• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • The Gardenangelists Podcast
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Garden Design – Best thing I ever did

October 31, 2012 By Carol Michel 12 Comments

The best thing I ever did for my garden was to hire a garden designer to plan out the overall design.

The worst thing I did was wait 13 years from the time I moved to this property until I hired the garden designer.

It wasn’t easy to give up that control I thought I had in my garden, to admit that I needed help on design.

After all, I’m a gardener.  I know the basics.  Big plants go behind little plants.  Vegetable garden goes in the back third of the yard. Plants that need full sun go in full sun. Plants that need shade go in the shady places. All good.

All not good. My patio was too small, my beds were too narrow, I had trees dotting the backyard like misplaced punctuation in the middle. of a sentence.  And I didn’t have entire types of plants in my garden because I just didn’t understand them and how to use them to enhance the garden.

Now I have garden borders that make sense. A lawn with a shape.  Trees in their proper places. New kinds of plants. Old favorite plants in better places. A bigger patio. 

It’s magical.

I can still add new plants and I do so frequently, but now I plant them within the design without messing it up, too much.  I still have a vegetable garden. I still have Plopper’s Field. I have sculptures. I have a beautiful gate leading into the vegetable garden. I have a garden path.

If it is even possible, I enjoy my garden more now than ever before because it makes more sense.  It’s not just a collection of plants. It’s a garden.

If you don’t think your garden is quite right and you can’t quite put your finger on what’s wrong, hire a garden designer to help you make it right. 

You’ll make fewer planting mistakes and save money in the long run when your garden has a good design.

Don’t wait 13 years.  Do it now.  This fall. Or no later than early spring.  Do it.  Hire a garden designer to turn your garden from a place for plants into a magical place you’ll enjoy for years to come. 
 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: garden design

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. danger garden says

    October 31, 2012 at 4:27 am

    Garden designers everywhere are thanking you for this heart felt endorsement!

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    October 31, 2012 at 4:39 am

    Shortly after my Dad died, my Mum won a garden designer (well, her services) in a competition, so she now has a plan for her new garden and it will be a great little garden for her.

    The whole family will get together next weekend to plant it up according to the plan. I can't wait to see it materialising!

    Reply
  3. Jackie DiGiovanni says

    October 31, 2012 at 11:39 am

    A great idea. A professional designer can create the plan along with plant lists and where to plant. Strong people can do the heavy lifting, as soon as I get the money together. And, I can install small plants as time goes along. Thanks!

    Reply
  4. Deanne Fortnam says

    October 31, 2012 at 12:00 pm

    Don't you love it when a plan comes together. Good planning makes for lovely flowing garden spaces

    Reply
  5. Anonymous says

    October 31, 2012 at 12:59 pm

    Can we see your plan & pictures?

    Reply
  6. Kathy says

    October 31, 2012 at 1:01 pm

    I think it's good to point out that you can hire a garden designer to draw up a plan, but do all the work yourself, thus saving money and still benefitting from the expertise.

    Reply
  7. Heidi/Woodland Garden says

    October 31, 2012 at 1:08 pm

    I think I will add this to my Christmas Wish List from my family.

    Reply
  8. Gail says

    October 31, 2012 at 1:14 pm

    I agree and you found the perfect designer for your garden, too.

    Reply
  9. Alistair says

    October 31, 2012 at 1:38 pm

    Expanding the picture of your garden just let me see how very beautiful it is. I am sort of happy with our garden but reading your post has me thinking as to how very different it could have been.

    Reply
  10. Rose says

    November 1, 2012 at 1:29 pm

    I've been too cheap, er, frugal, to invest the money, thinking how hard could it be to plan a garden? But looking at my flowerbeds scattered here and there and then seeing the transformation of your garden, Carol, I agree a designer might be well worth the money.

    Reply
  11. Cindy at enclos*ure says

    November 2, 2012 at 8:50 am

    Thanks for this. I shared it with the George Washington Univ. Landscape Design students/alum group on LinkedIn.

    Reply
  12. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening says

    November 2, 2012 at 11:48 pm

    Your garden is lovely and your designer has a good eye for making everything flow as it should. Well done…enjoy it!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,053)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT