We have all heard that planning is the key to success. This is especially true when it comes to landscaping projects. To illustrate the planning process I will walk through an example of adding a perennial garden to a residential backyard.

The first step is developing a base plan. To make this drawing some background information will need to be collected. Using a piece of paper, sketch the property lines, existing structures, existing plantings, and house. This could be done for the whole property or just the area that will be landscaped. Everything that was sketched onto paper will need to be measured so it can be properly orientated on the base plan. After all measurements have been taken the base plan can be created.

Before drawing the base plan a scale needs to be determined. Two common scales are one inch equals eight feet or one inch equals ten feet. This means one inch on the drawing equals eight or ten feet in the actual landscape. Select a scale that works best for your project. If possible the drawing should fit on one piece of paper, although several sheets can be taped together if needed. After selecting a scale it is time to draw the base plan using the information collected earlier.

The completed base plan illustrates the location of the house, existing plants, existing structures, and property lines all drawn to scale. The base plan will eventually turn into the completed landscape plan. The completed landscape plan will provide enough information to estimate the

amount of mulch, edging, and plants needed for the perennial bed. Next week I will talk about selecting a location for the perennial bed and bed design.

If you have landscaping or plant questions please call me at the University of Minnesota Extension office, Clay County at 218-299-5020, 1-800-299-5020 or email me at nels1657@umn.edu. Check out our website at www.extension.umn.edu/county/clay/