6 steps to planning an eco-friendly garden

Rather than planning a garden from scratch; you may inherit an existing one when purchasing a home. Whatever the state you inherit it in, you can follow these 6 steps to plan an ecologically friendly garden.

• Choose plants that will encourage birds and butterflies to visit the garden, rather than ones that are attractive but have no food value for native fauna
• Try to incorporate an area of wildflowers that will provide food and shelter for the many predatory insects that feed on garden pests

Gardens start with planning and the first step is to make a rough plan of the existing garden.
Your plan should show:

•  the location of the house on the lot
• any fixed objects such as laneways or utility poles
• the location of existing trees and shrubs

Do not be overly concerned with beds of annuals or perennials; they are relatively easy to move at a later date. If you can, spend the first year observing the garden, and doing little actual work, except for mowing the lawn and general maintenance.

During this time:

• keep careful notes on what is in flower on a weekly basis
• try to identify the plants as they come into bloom, and if they are worth the space they occupy
• keep a check on which parts of the garden receive sunlight at different times of the day and month, and just as important, which parts do not receive sunlight; these places will need shade-loving plants
• look at the trees and shrubs and decide if they are worth keeping. Most likely are, unless they are very weedy species
• record the birds, animals, and obvious butterflies that come to feed. Most will be welcome, but some are not. For example, if you find that deer are regular visitors, you will need to concentrate your new plantings on plants that deer do not like to eat

The next decision involves thinking about what purpose you want the garden to serve.

• The needs of a family with young children are considerably different from those of a family whose children have grown
• You may need to plan a play area, or make room for a swing set or climbing frame
• You may want to include a vegetable or fruit garden to grow pesticide-free food for the family

Keep in mind also the amount of time you are able to devote to this hobby. The best gardening plan in the world is of little use without the time to put it into practice and maintain the resulting garden.

This is also the time to decide whether the character of the garden will tend toward the formal or the informal.

• Formal design is mostly symmetrical. The plantings are mirror images on either side of the line, edges are usually straight, and the plants are trimmed and formal-looking
• In an informal garden, anything goes, the beds are often curved, plants are allowed to grow to their natural shape, and there is little or no repetition of design or plants

Whatever garden type is the final choice, start small. Gradually implement the features drawn on the master plan so the work involved is spread over time. We live in a time of instant everything, but trying to achieve too much, too soon, can lead to frustration and discouragement.

With a little patience and care, you can create a garden that works for your home, your family  and the planet.