Some particulars on what I am facing. We live on a largish acreage and have recently re-fenced our house yard so it's over an acre but less than 2. Can't really be exact on the size because it's an irregular shape due to the varied terrain. Within this new fenced area is our house, my new garden house (almost finished), a labyrinth (yet to be started), my old perennial garden, and the dog run. There are some coniferous trees and a few wild shrubs in the new area as well as a couple of areas of rough "lawn" (that the horses have grazed) that I will utilize in the plan.

My current garden area is on the front of the house and has lawn and several large cottage-style perennial beds and both deciduous and coniferous trees. In the new areas I want minimal (or no) lawn, paths, irregular beds with shrubs and perennials. I'll also use some annuals and herbs in these beds. I think that some wildflower beds and groundcovers will work in some areas initially. I'm trying for a garden the deer will dislike if possible and since it's a country acreage it will be rustic (ie. not manicured). I've also thought that a dry creek bed might look good. I'm looking for hardscape that will be attractive, take up space, and be low maintenance.

I've wandered this area and looked at it from all angles and "the plan" has not presented itself. I've recently made a decision on the location of the labyrinth and will lay that out next week if it doesn't snow. I'm still not really sure how best to deal with unifying the entire yard. I'd prefer as low maintenance as possible.

We're DIY'ers from way back, retired, not afraid of work and I love living here but there are days I think seriously about moving to a city lot!

Because I know so many like pictures here are a couple of early summer pics of the area. I know they may not really help but it might give an idea of why I have so much indecision.

This is the area to the side of our house where my new garden house is located but it's similar to the rest of the terrain. This area was logged and some of the remaining trees will be removed as they are not decorative.

This is the area at the back of our house and the view. There's 50' of rough grass from the house to the fence. This could probably be improved and become a decent lawn in time. I think I took the pic from the edge of the deck. The labyrinth will be to the right.

So if anyone has any ideas on how they'd proceed with planning such a project I'd be very appreciative. My apologies for writing a book.

Theory:
Good design is:
1. understanding the basic mission of the project.
2. determining the goals and objectives of the project.
3. defining the activities, the intended experience during those activities, and the physical requirements to make those happen.
4. understanding the site.
5. determining the best relationship of all of those activities with one another.
6. merging the best relationship of those activities with the realities of the site.
7. enhance the stated experiences through use of plants and other things.
8. mitigate what is working against those intended experiences in the same manner.

We went out this afternoon and measured for the labyrinth. Gave it a larger diameter than I had originally planned by moving it into an area that will need more fill but it will look and work better overall.

Sometimes as amateurs we try to cut corners to reduce labor or costs and that is not often the best strategy. Trying to not do that too much anymore.

Further opinions are also welcome.

Steps 1-3: Make a list of all the functions you want your landscaping to serve: not just the labyrinth, but any other types of activity areas, large or small sitting areas, views you want to block or reveal, areas where you want more privacy or a more comfortable walking surface or just a different look.

Step 4: Make a scale drawing of the entire lot. This means measuring the entire lot. Include any overhead power lines or underground pipes. Note which areas of the lot are sunniest or shadiest, driest or wettest, and so on. Make photocopies of the scale drawing, or buy tracing paper to place over it.

Step 5: On one of the copies of your scale drawing, make a bubble diagram to designate where you want various activities to take place. When you see what else ends up being next to your intended labyrinth, it may affect the way you want to design the labyrinth itself - for example, to enhance the way it affects the view or the shade or the privacy in a nearby sitting area.

Step 6: Realize that some of the things you want may not be possible without giving up other things you want. In those cases, decide on your priorities and adjust your plans accordingly.

