Above is a photo and a first draft plan of the location. This is my first attempt to plan a garden by paper. I started out by finding the tallest plant and then sticking it next to the wall and then layer clumps of other plants around it. It's actually hard for me to visualize this since other than the Lily of the Valley, I have not seen any of the plants I picked in real life. I have only seen pictures of it on internet and books.

The other issue is access. the bed is rather narrow at around 6 foot but rather long like 30 feet (not so good at judging distance). Another idea was to put the tall plants in the back but I thought that may block too much light coming into the area. Do I need some sort of access path to maintain the plants?

What do you think?

Paul

and how will you access the area .. you have no walking path .... not that it has to be anything like brick or whatever .. you just have no access ... or do you plan on never walking in there .... nor watering ... nor fall cleanup ... etc ..

how will you drag a hose thru there????

otherwise... the plants and placement seems good... just plan for your movement thru it ..

ohhhh.. unless of course.. you are a fairy and can hover on rainbow wings ... lol ... while dragging a hose ... rotflmbo ... [and i mean fairy literally ....]

ken

No one really walks through the area, the path goes to the fence in the back and then the back of the garage. Right now, it's been raining a lot so no one wants to go back there and be eaten by mosquitos.

I am more interested in plant placement though, should we have taller plants against the wall to make sure everyone get enough light. Will this serve as an architecture anchor?

Paul

I have had better luck with foxglove than with astilbe, which may want more water and fertilizer. Foxglove has an architectural presence, the spires won't shade the rest, and it comes in pink or white or yellow. It reseeded for me for years. Goatsbeard is pretty too, and mine grew deep under trees. Daffodils and crocus, or dwarf iris might do well too.

I tried foamflower but it had little burrs that got stuck in the dogs - nasty.

Be careful to keep the slope away from the garage, so water doesn't drain to the garage. For the path, I would just lay spaced small pavers like stepping stones on top of the soil - because if you need to do spring cleaning before the plants sprout, you may trample them.

First, how will the garden be viewed? If from where the paver is placed, then taller growing plants would be best at the far end with lower plants in front. If the garden is viewed from side (i.e., from the tree side), then taller plants should be towards the face of the garage or the back of the planting. This is not always a hard and fast design rule......taller growing plants can be placed more forward if they are somewhat airy in habit but you want to avoid anything taller completely obscuring what is behind it.

Second, is this going to be a "formal" planting bed or more of a natural, woodland type planting? That can also determine placement as a more natural planting will be less structured in the placement of specific plants. The trees may also have a significant bearing as well -- if they are quite 'rooty', they will influence what does well where. One of the reasons woodland plantings tend to be rather random with regards to plant placement :-)

And both planting styles have their advantages/benefits.....it's pretty much gardener's choice! If you intend a more formal look, a more defined access path may be appropriate while a looser, less structured access will suit the woodland style.......perhaps just a narrow barked or chipped route through the bed.

The Lily of the Valley are extremely invasive

Not to single out any poster, but I really dislike statements like this. I know many gardeners who have great difficulty attempting to establish LOV......it performs quite differently under different conditions and in different locations. And while it can spread aggressively, it is not invasive in that it does not choke out other plants or become an ecological nuisance. And not at all hard to remove if it encroaches into areas where not wanted. One just really needs to be cognizant of the habits of the plants involved and site accordingly.

It would not be to the side, since only the neighbors would see it. I wasn't planning to have a access path either since one can walk on the side of th yard. However, a path in the middle wouldn't be a bad idea. Perhaps with some sort of stepping stone?

As for formal vs woodland. I think may be more formal. I was hoping to get clumps of different color and texture together. Now that you mention it, one should place the plants in the back then. Though I am worry too tall of a plant may block the light. The side faces the south, so perhaps it will still get enough light.

Paul

* Put taller plants in the back, I am now thinking of an Annabella Hydrangea, Foxglove and maybe bugbane in the back. These are guys that can be like 6 feet tall.
* Next would be the medium height plants like Trollius, and Toad Lillies.
* Finally the rest of the yard can be mix up with patches of the following plants. They can vary in height and texture. Plants includes: varies kind of Hosta in different colors, Lily of the valley, variegated solomon's seal, Lungwort, Brunnera, Lamium, Heuchera, Astilbe, foamflowers, and crested irises.
* A set of stepping stone will be installed so one can walk through the area.

What do you think?

Paul