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Are you interested in an all green garden landscape design? A green, mostly monochromatic backdrop is both soothing and inspiring, creating a feeling of lush abundance, regardless of the season.
Planning ahead is the key to successfully achieving a landscape with a year-round, green appeal, taking watering needs and plants’ seasonal rhythms into account.
First and foremost, we encourage you to read, Creating An Eco-Friendly Landscape Design, as a proactive step. Without proper foresight and research into your landscape’s needs in terms of water and shade ahead of time, you can wind up with a green-colored landscape that requires a tremendous amount of water or maintenance. Or, you could end up with a green landscape that turns brown because the plants you select aren’t suited to their location or soil makeup.
Your consultation with a landscape designer should include a forward-thinking vision of hardscaping and landscaping. Adding key hardscaping features outlines where the green landscaping will be established. If an all green garden landscape is the goal, your landscape design professional will highlight where the best spots for hardscaping features would be, typically in areas where it’s more challenging to support year-round greenery.
We use greenery in all kinds of ways, from taller shrubs and trees to block a less-desirable view or to provide privacy, to layered greenery that make a small space look larger (or to help shrink up a dead zone).
If you have children, you’ll want to ensure the plants included in their area are durable, suitable for play, and are non-toxic, while areas of the yard designated for pets should keep your furry family members’ needs in mind.
There’s no reason to sacrifice a lawn entirely, but this is a good time to establish how much lawn is enough for your outdoor living style. Lawns require a tremendous amount of water, and fortunately, you have other options when it comes to drought-tolerant groundcover. Visit our post, Landscaping With Water Conservation in Mind, for more on that topic.
Depending on how you use your outdoor space, you may find there are other, greener options available – or that it’s the right time to replace sections of your water-hogging turf with artificial lawn options – especially in areas with lower-visibility or usage.
Plants are happiest when planted in a climate that replicates where they originated. Here in the Bay Area, we’re fortunate to enjoy milder winter climates, which means we create all-green landscapes with an abundance of plant varieties. Keep in mind that the more native you go, the more likely you are to increase bird and pollinator sightings, drought-tolerance, and lower-maintenance requirements.
Some of the green and trees plants that do well year-round here include:
It can be tempting to purchase everything on the list, but that can result in a chaotic visual and energetic effect. Work with your local nursery professionals or, better yet, a professional landscape designer to sketch out what the proposed hardscaping, trees, shrubs, and groundcover will look like when mature (heights, widths, etc.). Then, work with that ultimate vision to create repetition and layers that are soothing and bring a sense of order to the design. You’ll also want to vary plant shapes and textures to create more interest as well.
Are you more interested in a low-maintenance design? Bring that up right from the start. If you aren’t an avid gardener and don’t feel like adding weekly or monthly landscape maintenance into the budget, focus on landscape features and plants that require minimum maintenance or work on your end.
For example, a backyard pond requires regular maintenance, while a dry river rock-based, faux stream bed does not. Deciduous trees make for messy late summer and fall, while evergreen trees shed far fewer needles and leaves.
Did you know that consulting with a local landscape designer is a no-obligation meeting? We’re happy to share ideas and provide expert tips to facilitate your DIY all green garden landscape design. Or, we’ll continue to work with you on an as-needed basis as you design and grow your landscape over time.
Contact us here at Bay Area Landscapes to start dreaming up an all green garden for your home or business.