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How to be your own Landscape Designer

© Chris Arnold

OK, OK. I know that all you gardener types call the winter the off-season, or your down-time, but it does not need to be that way. In the same way that sports teams use their off-season, you can use yours.

The winter is the perfect time to plan your "team" for this next season. You need to figure out what you need for just the right "lineup" and you want to know who are going to be your "star, marque players." (Sorry, the Super Bowl was just this last weekend and I haven't recovered yet). What you need to do is some planning and designing.

IN the same way that a coach doesn't go out and just grab some guy off the street, you are going to be very disappointed if you don't put the right plants in the right place.

The Virtual Gardener (http://www.vg.com/) has just the game plan for you. As you look at your yard and garden, you need to consider what your needs are and what you would like to be able to do. You also need to know what some of the possiblities may be. If you live in Alaska, you a re not going to be planting the same plants that you would if you in Florida.

The Virtual Gardener has some great links to give ideas and point you in the right direction. Under the "Regional Gardner" heading there is an option to locate your zone (http://www.vg.com/cgi-bin/v2/gezonefind/... This is the kind of zone that a lot of nurseries, online and otherwise, use to help you know what plants you can plant. All you have to do is punch in your zip code, and it will let you know. They will even give you some information about your zone.

Under the "How-to Resources" there is an option for landscaping that will lead to the link to become your own landscape designer (http://www.vg.com/cgi-bin/v2/gemag/PID=6... Who better than you to know what you want? You know what planting zone you are now in, this will help you to decide, what, where, and how to plant your garden or yard.

Rather than giving you cookie cutter layouts, the Vitual Gardener helps you understand the theory behind what you are trying to accomplish. The possibilities therefore, are endless.

Give the Virtual Gardener a try and let me know how it turns out. Until next time.

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