Step 7: On another copy of your scale drawing, sketch where you'd like plants of various sizes to be. Don't worry much at first about what specific plants you'll use; just draw large trees where you want to block a view, and so on. Indicate whether certain plants will need to be evergreen or deciduous to best serve the purpose you want them to serve. Consider these principles of microclimate modification and energy conservation when placing trees and shrubs. Also, try to create attractive views from the windows of your house and from the most common outdoor vantage points. After you have a decent idea of what sorts of plants you need to put where, research the plants that grow in your area and make lists of the ones that seem most likely to do well with the amounts of water and sunlight they'll receive in specific areas of your yard. Using these lists, label the plants you sketched in on your scale drawing with species names of plants that will grow well in those spots and that will serve the purposes you need them to serve.

Step 8: Some of your plans will end up not working out. You may discover this while still sketching them on paper, or you may discover this after you actually put the plants in and find that some don't grow as well or produce the same effect that you had hoped they would. Whenever this happens, look back at your lists of functions you wanted your landscape to serve, and at your sketches and your plant lists, and use that information to decide how best to replace what's not working with something more likely to achieve the effect that you want.

I hope that is about what you expected from your question. You've outlined a huge job that requires knowing all about your preferences and abilities, all about the site, how various plant species behave in your zone, and lots of other stuff, so the basic answer is, you will need to educate yourself about any of those things that are currently not know to you. But, not all at once.

Also, I wince a little at the scope of your ideas and property and the term "low maintenance" in the same post. I realize you used it in the sentence about hardscape.

Be careful not to be a sitting duck for bad advice --you appear to be at a stage where you would be vulnerable and may not have enough background to tell the difference. I guess that sounds really patronizing, and I don't mean it to, or discouraging, and I don't mean it to, either. But that's how your initial post and f/u post sound, and hey, it's the Internet, and you can easily get very specific responses that sound much more "helpful" and satisfy your urge to get started, rather than the more general advice, and yet may be all wrong for your site and intentions.

So instead of just stockpiling the lovely pics, collect more info on planning and diagramming and making your lists, and reading about which items on such a list come first. The most important way not to be penny-wise and pound foolish would be to invest in a professional plan; if you can't do that, you would need to invest more time and effort in learning how to make your own plan. You can do it--it doesn't have to be mistake-proof, but you do want not to get exhausted in either money or energy.

There are also some threads--I cannot recall how they are listed--on how to indulge some gardening urges whilst not making full commitments because of still being in the planning stage. Very simple examples of that might be starting a veggie garden (well, not now, in BC), rough compost pile, some inexpensive perennials that you may later propagate. Sometimes these are helpful to be able to enjoy the gardening hobby & experiment with how some species perform, and yet be able to re-locate something or re-design.

Also, I recommend being sure you've read a lot about what is really low-maintenance. I know I am easily seduced by the lovely garden pics, and took awhile--both trial and error and partly by reading and learning to say AHA--that planting design will be a nightmare! You will learn which things will only stay a certain way if you cut them back, or prune, or spread 10 truckloads of mulch, or pull hundreds of volunteer tree seedlings. Plus just the physical square footage you plan to have under "cultivation"--even with shrubs--can get away from you. That may lead you to rough out the big picture and your first few priorities and "step away from the lovely pics" in terms of just gradually adding some of the things on your wish list.

I think Gordon Hayward's books can be both a great inspiration and a great caution. He laid out what certainly looks like a fascinating, enjoyable and HUGE garden and grounds (one doesn't have to like or agree with every bit) but states it takes 30+ hours per week to maintain and as he and his wife reached middle age, I believe they were having to hire help (if not before). As I experimented with my own small yard and gardens, I still realized year by year that I underestimated the ongoing garden chores and that "my eyes were bigger than my stomach" (now actually, I think that is true of most gardeners and just a given, but still.) So I realized that maybe I could have more, less complicated garden areas or much smaller intense garden areas.
Good luck and have fun!

I love the clarity and succinctness of your 8 steps.

I think Step number 1 "understanding the basic mission of the project" is the clincher. Even the response to it here (or rather non-response), one by the OP and one by someone else, seem to slide over or lump together what you are getting at.

I'm guessing that a "basic mission" might be something like "Plant Showcase" or "Entertainment Central" or "Safe Haven". If time, labor, and aging are dominant issues, then "simple, low-maintenance" might actually be an appropriate "basic mission".

