DESIGNING YOUR SPACE (Tootsie Tip #5)

Welome back to our discussion on making your garden suit you!

The first thing you need to decide, before you plant, is what function your garden will serve.

-Are you planning to use your garden to entertain friends and family?

-If so, will you need a seating area? A table?

-Does your garden provide natural shade, or will you need to make some?

-How much privacy would you like to have?

-Do you have children?

-Pets?

-Will you be planning for play areas?

-Do you have storage?

These are very important questions you need to answer before you begin.

If you are planning to have a seating area reserved for eating and entertaining, you must think about having a level area to place a table and chairs, or patio benches.

Does your space provide room for a fire pit or cooking pit? (Your local by –laws may have some very specific requirements for open fire pits- this is something you will need to research)

Do you want your entertaining areas to be on a deck or patio---or would you prefer to place this area on the grass in the garden?

A patio can be made of wood, cement, cobblestone, brick, or other type of stone pavers. Your local gravel yard (or sometimes garden center ) will have many choices to suit your taste and budget. If you are planning to put your seating and entertaining area on the grass in your garden, you must remember that you will need to move the furniture that you are using in the area, in order to mow the lawn underneath it. For many, this is a huge inconvenience. You should also remember that the grass is home to may pests such as mosquitoes, ants and aphids to name a few.

If you have children, and will need a play area, you may want to consider putting your entertaining area a distance away as the occasional stray ball can cause much destruction to a table filled with beverages and snacks, not to mention the beautiful table-scapes that you could create. Kids can also be very NOISY. This alone can make a conversation difficult.

Once you have answered these questions and have decided what functions your garden will need to serve, you are ready to start planning.

I suggest you make yourself a few lists. The first list is your wish list of all the things you want your garden to provide that it does not already have. The second list is your list of all the things your garden space already provides. These lists will help you organize your thoughts for the plans that you need to make.

SAMPLE LISTS

WISH LIST
Shade/shelter
Entertaining area
Patio furniture
Swing or cozy seating
Benches
Barbeque or fire pit (or both)
Play area
Sand box
Swing set for kids
Toy storage
Garden swing
Water feature (pond or fountain)
Fences
Borders
Perennials
Trees and shrubs
Storage Shed for garden tools, and seasonal items

ALREADY HAVE LIST

Grass

Sidewalks

Kids swing set

Fence around perimeter of property

Lots of kids toys

A few perennials

Lots of ideas

****Your assignment is to have your lists made for yourself. When next we meet to discuss our garden plans, we will discuss each of the wish list items and will give information and ideas to add to yours. ****

DON'T FORGET......FERTILIZER FRIDAY is just around the corner!!!

Until next time…happy gardening!

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
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(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.

www.tootsietime.com

if you have time….