Are you scared by the size of the project but want to develop landscape plans? Before you start, ask yourself: Does the project require extensive, professional landscape plans? So, how do i design my landscaping plan?
Creating a new planting bed, such as a mixed border planting for privacy, may not require a formal landscape plan. A simple drawing will suffice. You can improve the picture with correct measurements to meet plant spacing requirements.
How Do I Design My Landscaping Plan?
When is detailed landscape planning necessary? Those moving into new homes with little landscaping need landscape plans. Careful landscaping planning will also help homeowners update outdated landscapes. Hiring a pro to develop the landscaping plan will be worth it in these circumstances. Such projects need to be simpler for guesswork.
What You’ll Need
Equipment/Tools
- Steel 100-foot tape
- Pencils colored
- Erase-able lead pencils
- Ground stakes
- Twine or string
- Ruler
Materials
- Graph paper
- Carbon paper
- Blank paper
- Tracing paper
Instructions To Design Landscaping Plan
Here are the steps to follow for designing a landscaping plan:
1. Locate Your Deed Map
When you bought your home, you should have received a deed map (regional names vary). If you still need to, get a copy from your county’s records.
A deed map shows your property’s dimensions, where your house is concerning its borders, and subsurface services if you’re lucky. Contact your local utility company if the deed map doesn’t show subterranean utilities. US residents can call 8-1-1 and follow the instructions to acquire underground utility markings.
This project will benefit from a deed map or equivalent aid for orientation. For instance, you’ll notice which (if any) corners of your landform have a right angle, which is helpful for computations but requires measuring for the picture.1
2. Consider the Scale
It involves planning your graph paper design layout. Choose a graph paper square to represent one square foot of your property. Creates a scale graphic. Measure your property first, then scale it to fit on graph paper.
Different square sizes are available on graph paper to choose the finest one. Landscape design plans are usually drawn at 1/8 inch = 1 foot on graph paper with 1/8 inch grids. An 8 ½ × 11 sheet can represent a property up to 60 feet by 80 feet at this scale—tape graph paper sheets together for significant properties.
3. Measure Your Property
Determine the length of your four property boundaries with the tape measure, then measure your house’s height and width. Knowing where your home is and your property’s limits is crucial. Right-angle border corners help here.
Imagine a corner at the southwest corner of your land. Visit your house’s corner nearest this boundary. Measure from the house corner to the western boundary line with the tape measure. Run the measuring instrument from the same house corner to the southern borderline and record it. If you kept the tape measure straight, you defined a rectangle area. Repeat for the other three corners, even if none are right angles.
4. Determine the Location of Fixed Objects
After establishing the boundary lines and where the house sits about them, you can identify the exact locations of additional features on your land (e.g., gardens, driveways, patios, plants you’ll keep, and utilities) and scale their positions on graph paper.
Their placements are measured relative to your limits and dwelling. Measure each piece with two reference locations. More fixed points to utilize as reference make this project easier as you progress.
5. Measure Unique Areas
You may have a curving garden around your home. A straight line is needed to measure a curve. Build on your project calculations again. For instance, reference the house side facing the curved planting bed. If the planting bed is 100 feet from the home, you can simplify your task:
Drive a stake 99 feet from one house corner on that side, then the other. Run a string between stakes. Now, you have a straight line to reference just off the near side of the curved planting bed.
Run the tape measure from the string to the bed’s edge from one end closest to the line. Lower 3 feet and measure again. Repeat every 3 feet until you reach the end of the bed, recording your measurements.
Measure the bed’s other side again. After measuring, record the points on graph paper using the same scale. A succession of dots will appear. Connect the dots. The curved planting bed is accurately measured in scale.
6. Make copies
You now have a good map of your property’s fixed features. Before adding anything additional, make numerous copies of your design because the design aspects may alter. Thus, you can start afresh with the precise scale drawing of your property if needed.
7. Copy the Design Onto Tracing Paper
Cover the scale diagram with tracing paper. You can transfer the graph paper’s contents without the grid lines onto the tracing paper because you can see the scale diagram.
8. Create a Bubble Diagram
Draw a circular or elliptical shape on the tracing paper to define design spaces (avoid squares and rectangles unless you want a formal landscape design). Label your newly drawn body (grass area, ground cover, planting bed, water feature, patio, etc.) according to its use in your landscape design plan (workspace, play area, garden, etc.). Move to another empty place and repeat. Call the spaces between the “bubbles” driveways, pathways, or tiny lawn areas your navigational routes.
9. Employ the Stakes and String
Clarify the project as much as possible before choosing a bubble diagram to see what works and what doesn’t. It is where stakes and string can help. Set stakes around one of your bubble diagram spaces. Put a line on these stakes. Repeat with the other “bubble” spaces.
Walk between these spaces, observing traffic movement. Is your space layout still logical? Did you maximize space use? Does one road meander too much instead of going from A to B?
Adjust stakes and string when you change spaces. Take final measurements of these spaces when finished. Return to the scale diagram and add these last measurements to create the landscape design plan.
10. Track Conditions
Consider keeping a separate notebook for planting plan notes. Note gloomy, dry, moist soil types, etc. When buying plants, these elements will take precedence over aesthetics. Fit the plants to the design, not vice versa.
11. Determine Plant Placement
Now, fit plants into your scale diagram. You don’t need to name every tree, flower, etc. Maintaining scale is crucial so that a massive tree shape will be larger than a small shrub shape. Indicate a plant’s maturity size, not its infant size. It allows proper plant spacing.
12. Transfer the Final Diagram
After checking everything, put the new scale diagram on a blank paper with carbon paper. The carbon paper will transfer your sketch from the updated scale diagram to the blank sheet of paper, creating your final home garden layout. You eliminated the graph paper grid lines by generating your final plan this way.
13. Color the Diagram
You may now color your spaces with colored pencils. For instance, grass is light green, trees and plants are dark green, water is blue, etc. Color will make the final house garden plan more appealing. Keep the updated scale diagram! It’s still useful for precise measurements. Although unattractive, those grid lines are the only thing between you and chaos.
Consider your interests, climate, and money while designing your landscaping plan. Site study, sketching, and plant selection improve planning. Focus points, walkways, and a balance of concrete and plants create a customized outdoor area that suits your lifestyle and tastes.
Thank you for reading….