Since the OP mentions the labyrinth in 3 different posts, I suspect it is a manifestation of some aspect of the underlying mission of this project? But that's a guess? Basic mission might be "simple, easy to work , spiritual ". Since these folks sound ready to work, my guess is that the maintenance issue may have more to do with smart layout and convenience of care, rather than the usual low-maintenance fantasy.

Some functions and adaptations would overlap from basic mission to basic mission, since we all like things to be placed in a handy logical arrangement, but the plant nut will emphasize the things that showcase and nurture plants while the avid entertainer wants to showcase and enjoy entertaining.

Please, please, Laag, am I on the right track with the basic mission thing? Clarification?

Wellspring

Thanks, qbc, frankie, and wellspring, I appreciate the time you've given and your posts are easily understood even by me!

I agree that on the 'net we really don't always understand where anyone is coming from which is why I'm not saying everything that comes to mind. ;-) I try to give people the benefit of the doubt.

This is not the first garden/yard I've ever planned but it is the largest. I just thot there might be a few landscaping ideas out there I wasn't familiar with.

Frankie, I doubt I'm vulnerable to bad advice, I'm a bit too old to be a "sitting duck" and my BS meter works very well. ;-)

I have many established perennials in my old garden that will be moved to the new beds and I plan to plant less closely and mulch a lot. I also grow perennials from seed and plan to order some plug trays in the spring. I've gardened in this zone for 20 years so know what grows more easily.

We made two new large perennial beds in this area this year and are pleased with how we've been able to amend the soil. Didn't worry too much about the shape as that can/will likely change. I fully know I may not get some things exactly right the first time. I just looked at old pics of the garden I planned and made 13 years ago when we moved into this house and it's become something very different. I'm quite satisfied with my "amateur" landscaping. Establishing a garden on raw land is not for the fainthearted.

I think I've got the compost production on track - DH made more bins this year so have 5 going now. Fortunately we have horses grazing our land so can make pretty good soil amendments. I just drive the ATV around and shovel into the trailer. Compost bins will either be moved or hidden behind plantings. Choosing a location for them has been one of my difficult decisions as one doesn't want to walk 200' to the compost thru 3 feet of snow but they are not the most decorative objects.

Garden in the foreground is the wild bird garden which will be remade as I move some of the plants. Pallet compost bins in the background. Only real composters will appreciate them I know.

I will look for Gordon Hayward's books, Frankie. I'm definitely looking for less complicated garden ideas. Which is why I'm planning alternatives to lawn. We know people who spend 6 hours a week mowing. Not in my plan. One of the reasons I'm intent on a low maintenance garden is for resale. Many people would be put off by a high maintenance garden of this size. Also we have other things to do in retirement besides garden altho do enjoy it.

I have thot about hiring a professional, I'm sure someone would travel here, but it's much more enjoyable and satisfying to DIY. After all we only have to please ourselves.

"Basic mission" is only known by the people driving the project. The reason why it is important to stop and define it is because it is very easy to displace it with something else - perhaps a labyrinth.

The reason why the "basic mission" is so easily displaced is because it is usually verty generic and boring. BUT, it is the most important part of the "big picture". The difference is that in one case the labyrinth fits into the overall plan and in the other case the plan works around the labyrinth. ..... and whatever is added after the labyrinth and before addressing the total plan.

We had a really good example of this earlier in the year where someone prioritized a walk out basement and was trying to figure out how not to spend $30k+ on a retaining wall as a result.

Still, the discussions provide bits of Landscape Design wisdom for those with good BS meters.

Laag, I'm still not 100% sure I'm getting the right idea. Were my suggestions for a basic mission totally off track? What sort of basic mission do you usually find is most helpful to setting the goals and objectives and then moving on to the more specific steps in the planning process?

In business leadership, the first thing that is done before undertaking an enterprise is to come up with a mission statement of your business, so maybe that can provide some insight.

