This is Part 2 of the series “Tis the Season for New Ideas…”

Read Part 1 here

As I mentioned in Part 1, I love the celebration of newness that comes at this time of year. It’s (almost) spring (or, well, it’s spring somewhere…), or it will be if winter shoves off. Regardless, there are new plants being started. There are seeds being purchased. There are plans being made. The air is bursting with potential and fresh ideas.

I’d like to address the process of planning and embracing new ideas. In Part 1, I looked at those from the perspective of commercial motivation. But what about in your own yard or garden, or if you aren’t motivated by profit? Truth be told, in many ways, the process of developing an idea is similar, but maybe the examples are different. In this Part 2, we’ll take a look at the process of bringing new ideas to fruition and reality in a private setting. Ultimately, in my mind, it is all about considerations, and personal preferences.

Making Changes to the Homefront

I mentioned previously that I think that there is tremendous value from horticultural crops, although they tend to be overlooked or perhaps undervalued. Perhaps a better phrase would be “taken for granted”. Everyone sees trees and shrubs and flowers, and lots of people have gardens, but perhaps they don’t make the connection to the benefits that they contribute to our day to day lives and our health and wellness. They provide variety and nutrients to our diets, while also bringing brightness and beauty to our lives, whether indoors or outdoors.

What motivates the home gardener?

I think that motivation varies depending on which of the two sides of horticulture the interest falls into. Simply put, those two categories would be edible and aesthetic.

On the edible side, some people want to reduce their grocery bills by growing some of their own produce. Some people want to take that a step further and have more control over the nature of the produce that they consume. Some people (like me) enjoy the process of growing something to eat, and there is a strong tradition of growing vegetables. I think that in 25 years of marriage, my wife and I have planted a garden for at least 20 of those. If we had a space to grow a garden, we did. Some people are practically minded, figuring that they might as well get as much bang from their yard as they can, so they incorporate multi-use plants into the landscape.

On the aesthetic side, some people just like to be outside, breathing in the fresh air, and soaking in the warmth and sunshine while it lasts. You might call this horticultural therapy (it’s a legit thing). Some people love the bright colours and the smells that come with blooming things. Other people want to increase the value of their properties, which plants do. They might also be motivated by practicality, preferring grass and bark mulch to gravel and mud. They might want more shade, seasonal colour, or some other aesthetic element.

Assess Your Current State

When you contemplate making changes in your yard, sometimes those are little things, like adding a new perennial (or eight), or planting a tree or shrub. It might be adding a new bed or two, or a complete transformation or alteration of the space. It is a wide spectrum.

Whatever the projected scale of your changes, you need to first build a baseline or foundation of information. You need to have a sense of what is already in place or look at what you are already dealing with. What are the pieces that will affect what you are able to do, such as the soil, drainage, light, space, and physical hard-structure elements? What might affect your choices? What might affect success or failure?

Bridging the gaps

Just as with a commercial venture, everyone starts out with some sort of plan or idea. Some people have a grandiose vision or some sort of fabulous HGTV-esque plan. Some people might not have any idea what they want, beyond a colour, or a texture, or a type of plant (flower, tree, shrub). The level of definition is variable. In order to be successful, you need to add some clarity and detail to the plan.

This stage of planning is all about filling in the blanks. Start by identifying what you want, as an end outcome. In business, you want to be profitable and sustainable. At home, you want shade, colour, fragrance, tastiness. You want plants that fit into what you already have. You want plants that won’t make a mess of things in the short-medium-long-term. You want stuff that will survive from year to year.

Blanking the Slate (a personal example)

I’ll use examples from my own yard and garden, to perhaps illustrate my points.

2 years ago, we were faced with the reality of having to replace a sewer line that had been functioning at or below acceptable levels for many years. To deal with the problem, we needed to dig up a good portion of our yard from house to alleyway. We were faced with the impediments of structures in the way, underground utilities that crossed and re-crossed the path of the sewer several times.

As a result, we essentially zeroed out the space, or at least the centre of the space. We removed the garage (a.k.a. shed with delusions of grandeur) and the gravel parking area. We had the sewer line dug up and replaced and we replaced and relocated some utility lines while we were at it. It left the back yard a giant muddy mess. But it was also a blank canvas (with some stuff left on the edges).

Jumping forward a bit, we also removed a very large pine tree from one half of the yard and tidied up some trees along one edge of the yard. The year before, the neighbours had removed all the tree growth from the other side of the yard. As a result, the light dynamics in the space had been completely changed. We used to have an extremely shady back yard, Now, we had an open, sunny space. An almost blank slate.

What is the Process?

At this point, you have to make decisions. In a home setting, those decisions are based on your preferences, as well as site suitability. You can (and must) answer most of the questions yourself. You can also get people to make the plans for you, or help you fill in the gaps. That is up to you. But follow a process.

Here are some questions that you can ask yourself as you are planning this or any other project.

• What sorts of plants are you wanting to plant? Ask yourself all of the variations of this. Annual versus perennial. Perennial versus woody. Conifer versus deciduous. Colours, textures, height, and other characteristics.
• What is the site like? What is the soil like? In-ground or raised bed?
• What amount of sunlight do the different parts receive? Are there any structures that change the intensity of light (providing shade or reflecting light and heat)?
• Are there any underground elements that might be affected?
• What is the final, mature size of the plants that you are planting? When should they reach that size? Have you got sufficient space for them?
• Are there any factors that might reduce the health and survival of different plant choices? This can relate to the site itself, or the plant hardiness or growing requirements.
• Are there any non-plant elements that you want to be a part of the plan? What effect might those parts have the overall plan and the growth of the plants?

Tempering the enthusiasm

I mentioned last week that it is important to temper your enthusiasm. Upon reflection, perhaps “dampen” was a better description of the process I described. When you have a new idea, you are often blinded by the shine and sparkle and might tend of overlook some of the issues. You can see the potential and might ignore possible obstacles.

Even if you want to cling to your enthusiasm, since that might carry you through DIY yard transformation, at least take the time to consider the potential pitfalls of the different parts of your idea. It’ll save you heart and headache later on. It isn’t a bad idea to bounce things off someone else to see if they see gaps that you might have missed.

Closing the Loop (on the personal example)

In our new space, we decided to flip the yard. The old garden became the new parking area. We leveled the ground after it had settled and put in a firepit and sod. We switched to raised beds instead of an in-ground garden. There was plenty of sunlight now, so we made sure to include plans for watering the raised beds. We’ve mulched beds that remained. We’ll now tackle new flower and plant options for the entirely open part of the yard that was all heavily shaded understory. We’re going to include plants of a range of sizes and flowering seasons. This process has developed over about 18 months. It’s a journey that will finish when we get there.

Conclusion

New ideas are justifiably exciting and are worth doing. Part of what is cool about doing projects on your own (or that are rooted in your own mind) are how it becomes a reflection of what you enjoy.