We begin our process of garden layout landscaping by determining the scope and scale of the garden.  We study the size of your home and the proportions of your yard. 

The garden design is developed within the context of these parameters.  Using sophisticated design software, we can mathematically calculate the optimal size of the garden and the optimal geometric form as its shape.

The next element we work on is the hardscape structure of the garden.  While the most noticeable thing about any garden is the vegetation, the structures within which plants grow are foundational to the ultimate aesthetic success of the vegetation. 

Many of these hardscape elements are not things you typically think of as hardscapes.  Some may be as simple as a rock boundary or a gravel trail. 

When more complex in size and scope, garden layout landscaping can and often does involve creating more elaborate structures like patios and masonry walls.  Larger gardens are also designed with transit areas leading into and through the vegetation. 

This is necessary because a large garden must be experienced from within in order to be completely appreciated.  Small gardens are fine to look at from a vantage point on the border, but big gardens have to be travelled through to be truly experienced.

Once we have completed the framework and any appropriate transit areas, we then work on water features and ornamentation.  Many gardens rely on ponds as an essential component of design.  Others work better with fountains.  In some instances, we may not install any water features at all. 

Decorations like urns, statues, and abstract art motifs may be used in certain eclectic and contemporary designs.  At the end of the day, however, something decorative of some kind or another is typically added to garden layout landscaping.

When creating a garden of any considerable size, there may also be architectural structures built within the garden.  A small courtyard is often created to create a comfortable gathering place for guests.  There are also gazebos and pergolas that we frequently build that offer guests a covered structure within which to relax in the center of the garden.  These outdoor structures sometimes wind up being the most beautiful structures on the property second only in aesthetic to the house itself.

It is only after the building aspect of garden design is truly built, so to speak, that we actually introduce the plants themselves.  Plants are chosen for specific contributions that they make to garden layout landscaping. 

These contributions include vertical impact, color, and shape. 

The vertical impact of a plant determines how much your garden stands up above your yard.  Most garden layout designs involve a layered vertical impact with different types and sizes of plants. 

The amount of color we introduce depends on the garden style.  Some styles, like formal gardens, are mostly composed of shades of green.  Others, like the English garden, involve a wide spectrum of colors created by multiple flowering plants. 

Garden layout landscaping is geometrically defined and enhanced by the shapes of plants themselves.  Some plants look conical, others spread out, while others look almost boxlike in form.