Creating Your First Garden

Before You Begin

Creating a successful garden design starts with understanding your space and goals. This tutorial will walk you through designing a simple front yard garden that provides year-round interest and color.

What You'll Learn

• Garden planning principles and best practices
• How to choose plants for different conditions
• Creating seasonal interest and succession of blooms
• Using Garden Sketchbook's tools effectively
• Finalizing and exporting your garden plan

Step 1: Plan Your Garden Space

Consider Your Conditions

Before selecting plants, think about your garden's conditions:

• Sunlight: How many hours of direct sun does the area receive?
• Soil: Is your soil well-draining, clay, or sandy?
• Climate Zone: What's your USDA hardiness zone?
• Space Size: Measure your garden area dimensions
• Existing Features: Note trees, structures, or utilities to work around

Set Your Garden Preferences

In Garden Sketchbook, access the Settings menu to configure your garden's basic properties:

• Choose measurement units (feet or meters)
• Set your hardiness zone (helps with plant filtering)
• Enable grid display for precise placement

Step 2: Choose a Plant Palette

For your first garden, we'll create a classic mixed border with spring bulbs, summer perennials, and fall interest. This provides color from early spring through late fall.

Spring Bloomers

Start with early-blooming plants that provide the first color of the year:

• Daffodils: Reliable spring bulbs, deer resistant
• Tulips: Bright spring color in various heights
• Forsythia: Early yellow blooms on shrub form

Summer Perennials

Add plants that provide extended summer color and structure:

• Coneflowers (Echinacea): Long-blooming, attracts butterflies
• Black-eyed Susans: Bright yellow daisy-like flowers
• Daylilies: Reliable bloomers with grass-like foliage
• Hostas: Excellent foliage plants for shadier spots

Fall Interest

Include plants that shine in autumn:

• Asters: Late-season purple or white flowers
• Ornamental Grasses: Movement and winter structure
• Sedum: Succulent with late summer/fall blooms

Step 3: Design Your Layout

Start with Anchor Plants

Begin by placing your largest plants first. These "anchor" plants provide structure and help establish the overall design.

1. Select a medium shrub (like Forsythia) from the plant library
2. Place it at the back or corner of your garden space
3. Notice how the size circle shows the plant's mature spread
4. Add 2-3 more shrubs, spacing them according to their mature sizes

Add Perennial Groups

Plant perennials in groups of 3-5 for maximum impact. This creates natural-looking drifts and ensures good color display.

1. Select Coneflowers from the plant library
2. Place 3-5 plants in a natural grouping
3. Leave space between groups for other plants
4. Repeat with Black-eyed Susans and Daylilies

Fill with Spring Bulbs

Bulbs can be planted closer together and among other plants since they'll be dormant when perennials are at full size.

1. Add clusters of Daffodils throughout the garden
2. Place Tulips in groups for spring color
3. Plant bulbs closer to the front for better spring visibility

Step 4: Check Your Seasonal Display

Use Garden Sketchbook's seasonal navigation to see how your garden will look throughout the year.

Spring Preview

1. Click "Early Spring" in the season bar
2. Notice which plants are in bloom (bulbs and Forsythia)
3. Check that you have good color distribution

Summer Preview

1. Click "Mid Summer" to see peak growing season
2. Verify that perennials provide good coverage
3. Check that plants aren't overcrowded in 3D view

Fall Preview

1. Click "Late Fall" to see autumn display
2. Look for fall-blooming plants and good structure
3. Note which plants provide winter interest

Step 5: Refine Your Design

Check Plant Spacing

Switch to the 3D view and rotate around your garden to check for proper spacing:

• Plants should touch at maturity but not overlap significantly
• Leave pathways for maintenance access
• Ensure shorter plants aren't hidden behind taller ones

Adjust for Visual Balance

Use the Select Mode to move plants and improve your design:

• Create visual triangles with groups of plants
• Avoid planting in straight lines (unless formal design is intended)
• Distribute colors evenly throughout the space
• Ensure each season has multiple points of interest

Add Finishing Touches

Complete your design with supporting plants:

• Add ornamental grasses for movement and texture
• Include groundcover plants to fill bare spots
• Consider adding a few annuals for extra summer color

Step 6: Export Your Plan

Once you're satisfied with your design, create a professional plan you can take to the nursery or use for implementation.

Generate Your Plant List

1. Click the Export button in the 2D view toolbar
2. Choose your preferred paper size (A4 or Letter)
3. Select measurement units (match your garden settings)
4. Include grid lines if desired for reference
5. Click "Generate PDF"

Review Your Export

Your exported plan will include:

• Scaled garden layout with numbered plants
• Complete plant list with quantities
• Plant names (both common and scientific)
• Garden dimensions and scale information

Implementation Tips

Planting Order

When implementing your garden, follow this sequence:

1. Prepare the soil: Remove weeds, amend soil as needed
2. Plant largest items first: Trees and shrubs
3. Add perennials: Plant in spring or fall for best establishment
4. Plant bulbs: Fall planting for spring blooms
5. Add mulch: 2-3 inches around all plants

Shopping with Your Plan

• Print your plant list and take it to the nursery
• Buy plants when they're available (timing varies by type)
• Consider purchasing smaller plants - they'll grow to fill the space
• Ask nursery staff about plant substitutions if specific varieties aren't available

First-Year Care

• Water new plantings regularly the first growing season
• Don't expect full-size plants immediately - gardens mature over multiple years
• Take photos each season to track your garden's development
• Make notes about what you'd like to change for next year

Next Steps

Congratulations on creating your first garden! Here are some ways to expand your skills:

• Explore more plants and create themed gardens (butterfly, shade, drought-tolerant)
• Learn seasonal planning for more sophisticated bloom succession
• Learn advanced design tools for complex layouts and grouping
• Design different areas of your property (backyard, side gardens, containers)

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