How lucky we are to have our coastal climate here in Long Beach, where every evening we can feel the gentle breeze as it gracefully blows in off the ocean. Summertime is a perfect time to create an outdoor living space to enjoy this wonderful weather of ours. Imagine yourself sitting on your patio surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers, where the butterflies come to visit and the hummingbirds stop for a drink. Creating your very own outdoor sanctuary can be easy as well as budget-friendly.
The first thing to do is decide on the style of garden you want. Here in Long Beach we recommend planting a water-wise design. There are many different types of water- wise gardens as well as many plants that are drought resistant which will work just as well. The main thing you want to ask yourself is, “What is the look I want?” This could range anywhere from a tropical look to an English cottage style or a sleek contemporary design. What tends to look best is when the style you have chosen for your indoors is continued into the outdoors. If your house is eclectic then pick the landscape style that speaks to you. Looking through magazines or websites can help you bring together the look you want.
After you decide on the style, you will need to decide on the budget you are working with. The hardscape will always be more expensive than the plant material. It is very important to design and build the hardscape first before the planting. This will be your pathways, outdoor fireplaces, planters, patios and decks. This is the part of your garden that will be permanent or at least last much longer than the plant material. You can get many ideas from websites like Pintrest or Etsy if you are on a budget or would like to use repurposed items. It’s best to hire a local landscape contractor to help you with this aspect of the design if you plan on pouring concrete for a new patio. Once you have installed your hardscape, you will need to prepare your planting bed areas. These are the areas that you will use for your flowers, shrubs or trees. First remove all the plants you do not want to keep in your new landscape design.
Then you will need to buy some soil amendment to improve the quality of the soil. There are different types of amendments for the kind of plants you will be installing. These can be bought at most local hardware stores. Lay down a good 3-4” of the soil on top of your existing bed. Turn and mix the amendment into the existing soil. You will need to make sure that it is thoroughly mixed as you would when blending cake batter. Sometimes if the dirt is too hard and dry it is easier to remove about 4-6” of the existing soil along the entire bed and place it on a plastic tarp. Then add the amendment to the soil on the tarp so you get a thorough mixing. Then shovel the amended soil back into the bed. Either way this process properly prepares the soil for planting.
Now you are ready to do the fun part; choosing the plants! In order to get a nice design you don’t want to choose a large variety of plants. The rule of thumb is to not use more than seven different types of plants in the entire garden. Three or four of these varieties are going to be your foundation plants, which normally are trees and shrubs. The foundation plants will have a longer life than the others and will remain there while the others may come and go. Be very cognizant of the full growth size of the plant. You don’t want to install a shrub or tree that you may need to remove in a couple years because it’s too big, or requires constant trimming. Creating consistency throughout the landscape allows the garden to flow. Utilize the same plants in different parts of the garden so the eye sees the continuity. I have found that using one, two or three colors provides a pleasing look. If you want to use contrasting colors, make sure the colors are from opposite sides of the color wheel such as violet and yellow.
Before I start planting anything, I always place the potted plants in the bedding area. This way I can see the different size, shapes and textures of the plants and move them around easily until I find the right spot. Once I have decided on where I am placing each plant, then I install them. The most important thing is to build a place where you can rest and enjoy the evenings with your family and friends surrounded by the beauty of nature and the gorgeous weather we have here in Long Beach.