Landscaping 101

Lesson 4: As the Design Starts Coming Together

Drawing Your Working/Final Plan

Now that you have the basics of design, have surveyed the property, and determined what needs to be done as well as what features you would like to incorporate into the landscaping, it is time to actually develop your final design. This is where your design will be turned into a workable plan. Gather all of the materials, base plan, bubble diagrams, photos, etc. and place a new sheet of tracing paper over your base map. Now is the time that you will determine the exact features and plantings that you want in the areas you plotted out in the bubble diagram.

Also, to assist you in this process you may want to download our sample plan. This will give you an idea of what a completed plan looks like. Feel free to base your symbols on ones we have used in this plan. The specific symbols you use on the plan to indicate features is a personal choice. For another option on how to draw your landscape symbols take a look at the symbols presented on the Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series website. You can also purchase special landscape templates, but the circle templates available at office supply stores also work quite well for design purposes.

It is important to make sure your drawings are to scale. The proper scale will assist you in determining the size of plants you need, size of patio you can build, the length of retaining walls, and the amounts of mulch that you need.

Start by placing to scale all existing features - house, garage, buildings, utility lines, etc. You should be able to trace all of these right off your initial base map. The next step is to draw in any necessary hardscaping features, such as walls, patios, ponds, fences, etc. In addition, if you have determined you need a berm for privacy, this is the time to get that in your design.

Once the hardscaping features are in, look back at your notes and see if you determined the need for additional shade trees. Draw in your shade trees and make them the size they will be at maturity. Next draw in any other large trees or large shrubs. It is not necessary to determine the exact plant species at this time. What you are trying to do is determine the number of plants that you are going to need. Now look around the foundation of the house, driveways and walkways and look at your bubble diagram. Do you need to soften up these features? If so, start drawing in the appropriate symbols representing plants. Remember, do not plant under your drip lines.

Typically, at least two sketches are drawn using tracing paper. After completing the two sketches, pick and choose from the best features from each drawing and put them into the final design. As with your bubble diagram, be creative and let your imagination flow.

Once you think your final design is complete, walk around your yard with it. Look at each of the beds, walls, walks, patios, etc. Will they work where you have located them on your plan? Mark out the features using your hose, rope, spray paint, or even consider using utility flags. By doing this additional walk through you can see if the design you put on paper is actually going to work. Sometimes things look pretty on paper, but do not necessarily work once you get back out onto your lot and start marking them out.

Once your design is completed to your satisfaction, go back and fill in the details, such as the specific types of trees and other plants that you want in the design. If you have designed in patios and walkways, now is a good time to start going to home improvement stores, nurseries and wholesalers to find the exact kind of patio blocks or stone you would like to use in your landscaping. Make sure you read our section on estimating before actually purchasing any products.

As you continue through these lessons there will be a discussion of landscape features and mistakes to avoid. So keep your plan handy and incorporate some of these features into your plan and learn from the mistakes that others have made!

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