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| Red Salvia splendens attracts hummingbirds year-round in AZ. (Part sun/protect from frost.) |
Step 1. Choose a starting point.
On a small budget, you can transform a desolate landscape into an enjoyable garden space in stages. First, choose a starting point that will reward you with immediate gratification. I chose a barren patch of dirt leading to my front door since it was the most traveled and would offer an encouraging welcome every day. This served as my starting point and I agreed to tackle the rest of the yard in small bites later.
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| Purple Angelonia angustifolia blooms year-round. (Part sun/ protect from frost and late-afternoon summer sun.) |
Step 2. Identify your garden style.
Contemporary, southwest, Santa Fe, English, art deco, Mediterranean, formal, bohemian or cottage to name a few. Identify your design style; then trust it to unite the additional spaces in your yard as you design them slowly over time. As a desert gardener I enjoy low-water-use plants, but traditional xeriscape and sleek contemporary layout isn't my favorite for my own personal space. I enjoy flowers, old red brick, layering and recycled objects, so I define my gardening style as "Whimsical Cottage Eclectic".
Step 3. Choose a destination point.
A destination point can be physical or simply visual. A bistro set luring friends to sit
in the shade and catch up. An obelisk, birdbath, fountain or tree at the end of a narrow path. I like to plan destination points from inside the house so the garden view becomes an extension of my home decor. Your destination point should be enticing and add meaning, interest or purpose to the space.
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| Turkey Ranch Lettuce Wrap
made with cool season veggies from the garden. Ingredients: 2 Romaine lettuce leaves, 1/8th sliced red bell pepper, 1 chive, 4oz sliced turkey, 3 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese, dollop of ranch dressing. Rinse lettuce & dry. Top with remaining ingredients. |
Step 4. Limit your palette.
Give yourself some boundaries by limiting your design palette. Select several colors, a focal shape and specific design materials. So things didn't get too wildly eclectic I limited myself to using only the colors
red, purple and green in my plant material. I chose the circle as my focal shape to accentuate an existing tree's thick, curvy branch which arches over the entire area. I also broke up the narrow, rectangular space with half-circle curves in the path, a circle of found river rock outlining a planting bed and a round tabletop. My design materials were clay (reflected in the red brick and terra cotta pots and tile), metal and natural concrete.
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| Your design could easily transform into an entirely different look if you simply changed the focal color to white. Your focal shape to square. And your design materials to wood and stone. See how easy it is to begin your gardenscape plan? |
