Garden Planning Ideas for Your Home

In a little over a month, crocus and other early spring flowers will start to poke their pretty heads up out of the soil. Daffodils and early spring tulips will follow soon thereafter.  But what really excites me is the appearance of Virginia Bluebells around the yard. Spring is always such an exciting time when the Earth gives birth to all that’s beautiful! It’s not too early for garden planning ideas. In fact, it’s best to plan your gardens early so you have plenty of time to gather supplies before the work (i.e. fun) begins.

Garden arbor with vinePhoto by Garden Tech Horticultural Services LLC

 

Arbors add instant beauty to a garden space, even if there’s no flowering vines scrambling over it. It makes a visual impact on its own while you wait for vines to mature. I’m always smitten by wisteria vines, no matter where I see them (even though I know they can be invasive).

Wisteria patio arborPhoto by Arcadia Studio

 

Roses might be a better option for those of you who don’t want to battle wisteria. You’ll find plenty of disease-resistant options for your garden planning.

Pink rose arborPhoto by Katie Moss Landscape Design

 

I love cottage gardens like this one. My mother always thought they looked messy, but I rather like their haphazard appearance. They remind me of wildflowers you see growing alongside a country road at random. These are easy to create in your yard. Simply sprinkle a can of wildflower seeds into one of your garden spaces, following package directions. You’ll be blessed with an array of color and flowers.

Messy cottage flower gardenPhoto by Flowers in the Front Yard

 

Another messy flower garden greets you at the entrance to this old stone cottage. Looks like a scene out of a fairy tale, doesn’t it?

Flowers by the front door of an old stone cottage with blue doorPhoto by Mark Hazeldine Photography

 

Pretty pink tulips and other spring flowers line the sidewalk to a charming blue house. This landscape makes me wish I had planted tulips alongside our front walk as part of last year’s garden planning ideas.

Dark blue cottage with pink tulipsPhoto by Glenna Partridge Garden Design

 

Look how cute tulips look surrounded by low-growing boxwood bushes. Think about height of plants and flowers when garden planning. Shorter plants and flowers were used in front of the boxwoods for added interest.

Tulips and boxwood bushes near home front doorPhoto by AHBL

 

Garden planning ideas often include interesting pathways. They make you want to explore the garden further.

winding garden pathPhoto by Katia Goffin Gardens

 

cottage garden path to shedPhoto by Design Focus International

 

Lots of people use ladders in their home to display quilts or blankets, but why not use one outside in lieu of a trellis?

front porch with cottage gardenPhoto by Garden Tech Horticultural Services LLC

 

If you want an easy, colorful flower to add to your garden beds, try rudbeckia – sometimes called Black-Eyed Susans. They make great cutting flowers, too. Gazing balls make pretty additions to the landscape, too.

red garden shedPhoto by Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association

 

As you work on your garden planning ideas this year, be sure to include a space for al fresco dining. Consider placing it in a shady corner of the garden as opposed to the patio or deck. It can be your own secret garden!

shabby chic garden partyPhoto by Susie Watson Designs

 

What garden planning ideas do you have for your landscape this year?

If you need inspiration and ideas, head over to my new blog, Pond and Garden. While you’re there, sign up to receive notification of new blog posts! Or better yet, visit my subscription page to get my free ebook, How to Create a Butterfly Garden.

 

How to Create a Butterfly Garden

 

 

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5 Comments

  1. I only have the proper amount of sunlight for a small garden next to one side of my house – two tomato plants and two pepper plants are normally what I do, but the photo using the ladder has given me an idea for using it to grow some type of beans or another food source that will grow vertically. If I can’t find a vegetable I’ll actually appreciate, I’ll just use it for a climbing flowering vine. Thanks for the idea – I’ve never seen that one.

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  2. So many wonderful garden ideas, but it seems to take mine too long to develop ha ha. I have got a nice little area to sit in my flowers, but their only a couple of years old hopefully soon they will look like these. Thanks and have a nice weekend.

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  3. I love all of these ideas! I have several flower beds around my property. My husband built me a cute garden shed several years ago, with 4 raised timber framed planting beds which have deteriated and we are going to redo and looking to reconfigure the area. So these ideas are helping me figure out what I want to change.

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  4. So many lovable photos here. That house with the curving sidewalk, so much more interesting than a straight one, especially with all that landscaping. The blue house. Gorgeous. All the pretty flowers. I truly would love our whole big yard to be a garden, but because I am lazy and dislike hot weather that would mean a full time gardener, ha ha. We do have some nice things growing in spite of having mostly all clay non soil that nothing seems to help, high altitude and intense sun. Climbing roses along the back fence. Clematis on a lattice. Honeysuckle and roses on an arch over the back gate. A little flower garden in front of the back fence. Herbs. Peonies, Russian Sage, a few more things. I have planted countless bulbs. One day my husband was looking at a tulip and right before his eyes, just like a cartoon, the whole flower, stem and all started disappearing into the ground. A vole at work making lunch.

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  5. I’m with you Jennifer on the wisteria as it’s so pretty but yet slow growing and cantankerous! Love some wild lilacs too but for our suburban yard we have now must keep a bit more tidy of a look. I was just looking up annual climbers for a tall trellis to give some dappled shade to my peony tree that gets so leaf scorched on the NE corner of our home. I’m so hoping to see it bloom this year..it’s been at least 3 since I’ve planted it. I’ve had many but this one just isn’t loving it’s spot.
    I bought another rose to pot up. I did the Kendyl Rose last year and it’s over wintering in a very large pot in our Zone5b garage..fingers crossed it appears in the spring ok. Bought Earth angel for a pot in a very sunny spot with climbers CL Iceberg.
    Did you know Lantana is very poisonous to dogs? This flower did so well last summer then I read it was very dangerous for dogs and mine are always snooping in my garden bed dirt..ugh! Lost my female last year and I don’t think it was due to this plant as she didn’t seem to be eating it but I noticed my male dog Augie trying to get the fall berries so I pulled up this annual.
    The one house looks like a hobbit house..too cute and love the arbor and the tulips around with the obelisk I need for my yard!
    A joy post for a snowy day.

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