Composing the Picture: Getting Your Plan on Paper

You've measured and recorded. You've dreamed about what you'd like in your landscape and begun to prioritize the needs of those using it. You have organized a Base Plan, that preliminary map on which your collected measurements and information are roughed out.

Now, you're ready for the next step, putting together your Master Plan. Pulling together all of your combined information onto one large sheet of graph paper is a sure way to gain control of your personal planning process. The trick is to keep designs flexible and not add too much detail at any one time.

Pick a period, when you know you'll have a quiet, unbroken stretch of time.


Assemble the basic materials listed below along with your notebook and Base Plan (article #1):

1. Pencil with soft lead. I prefer a #2 or softer because the marks are easy to erase.
   
2. Eraser made of plastic or vinyl. The red ones found on pencil tops usually leave smudges or streaks on paper.
   
3. Straight edge or ruler with a precise edge. I like the clear ones with increments distinctly marked.
   
4. Grid (graph) paper in large sheets. The best sizes are those ranging from 11X17-inches to 18X24-inches.
   

All of these basic supplies may be bought at community craft or art stores. However, here is a sampling of the many suppliers who maintain web sites as well as local stores: Village Supplies, LTD., Reuels, Staples and Artist Supplies. Accessing these sites is an easy way to familiarize yourself with these supplies and their prices. It's a convenient way to save the time and energy required for exploring a store's inventory.

Proceed with a large new sheet of grid paper. Paper ruled 4 squares per inch is ideal for small properties or for developing the Master Plan. The relationship here is ¼ inch (one square) equals one foot. On the other hand, paper with eight or ten squares per inch is better suited for large properties because the relationship can be ⅛ or 1/10 inch (one square) equals one foot.

Start on your Master Plan by incorporating the essentials of your Base Plan using all the measured areas, as they exist now, including entrances and exits from house, garage, swimming pools, sheds, etc. The next items to incorporate on your Master Plan are all the Existing Materials, both plants and manmade items. It might even be helpful to indicate large unsightly parts of the landscape such as tree stumps or the neighbor's unruly hedge on the Master Plan, and overlay these objects with an X or question mark.

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