landscaping that blends with long, low rooflines. Tall landscaping on the edges of the lot give the feeling of spaciousness and make a home appear larger. Avoid crowding large plantings near the front door, start with lower plantings and gain height as you move the design to the outer reaches of the yard.

Artful landscaping creates visual interest. A curved sidewalk or a straight walk with an extra angle is much more interesting than a straight shot. Everything in your yard is an invitation; to your door, to your back yard, to a secluded area in your back yard. Create a sense of place and destination whenever you can. An outdoor table and chairs or a bench create a place. Things that suggest a leisurely walk like a path or stepping-stones create destination.

The front door is the focal point of any house. If there is a porch, use this fortunate feature to add additional welcoming items. Place inviting chairs, flowerpots, evergreens in pots and plantings in beds around the porch. Change some of your front door landscaping with the seasons. Each day a front door will welcome and invite you cheerfully into your home. Your guests will feel it too.

Consider your chosen style when finishing your landscape plan. Take a photo of your house and make copies of the photo. Sketch some variations on the copies. Add this style to the landscape overview we did last week. This will give your landscape plan personality. Next week we will discuss plantings to fill out your landscape plan that fit with your chosen style.

Basic Landscape Design I

Getting cabin fever? Use long winter days to plan your garden. We will draw sketches and plans of your yard so that you can greet spring with a plan for home improvement. This keeps you on track over time, helping you to focus on goals.

On blank paper sketch your yard boundaries. You can go outside and measure (brrr!) or pull out your appraisal from your mortgage. The latter will give your lot boundaries and home exterior dimensions. A land survey will provide the same information. Sometimes your deed will provide these measurements. Or you can estimate. Our goal is a rough sketch.

Draw the outline of your house, patio or deck, outbuildings, major trees, flowerbeds, shrubs and your vegetable garden if you have one. Sketch in the driveway and sidewalks. Notice the
view from all directions, especially from your windows. Make note of appealing views and things you would rather not see. Note your doors, windows, outdoor condensers, and trash areas. Are there areas that you would like more screening for privacy? Where are the electric and gas lines and buried cables and sewer lines? Mark North so you can track the sun, shade and wind patterns. You now have a preliminary site analysis.

Next you can make a landscape plan. Select graph paper to layout a scale drawing of your site and the present elements of your home and garden. Select a scale of ¼ inch equals 5 feet. You can use any scale, but this will fit well on a sheet of paper for the average yard. Transfer all the elements of your sketch to the graph paper. Then make some copies of your site plan, either on a copier or using tracing paper. Be sure to preserve the original scaled landscape plan. Use the copies to sketch ideas and create your final plan.

Consider what you would like. What do you want to add, modify or remove? Maybe it is not financially feasible this year, but if you include it your plan now, the area will be available and not covered by a storage shed or tomato patch. Do you need more trees, a storage shed, a potting shed, a secluded garden, a privacy hedge or foundation plantings? How about window boxes, a stone path, a wildflower area, wind break, drainage improvement, water feature, fire pit, gazebo, dog kennel, or a clothesline? Maybe there is an area that is all weeds or a spot where nothing will grow. Include your hopes in your plans. Over time you can make separate projects of them and make them happen.

After you sketch your wish list into your plan your landscape drawing becomes your roadmap. Use it to mold your yard into your own creation. It can be simple, ornate, relaxed, whatever style you wish. Good planning and landscaping add enjoyment to your home and value to your property. In our next column we will discuss how to work in your ideas to coordinate with your house and present landscaping.

Forcing Paper Whites

January is traditionally the time to clear out the holiday decorations. But things then seem so bare! But forcing paperwhite narcissus gives a lovely floral display that is something special to anticipate. No special gardening skills are required.

Paperwhites, (narcissus tazetta), are the most simple spring bulb to force. Forcing bulbs indoors makes them bloom earlier than normal. Within four weeks you can have a fragrant spring display. Start now and you can have this display by February or earlier. Wow! Think how welcome fresh flowers will be in the depth of winter!

Begin with a shallow dish, three to four inches deep. For an eight to ten inch dish use at least six bulbs. Lay gravel, pebbles or marbles on the bottom of the dish. Place the bulbs on the gravel pointed end up. Crowd them in. The flat base of each bulb should be level with the other bulbs. Surround them with the gravel to stabilize the bulbs. Add enough water to touch the bottom of the bulbs and no more. Place in a moderately lit, cool area of your home. Continue to water, keeping the water at the same level. When the roots are growing and the bulb shoots are one to two inches tall, place in a sunny location, usually in front of a window. Avoid very warm locations as this will cause the stems to get floppy.

After the first week, pour off the water. Replace with a solution of 1 part rubbing alcohol, (isopropyl alcohol) 10 parts water. Bring the water/alcohol solution again to the bottom of the bulb. Extension Service research shows that the alcohol solution keeps the plant from getting too tall and leggy. Continue to water with the alcohol/water solution, keeping the water level at the bottom of the bulb. After the blooms appear, move to indirect lighting rather than full sun.

Although paperwhite bulbs can be planted in soil to force, the risk of root rot is considerably higher. The method above assures you of the most success.

You can start batches of paperwhites every two weeks for a continuous display throughout February, March and April. Bulbs can be found at most home and garden stores. Cultivars available in Kentucky stores should force very well. After the blooms have died, the bulbs can be planted in the ground. However the success rate is not good as the bulb has been spent in forcing. The forced bulbs may not bloom for a year or two, if at all. You may simply want to place the bulbs on the compost pile.

Enjoy your blooming paperwhites on a sunny window sill or table. Give them as a gift. The joy of flowers before the arrival of spring is appreciated by all.