I think we need to get this into another thread so that the OP gets her answers without losing the thread.

If that water view is open to the backyard to be planted then I would call that one of the important focal points and clear out the trees a bit to offer a clear view to the water and then work my plan back from that point. Can't really tell from the pictures just where everything is so this might not be possible.

Now, we have two problem areas to incorporate into this plan:
1. Compost bins close to the house and
2. A labyrinth

Probably the best way to handle compost bins would be constructing a rustic storage/potting shed near the house with the bins built behind and fenced. The labyrinth could be a stone patio with a center feature set dead center in the plan. The labyrinth walking stones would be laid in a different color stone. This would be close to the house and serve a dual purpose, patio and labyrinth. At least, this might be one approach to consider.

It is important when planning for large properties to avoid being 'spotty'. Make a list of all shrubs which are deer proof. Plant them in large groupings, keeping in mind their bloom times so that the eye will always rest on a grouping that is showing color either in spring, summer or fall. Once placement of shrubs is decided, plan flower beds.

None of the above may be useful information.

I also tried to tweak out what does "low maintenance" mean. The OP described "6 hrs of mowing per week " as something to be avoided ( I would feel the same!). The question is, is the objection to the amount of time on maintenance (6 hrs/week of anything is too much), or that that mowing was in addition to other maintenance and so 6 hrs is okay but 15 is not, or that mowing is boring and the most objectionable maintenance and it is okay to spend 6 hrs pruning and weeding and spreading compost, or that there are other more desirable plantings (with more seasonal interest), or what?

So, I would need more detail on even that narrow objective, because it's hard to imagine a large property with multiple developed areas that would not require a fair number of hours of maintenance per week. From a resale viewpoint, often non-lawn maintenance is "hidden" until a season or 2 pass.

Nandina, since your first post seems to be the most practically knowledgeable as well as offered in a friendly manner, I certainly hope you won't quit posting. While I appreciate all the help I've been given it seems there are some who don't seem to want to provide explanations of their suggestions or cannot see that I wrote a book initially which has a lot of info. A sense of humor is always refreshing and I doubt I even liked pablum when I was of an age to eat it!. Thank you.

Some comments on your suggestions - since DH is just finishing building my 12'x16' garden house I doubt I could convince him to build a potting shed as well! LOL Also the garden house will have a porch added next year which is where I will have a potting bench. My idea is to hide the bins with plantings. I think it can work. This is a country garden and we have no near neighbors so compost bins are not a major problem.

Your idea of a labyrinth/patio is an interesting one which I might have considered a few years ago before we built our large patio right near the house. I think the labyrinth will be fine once established with a circular planting bed surrounding it, paths to and from, and plantings to blend.

Frankie, I appreciate you hanging in on this thread and your attempt to define this elusive basic mission statement. I really don't see why this should be a problem for anyone who wishes to help as so far no one has been able to define clearly what it means in landscaping. The parameters I set out for this project IMO are more than enough info for anyone to understand what my basic mission is. BTW for anyone who thinks I'm copping out on stating this basic mission, I can tell you that I have helped several organizations create such a statement so it's not a foreign concept to me.

The low maintenance requirement, I agree, has not been well enough defined by me altho I think to say that no "high" maintenance landscaping ideas will be implemented is appropriate. So only hardy plants, a minimum of plants aggressive in this zone, shrubs that require little trimming, plants that do not shed noxious seed pods, and little or no groomed lawns. Most gardeners will understand the concept of well behaved, low maintenance plants. As far as low maintenance hardscaping ideas (such as for paths) I'm definitely looking for suggestions. I love gardening and my DH is always helpful so we expect to continue to spend many hours a week and more at certain times of the year in our garden. I have thot of planting several areas in wildflowers or grasses altho will have to speak with someone at the local Ag office regarding non-invasive plants so I don't use those that could become a problem.

I wonder how many here have actually ever planned a garden larger than a city lot. I'd be interested to hear their experiences.