How to Build a Knot Garden

Select the site for your knot garden relatively close to your house on flat ground and in full sun. If the area can be viewed from above, such as from a balcony, then do so to maximize enjoyment of looking over the knot garden.

Measure the space available at the site to see how large of a square, rectangle or circle you can make. Sketch this outline of your garden onto graph paper using each square on the page to represent 1 square foot in the garden.

Sketch the symmetrical knot garden you want to create, incorporating two to four types of plants. One plant, such as boxwood, may form the border, while two plants, such as lavender and rosemary, can intertwine in the center. Adjust your sketch until you are satisfied with the design.

Select the types of plants you want to include in the knot garden based on the leaf varieties, mature height and colors they feature. Consult websites such as that for the University of Minnesota Extension for some plant ideas. Grow plants that are different colors, or different shades of the same color, to make your pattern stand out.

Plant stakes into the ground to mark off the outline of the area you’re going to cover and run string around the stakes. Dig and remove the grass layer inside your outline to expose the soil. Dig trenches into the soil to about 1 foot deep and wide to form your knot pattern. Add 3 to 6 inches of compost or well-rotted manure to the trenches, if desired, to improve soil quality.

Plant either mature potted plants or young seedlings into the trenches according to your sketch for placement, starting with the center of the garden and working outward. Fill in the trenches with the removed soil once you are satisfied with the plants’ placement and spacing.

Spread a dark-colored mulch around the base of each plant and over any of the exposed soil in the knot garden. The mulch can act as a weed barrier and maintain moist soil for your plants.

Water the knot garden well, two to three times a week, for the first one to two months as the plants become established. Feed the plants as necessary based on the types of plants you chose.

Trim the plants with hand pruners or hedge clippers regularly to keep the plants looking clean and prevent growth from extending beyond the intended pattern areas. Do allow the plants of similar type to grow into one another where they meet to form the look of solid lines.