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# How to Get the Garden You Want … In 6 Smart Steps
September 17 2015
Written by Rickie Avrutin.
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GREEN ROSETTE--OK. You know you should upgrade your garden and sooner rather than later. After all, the grass is dead, the weeds are high, summer flowers are gone, and the whole yard is looking a tad seedy.
Before putting spade to dirt, or hiring someone else to do it, here are 5 smart steps to save you needless aggravation and potentially thousands of dollars.
1. First, close your eyes. If you haven’t already done so, ask yourself, what kind of garden would you like considering how you plan to use it. Go on, fantasize. Now open your eyes and write down 3 or 5 or 10 things that came to mind. Examples: I want a quiet, meditative retreat, I want lots of color, low maintenance, a fountain, fruit trees, a place where kids and my dog can play, a place to entertain, etc. You get the idea.
2. Next, make a list of things that describe your property and might affect your enjoyment of it. Examples: noisy street, sloping terrain, bad soil for growing things, L-shaped garden, strong sun hitting my west-facing living room… More will come to you later.
3. Now consider, who will design and who will install my new yard? Me with the help of friends? My gardener? A knowledgeable professional? Do I have the expertise to create a design that both makes it easy to use the area the way I want and has no negative impact on my property? Do I have the expertise to execute that design correctly? Do I know enough about irrigation, soil and the needs of different plants to ensure a lasting outcome? Be honest with yourself. Don’t be overly swayed by budgetary concerns just yet.
4. Consult with knowledgeable design and plant professionals even if you later decide to do part or all of the work yourself. Make a list of questions. Ask them. Take notes. What you learn at this stage can save you untold heartache and dollars later.
5. Now, ask, what’s my budget? If your budget won’t allow you to pay for quality work and materials, consider breaking down your project into stages. Take care of basic upgrades first. You can add that koi pond next year. Maybe you should use pavers for now and substitute flagstone later. A garden is always in a state of evolution. So, designing and installing in stages gives you the advantage of seeing what works over time. Ask the professionals to help you prioritize your upgrades.
6. Now go back and flesh out your plan. For every improvement on your list, apply all you learned going through steps 1 through 5 before. You will be amazed at how many potential challenges you’ve already spotted and resolved. You might already have saved yourself thousands of dollars with this process.
Congratulations! You’ve done a big job here! And you’re now ahead of the game. Here’s to you and yours and the garden you will enjoy for years to come!
*(Rickie Avrutin is a sustainable garden consultant, a smart garden columnist and the Executive Director at **green rosette**. She can be reached at* [*rickie@citywatchla.com*](mailto:rickie@citywatchla.com)*)*
*-cw*
CityWatch
Vol 13 Issue 70
Pub: Aug 28, 2015
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