Pick Features Suited to Your Site

This is a major milestone in planning your landscape– it’s time to select features you want to include in your design! Have your mood board, vision statement, goals, and site analysis on hand so that they can be referenced directly during this process. Additionally, you may want to have our “Get Inspired” page handy, so you can remind yourself of the technical details of specific features as needed.

1. Brainstorm Solutions to Existing Site Conditions

First, bridge the gap between what you found in your site analysis and what those findings might mean for your design. This quick exercise will help you see opportunities hidden in your site conditions.

• Review your observation notes and assessment answers from your site analysis. For any significant finding, use the following formula to identify potential design responses:
  • Existing site condition→ Design opportunity→ Potential solution
  • For example:
    • Wet area in back corner→ Water-loving habitat zone→ Rain garden with native species OR regrade to eliminate low area and water accumulation
    • A lot of road noise→ Sound buffer→ Layered hedge, rustling ornamental grasses, and/or a water feature
    • Big shady tree→ Cool retreat on hot days→ Pleasant seating area beneath the canopy and/or woodland shade garden
  • Don’t get bogged down in this process; the goal is to start to see the potential in your landscape and to get your creative brain firing.

2. Select Your Preferred Features

Keeping your vision, goals, site analysis, and the opportunities you just identified in mind, choose features you want to include from each of the following categories.

• Make notes about where you imagine the features will go or why you’ve included them (“patio and dining area connected to back door” or “full sun area = vegetable garden”), but don’t get bogged down in specifics. You’ll figure out potential layouts in the next design stage.