questions

the perfect garden is as individual as the person who dreams of it. each of us has our own style, our own tastes, our own desires. the perfect garden cannot come from a template. it has to be created individually each time like a work of art. and like a work of art, before you sit down to create -- whether you are creating the art for yourself or someone else -- you have to make a few decisions: what medium will you use? what colors? how big will it be? what will be its purpose? the same is true for a garden. some of the questions will be about the garden itself, while others delve into the person who will be using the garden, to help make sure it fits their personality, style, tastes, and needs.

• what do you love about the yard you have?
• what do you dislike about it?
• what plants do you love?
• what plants do you dislike?
• what would you like to do in your yard?
• do you have any special requirements/considerations (access, kids, pets, privacy, noise)?
• what styles appeal to you (garden, architecture, interior design, clothes, cars...)?
• do you consider your tastes formal, casual, ecclectic, exotic, minimalist, or other (specify)?
• how much time/energy do you have to devote to gardening?
• what are your hobbies?
• who are your favorite artists?
• what is your favorite type of cuisine?
• what is your favorite vacation location? why?

it also helps to create an inspiration file. photos of parks or neighboring gardens, postcards, pictures from books or magazines, wallpaper samples, you name it. anything that captures the look or feel of what you're hoping to create.

once you've pulled these pieces together (along with a gridded map of the existing yard and structures), you're ready to start designing. and that's where the fun begins.