DIY Front Garden

Plan the Front Garden

• 1

  Go outside and look critically at the house. Decide if it needs paint or repairs before installing a new front yard. Also consider the style of the house and the garden. For example, a bungalow or cottage-style home is complemented by a classic cottage garden, with a picket fence and a selection of old favorites such as hollyhocks, lilacs, daisies and daffodils.

• 2

  Research plants that thrive in your climate. Go to the local agricultural extension office or library for information on local growing conditions, pests and plants.

• 3

  Take pictures from the front and sides, using the digital camera. Print out several images on copy paper in graytones. Using the highlighters, draw in proposed trees, shrubs and flowers.

• 4

  Measure the yard. Draw a plan on graph paper, using one square per foot. Note sizes and locations of the walk, porch and fence on the plan. Then sketch in any trees or shrubs. Mark the wind and sun directions with arrows.

• 5

  Color the planned planting beds, new shrubs and trees, and any additions, such as a new fence or arbor, with highlighters. Locate the afternoon shade cast by current or new trees. The temperature under a shade tree may drop as much as 10 degrees F, a significant factor in a warm climate. On the other hand, a row of evergreens may shelter the house from cold winter winds. Both scenarios provide energy savings when cooling and heating the home.

Plant the Garden

• 6

  Install any planned hardscape such as walks, fences and arbors.

• 7

  Arrange the new plants, still in the pots, in the yard. Generally flower beds are arranged with the tallest plants in the back and shortest in the front. For example, sunflowers and hollyhocks are in the back; iris, geraniums, cosmos and poppies are in the middle; and baby's breath, lobelia, creeping thyme and violets are in the front. Take a step back and look at the garden. Ensure that the sun-loving and the shade-loving plants are in the appropriate locations.

• 8

  Dig the planting holes with a shovel, deep enough for the roots and three times wider than the pots. Amend the soil with the appropriate compost and fertilizer for each plant. Remove the plants, one by one, from the pots, carefully untangling and spreading the roots in the hole. Cover with the amended soil, gently pressing down over the roots. Do not bury the plant deeper than the original pot. Water thoroughly.

• 9

  Unroll the drip hose and wind it through the plantings. Install the emitters so that each plant receives water near its base, over the roots.

• 10

  Rake a 3- to 4-inch layer of mulch over the landscape. Pull the mulch 3 inches back from the stems of the plants and trees. Mulch helps the landscape retain water, discourages weeds and provides an attractive finish to the landscape. However, wet mulch piled against the plants may rot the stems.