In 2017, I was a master of impulse gardening: “Ooh!  these plants are on sale!”/ “Time for a new garden bed — I need to fill the space!” It led to a lot of progress, but also, a few regrets.  Towards the end of the season, I realized that almost everything I planted was about the same height, and this winter the empty garden beds have been staring at me, begging me to do better next year.

While I can’t vow to avoid impulsive gardening completely this year, I am determined to be more intentional with my garden’s design.  After looking at thousands of garden pictures, I think I have my plan boiled down to nine elements I will be focusing on:

1) Water — Okay, I can check this one off the list since my water garden was installed two months early.  (Yay!) But I really want to emphasize how much adding water to your garden takes it to another level.  From a full water garden to a pondless waterfall or small bubbling rock fountain, there’s a water feature to match your budget, style, and space.  Moving water is calming, beautiful, and brings in the birds.  You simply can’t beat it.

2) Conifers — This winter, my garden has looked like a graveyard; almost everything I planted in 2017 is an herbaceous perennial that died back to the ground, leaving the plant markers to look like tiny tombstones.  Never again.  An article in the November/December 2016 issue of Fine Gardening titled “Conifers Should Come First” blew my mind and its premise has become one of my main garden design principles.  My challenge is that very few conifers are tolerant of shade and juglone from black walnut trees, so I’ll have to get creative with different cultivars of arborvitae and eastern hemlock.   You’ll notice in the picture below that I’m following this principle with the first plantings around my water garden.  (If you have a chance to check out the article in the back issue, do so!  The pictures are stunning.)

3) Mystery — My absolute favorite gardens are the ones with an element of mystery.  To me, a sense of mystery in a garden exists when you’re not able to see the entire space from one location — plants or hardscapes block your view, or allow only a partial view, compelling you to explore.  Unfortunately, my plantings last year did nothing to create this sense of mystery, and you can see every part of the garden from the deck (and any other part of the outdoor space).  There’s a stop on the KC water garden tour about every other year that is a wonderful example.  The garden path twists and turns, and the stream meanders through the garden before it reaches the pond.  You are delighted at every turn as you discover something new — a tiny waterfall, focal plant, or whimsical art piece. This year I’ll be adding a combination of taller shrubs, conifers (see above), and hardscaping to bring this element into my garden.

4) Height — Last year the tallest things I planted were a Dwarf Hinoki Cypress (about 3′ tall) and an Oakleaf Hydrangea ‘Ruby Slippers’ that will top out around 3-4′.  The rest of the plants are low growers like hostas, ferns, Columbine, and Solomon’s Seal.  Not only do I not have a sense of mystery, frankly, it’s a bit boring.  Yes, I have towering shade trees, but I’m missing a few levels in between, and I plan on rectifying that this year.

6) Multi-season interest — There are four seasons in a year, but from the look of my garden, you would think there are only two: alive and dead.  I want to have a four-season garden; one that fills you with excitement in the spring, delivers a wave of refreshment and relaxation in the summer, encourages a sense of gratitude and contentment in the fall, and draws you outdoors in the winter.  It’s a tall order, but I really just need to be a bit more purposeful when I’m selecting plants.  A red flowering dogwood and purple woodland phlox will bring prolific blooms to my spring garden; the tall fronds of ostrich ferns and the water garden will call my name in summer;  a few “pops” of fall color from Japanese Maples and a Sweetshrub will be the perfect backdrop for a hot cup of cider; and the focus on conifers should greatly improve the look of my garden in winter.

7) Access — I read somewhere that a good rule of thumb is to make sure that no part of your garden is more than 3 feet from some sort of access path so that you can tend the garden without compacting the soil.  Whoops.  Last year I created some pretty large beds without easy access paths and trampled the heck out of the dirt when I got in to water the plants.  Time to back up and add in some stepping stones to those areas of the garden.

8) Wildlife haven — Birds, butterflies, bees, frogs, and insects — I want them all!  (But no snakes, please!)  I believe I have all of the five elements needed to become a Certified Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation, but as I’m selecting plants this year, I am making sure to add a few that will provide additional cover and food.

9) Leverage annuals — I love, love, LOVE gardens that are lush and bursting with blooms and interesting foliage — but that is not how a perennial garden looks when you first plant it.  So what’s a gardener to do during the “sleep” and “creep” years?  Use annuals to fill in the space!  I always had a silly belief held somewhere deep in my brain that annuals were for containers ONLY.  That was, until a July trip to the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens where I saw annuals…IN THE GROUND.  (Mind blown!)  You can bet my impatiens, coleus, Persian Shield, and begonias won’t just be grown in pots this year.

Nine aspects may seem like a lot to work on in one year, but luckily, several overlap.  We’ve had some nice days in March, so I’ve had the opportunity to get out and wander the garden, noting what elements are needed where.  Cold days and after dusk are spent online, searching for the perfect plant for each spot.  Nurseries are starting to get in trees and shrubs, forcing me to stick to my “conifers first” mantra while I wait for the last frost date in mid-April.  I’ve learned how important it is to plan, and am enjoying the process (though on those random 70-degree days I just want to get out and plant stuff!)

It will be gardening season before we know it!  How is your 2018 garden planning coming?