Help design layout

Help , I am trying to place some plants which will eventually hide some neighboring sheds etc.

I have several plants dug up and am frustrated trying to get them placed and looking good. I would appreciate any suggestions on how to arrange my plants or any site to view designs.

My back yard is pie shaped,

the back area is 20 feet across with corner on each end.

One corner the sun comes in most of the day the other corner gets sun half day then shade from neighbors maple trees.

I want to plant across the 20 foot area and up each side.

The plants I have ready to use are:

Gnom Juniper

Wichita Blue Juniper

Hicks yew (not pyramidal)

Green/White Dogwood

Green/White weigela

Green/White euonymus

Smock Orange

Green spirea

Golden spirea

Different type of hostas.

Any other plants suggested to use I may have else where in my yard which I do not mind moving.

I am just no good at garden design and help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance, snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com

Reply to
Magen
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Uh... pies don't have corners. I'm assuming the back of the area is curved, as in an arc.

question #2 - How many plants of each type do you have... one ?? Two ??? Many ????

Where is your focal point ?? Again... assuming your yard is in the shape of a pie slice (wedge)... your focal point would be at the center tip of the yard. BUT if you have drive or street access the focal point changes.

What is the depth of the area to be planted??? Soil type...ph... zone, rain ??? Amount of time that owner is willing to spend on maintaining the yard ???

To answer your question :

Landscaping takes many factors into consideration. Think of it as decorating with plants. As in decorating, many variable come into place. rec. gardens is informative but you haven't provided a lot of information to go on.

My suggestions in order of appearance are..

1- Take the time to learn about landscape design. Curves, plant height, period of best appearance.. Take a sheet of paper and list out possible designs, based upon what the trees / shrubs will look like. Define what your purpose is in doing the landscape.. For you, is it really functional privacy... in which case a row of "Emerald Green" aborvitae, "Leyland Cypress", or a fence would be equally functional depending upon where you live.

Or it sounds as if you want something attractive from your focal point also. Which requires a different group of plants.

Ask the local garden club if they will help. Some local garden clubs will be eager to take on projects like the one above (in exchange for a reasonable amount of donation)....to gain expertise in landscaping.

2- Hire a landscape architect. You're paying for education, knowledge and experience.

I would take option #2. Here's why... I own a fairly large house. Being a single male, interior decorating was not my forte. I did the usual things of visiting home design centers who are all interested in selling THEIR products. After a few years of effort the house was not decorated...looked okay, but not great.

So I hired an interior decorator... who started off with the basics, and using her knowledge, and expertise, had the house looking like a showcase (took about 6 months)....better yet, it fit my personal style completely. I did all the grunt work, painting, sanding, laying tile, pulling out walls, buying furniture, putting up paintings and artwork, getting sculptures. She provided the guidance.... (sound familiar...ask any married man).

When you don't know what you're doing, hiring a professional to provide advice is the best way to go. In the long run it saves time and $$$. And you get what you want.

In your case, the landscape architect will fill out the basic design, and you can do the grunt work, or hire labor to do it for you. Local landscapers here charge about $ 35. per hour for grunt work. You can save enough here to afford the architect.

Reply to
Peter

Thanks for the advice, I don't know what I was thinking, just became a bit over whelmed with my project and could not see the "forest for the trees". Your advice put me back on track, I called a great landscaper who helped me design my front yard 2 years ago. With some quick advice and design from him I was back on track planting. The back yard is now starting to look better. My back yard is pie shaped with the point of the pie cut off giving me 2 back corners, going from aprox 60 feet wide narrowing down to aprox 20 feet wide. Again Thanks for the great advice.

Reply to
Magen

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