Congratulations! You’ve bought a new home. And with it, a new yard.
It may not be much of a garden now, but you have dreams. What you don’t know is how to start.
Your new domain may be an empty expanse of sod in a new subdivision, with naught but a pencil-thin sapling or two. It may be a bare roof deck or balcony, buffeted by wind and blasted by sun. It may be a shady scrap of weed-choked city back yard between the back porch and the garage.
Whether you are new to gardening or just to this patch of ground, tackling a landscape can seem overwhelming. But with a little forethought, a little patience and a little courage, it can become an oasis and a joy.
To begin, we offer some general guidelines for tackling a new landscape, with help from designers Brian Shea of Voltaire’s Gardener in Chicago, Andrea Green of Gardens by Design in Oak Park and Todd Jacobson, manager of horticulture at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle.
RELAX. Live with the space for a few months, at least. You need time to observe, dream and plan. Don’t dig any beds or lay any patios, and don’t invest in expensive furniture yet.
PLANT A POT OR TWO. That way you can stake your claim to the land this spring without committing prematurely to big changes. Buy good-quality, handsome containers that you will want to use for years. Fill them with sterile potting mix and plant herbs or colorful annuals.
IMAGINE. What do you like to do? Grill and entertain? Sit in the sun and read? Play tetherball? Watch the kids play, or picture the kids you don’t have yet. Will they need a swing set? Do you want to be able to see their play area from the kitchen window? Will you wish for a garden refuge from the kids? Do you wish for fresh herbs or even a vegetable garden?
LOOK AROUND. Are you seeing things you don’t like — the view into the neighbors’ bedroom, or their blank brick wall? Does your yard feel too open and exposed, or too cramped and dark? Is your new west-facing roof deck roasted by afternoon sun?
LOOK AROUND, PART 2. Read up on gardening. Collect articles and pictures of gardens you like to help settle on a general style or feeling. Check out some library books. Watch some cable TV shows. Take photos of the yard and house from every angle. Visit The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Cantigny in Wheaton, or other public gardens and see what you like. Consider taking a basic gardening class.
DIG DOWN. What is the soil like? Is it hard-packed clay scraped bare of topsoil that will choke air and water from plants? Is it full of construction debris, broken glass and other junk? Consider getting a soil test to see what you’ve got. To get a professional soil test, order a kit (usually $30 to $50) from a lab. Be sure to ask that the report include soil composition, not just chemical analysis. (For a list of labs, see www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/soiltest.)
LOOK UP. If you have lots of trees, it’s worthwhile to hire a professional arborist to tell you what they are and check them for disease or safety problems.
WATCH THE SUN. The single biggest factor in your landscape is the amount of sunlight your garden gets. Most plants need eight hours of sunlight a day. So pay attention to where the sun and shadows fall. Sunlight changes through the year, and it will change as the trees grow.
MAKE A PLAN. Sketch out the different living areas — play space, swing set, patio, herb garden, vegetable garden, rose garden, paths — you would like. Allow utility space for the garbage cans and to store the lawn furniture over the winter, and a compost heap. And make sure the vegetable and herb gardens are in full sun.
SHRINK THE LAWN. All plants take some care, but almost anything is easier to take care of than turf. So consider reducing the lawn area to just what you need for kids or pets.
SET PRIORITIES. Don’t plan on making a grand transformation all at once. Break it down into projects and plan to bite off one chunk at a time. As you finish each project, your plans for the rest of the `yard may be affected.
ASK FOR HELP. Take your sketch, photos and notes on your yard’s conditions to a good independent garden center. They can help you choose the appropriate plants. You also might consider calling in a professional designer to make a plan you can implement, or give your ideas a critical going-over.
PLANT TREES AND SHRUBS FIRST. They are the backbone of the garden, and since they grow most slowly you want to give them a head start. Allow for the size a tree will reach in 10 or 20 years and don’t plant it too close to the house, sidewalks and paths, or near power lines.
IMPROVE THE SOIL. The success of your garden (and lawn too) is based on the quality of the soil. Create a good foundation by digging compost in 8 to 12 inches deep.
RELAX. Planting annuals and perennials is the fun part. You will have successes and failures, but you will learn what you like and what you are good at. You will change your mind often, but your general plan will keep you on track.
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ebotts@tribune.com
