Step by Step: Designing a Central Coast Garden

by Lisa Cullen

Winter is the perfect time to start designing or updating your garden. After 50 years of designing outdoor spaces (2020 marks our 50th year as Montecito Landscape), we have certainly learned a few things about the right way and the wrong way to go about it. So, to help you avoid some of the common pitfalls of exterior design, here are a few tips to help keep you on the right track.

Start with a vision

The first step in any project is to establish a definitive picture of what the garden will look like. I do this by walking the site with the client and finding what it is they like and don’t like about their property and getting a vision of the end result. This includes pouring through magazines, Instagram, etc. to find photos of gardens and even going on “field trips”. After a while a “picture” will develop of how it will look and feel. Only then can we can begin.

Pro tip: One of the questions I always ask is “how do you envision using this garden?” Is there a large family, kids and dogs? Will you be doing lots of entertaining? This will influence your decisions.

Garden Edit

Now it is time for the “Edit”. This means we remove anything that isn’t contributing to the final “picture”. Anything that detracts from that final vision must go. We have to “clean the canvas” for the new design. This step can be pretty dramatic. It can be as simple as removing an old dead lawn or as big as removing everything but the large trees. Either way, this is a vital step.

Pro tip: Just because you like something doesn’t mean it’s right in your garden. If you have kids, grandkids and/or dogs you may not want spiny or toxic plants. Blue Agave may be beautiful, but some plants are meant to be admired from a distance.

Concept plan

The concept plan isn’t pages of detailed drawings. In fact it can simply be a list of all the desired features such as pathways, fountain, fire pit, kitchen, patios, etc. With list in hand, you can start working out the placement of the various items. Ideally, get a site plan of your property (a site plan shows the foot print of the house, existing trees, driveway, etc.) and use this to work it all out.

Pro tip: Tracing paper laid down on the site plan, allows me to work and experiment with different ideas until we like the end result. Yeah, it’s old school, I know, but it works.

Do it in the Dirt

Once you have the general concept and ideas, lay it all out in the ground. I don’t care how many pages of drawings you have, to get it right it has to be drawn in the ground. It can be stakes and string or drawing the lines in the dirt with a shovel. Once you see it “in the ground” there will be changes, I guarantee it.

Material Selection

Now that we know the “what and where” of the design, it’s time to go shopping for hardscape materials. If possible, go see the material installed somewhere to get the feel of it. It may look different than in the show room.

Pro tip: Limit your hardscape selections and take into account what is already there and the style of the house. If you are using flagstone and gravel, ensure the gravel is harmonious with the stone. California Gold gravel is NOT always the best choice. Too many different hardscape materials and your garden will look like a stone yard display.

Pick the plants

It may seem funny to pick the plants as the final design step, but plant shopping is similar to selecting a paint color. Go see the plants at someone’s house, know how big they will become and how much maintenance they will require. Then, go nursery shopping and have some fun!

Pro tip: I always come up with a “plant pallet” that fits with the overall look and feel we are trying to achieve. The plants should be compatible with each other and with the locale. Too many different types of plants and the garden looks and feels disjointed. Separate the different types of plants into planting areas if you want a wild array. Think Lotusland where each garden is in keeping with a specific style and look. Your garden should tell a story and have a “vibe”.

Garden Décor

If you are going to add pots, fountains, etc. be selective. Each item should be of the same aesthetic as the rest of the garden and should have intention as a focal point. Take your time and don’t get it unless it is “right”. If you can’t afford “the good stuff” then either don’t do it or wait until you can afford it. The perfect pot, fountain, sculpture, can transform a garden into magic.

Pro tip: Most reputable dealers will let you bring something back if it isn’t right. Sometimes something looks good in the store but doesn’t quite look right on site. If I am uncertain that an item is going to work I arrange ahead of time with the shop that I want to see it in the garden first and will bring it back if it doesn’t work. If the store won’t accept returns, go elsewhere.

Enjoy

There may be some moments while doing a garden transformation when you may doubt your sanity. That is normal. Persevere and you will have not only increased value of your property, but will have invested in the quality and enjoyment of life. In the end, we love gardens because they take us on a journey to another world of beauty and aesthetics, away from the stresses and strains of daily life and that is what makes it worth the effort.