6 Pro Garden Design Secrets

Starting a garden can feel overwhelming. And sometimes it’s hard to know if you’ll like something until you’ve seen it. By then, you’ve spent enough hours, hard work and money that it’s tough to make a change.

- ROCHELLE GREAYER, Marisa Reyes

That’s where these 6 smart design tips from landscape designer and educator Rochelle Greayer can help. Follow her simple strategies and you can skip ahead to enjoying your garden instead of agonizing over it!

1 WORK FROM THE CENTER OUT,  NOT THE EDGES IN

It might be tempting to start a design by working off of what’s already there. For example, many gardeners’ first beds are the borders around the property line. Instead, decide what’s most important to you, then build the design from that. In the garden above, pathways, hedges and other beds all radiate from the central beds. Maybe you really want a vegetable garden. Or maybe a shady getaway is most important to you. If that’s the case, start there, wherever it works best in your garden, and design traffic patterns, hardscaping and views to create a thoughtful, cohesive layout.

2 CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT CREATING PRIVACY 

Most gardeners want and need privacy in their yard, and they immediately go to a tall property line hedge, wall or fence. While these are good options, they won’t be as effective if the area you want to conceal is far from the property line. Rochelle says, “Bringing things closer to obscure the view and layering plants is the best option for achieving the privacy you want.”