Q. Homeowners are often that accounts for pools, sheds, walkways, seating, cooking, play areas, gardens, and other typical family usage? THE PROFESSIONAL DESIGN EDGE ON CREATING A MASTER PLAN: overwhelmed with where to begin when planning out zones for their yard. What suggestions do you have for creating a master plan
A.
“The first step before planning your outdoor living space and garden is to have an accurate map that shows the existing features. This should include the house, garage, all existing structures, and plantings. It is also important to identify the access locations of water and electricity on your property. Before undertaking any excavation, contact the local utilities to ascertain the buried power or water lines. Use the map of your existing yard to determine how you move through the space and where you have room to build. Think about how often you plan to interact with the various zones and what you want close to the home and what can be further afield. Areas requiring frequent visits or extensive maintenance, such as kitchen gardens, plants that need a lot of care, or seating areas, should be placed closer to the home. Less-frequently visited spaces, such as fruit trees, meadow plantings, or shrubs, can be placed further away.”
Creating the overall design is the most comprehensive part of the project, so the details are important. That’s why many people simply hand the task over to landscaping professionals that are trained to see potential obstacles and who have a vision for the finished project. With this in mind, we picked the brain of Juliette Olshock, Sustainable Landcare Programming Coordinator at the famous Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The conservatory is a 15-acre campus of sustainable, botanical design that dates back to 1893. In addition to featuring more than a dozen rooms in a massive glass house and nearly two dozen distinct gardens, Phipps’ mission is to inspire and educate the public about gardening practices within their own yards. We asked Phipps about the professional perspective of landscape design to provide you the insider’s knowledge you might need during your planning process.
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