Diagram of How to Organize Your Garden

Measure your yard space. Taking careful measurements of the entire yard, including placement of current fencing, trees and buildings, is an important part of creating your diagram. Record your measurements on a pad of paper.

Transfer your measurements of the outside boundaries of your yard to the graph paper. The graph paper contains small boxes that can be assigned values that equal footage in your measurements. For example, one foot of space can equal one square on the paper. After you have finished, you will have an empty representation of the size and shape of your yard.

Transfer the measurements for any fencing, trees and buildings to your graph paper. Using the same scale you were working with in Step 2, place marks for the remaining items on your design. Allow for the size of the tree trunk and any above-ground roots when blocking out any trees. If you have pine trees where branches reach the ground, block out the entire area that the tree takes up. Using the color pencils, shade these blocks so they are designated as unmovable objects.

Block out any spaces you wish to use for walks or pathways first. Pathways should be at least 36 inches wide. Color these path blocks accordingly. This will show you how much space you have remaining for garden organization. Block spaces in the remaining areas to signify the plants you wish to include in your garden. If placing shrubs, be sure to include potential growth in your diagram. Use the colored pencils to designate the color of your plants and flowers to best judge your color scheme. Include any accessories such as garden benches, bird baths and water features into the diagram, as well, to judge best placement.