Saturday, March 1, 2014

Gardens: Flow First, then Plants

"What plant should I put there?", is the common question.


Choosing specific plants is the last thing I put into a Garden Design.
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Flow is the first.
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What is flow?
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What direction do most people approach your home from?  Where do you park?  Which door do you mostly enter your home from?  Where are your garbage cans?  What path do you traverse to the garbage cans?  Where do your guests park?  Where do your children park?  Do you have dogs needing to go outside?  Where are your garden tools & how do you access them?  Where is the compost pile and how often do you walk to it?  Do you gather firewood in winter to carry inside?  After a storm do you have branches to pick up and where do you place them?  Where are your outdoor lights?  Can you walk, without obstruction, around your entire home?  How do you get from your deck/patio to the back yard?  Raining, can you walk your property without getting your feet in puddles?  Do you have young children/grandchildren needing a safe place to play?  Where should you put a swing-set?  How should the swimming pool be placed?  Where should the new barn be sited?  Which door do you use to get the mail?  Which door do guests knock on first?  Do guests come to the door you want them to?  Where is the fire hydrant and is it a clear path in case of fire?  Where is the circuit breaker for the house & can it be turned off quickly by emergency personnel if you are not home?  How often do you need to walk to the Pole Barn?  Where should the Conservatory be placed & how often will you use it for meals?  And, etc.
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Yes, Flow before plants.
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Get the flow right and your property begins at the center of your home to the property lines.
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Garden & Be Well,   XO Tara
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If you want a beautiful garden & home filling you with joy, and causes you to tap the brake pedal, as you look in the rear view mirror heading out, become my client, local or on-line.
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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent list!

Carol Jones said...

Do you need wheelchair accessibility?

Tara Dillard said...

THANK YOU Carol.

Client recently smashed a knee horribly. And the paths, steps were not conducive to crutches much less wheelchair.

Have known to make paths walking stick friendly.....

Go Carol go....thanks again.

XO T

debra @ 5th and state said...

could not be truer, it's the foundation!
debra

Unknown said...

Most beautiful post. Green land looks more pretty.
website

Anonymous said...

Tara, This is one of the very best post I have read on what we do!
This is Landscape Architecture, not Garden Design. Garden Design is about plants, Architecture is 'Flow'
xsxsx

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post!

Love it! And it is so important!!!
It is a "floor plan" for a garden!! As important outside as it is inside!!