Читать книгу Landscaping For Dummies - Lance Walheim - Страница 36

You may already have thought about what friends and family intend to do in the yard — picnicking, socializing, growing tomatoes, playing, and so on — but you may also want to think about how you and your family move through your yard.

Your list of outdoor wants and needs — eating, playing, sitting — is a lot simpler to divvy up when spaces are already separate, thanks to the geography of the yard and house. Chances are, you already know where the best patch of lawn is for that pitch-and-catch area you need. You also know the most discreet place to stash the compost pile. You know which neighbor will hate having to see your dog’s kennel or run from their bedroom window and which one will sneak your pup a treat when they’re outside. You know where the sun beats down on late summer afternoons — perfect for an herb garden — and where the neighbor’s oak tree casts a cool pool of shade for those patio cookouts that you can’t wait to indulge in.

As you begin to get an idea of where the best places are for all the things on your wish list, stroll around and figure out the routes that will get you and others from one area to the next. As you begin fiddling with potential pathways, you may discover that they can make your garden seem bigger. Obscured by shrubs, ornamental grasses, or other tall plants, paths can double back, twist and turn, and run along for much longer than you may think in a limited space. (Chapter 7 is chock-full of information on designing and building pathways.)

If you’re having trouble visualizing your paths, try this quick trick: sprinkle a biodegradable path of flour or oatmeal through your yard. You can see in a minute whether your path design works.