If you don't get excited about planning next year's garden, you're doing it wrong. Of course, picking out new varieties and plants to try is fun (should I try the San Marzano or the Roma tomatoes for sauce this year?). But, eventually, everything we purchase needs to fit in somewhere. Grab a pencil, and let's start with the planning and design, or in my case, the try-to-fit-everything-in phase.

Physical Considerations

A few basics are widely covered but nonetheless important when planning and laying out a garden. Think of them as more physical characteristics or factors. They really do merit a lot of attention because, similar to real estate, location is of high importance. Simple factors like the amount of sunshine, drainage, position in the landscape (if your yard is not flat), proximity to roads (salt spray), alleys (dust), and ag fields (possible herbicide drift) can all spell doom if not considered.

However, other physical factors are often overlooked when planning a garden. These could be called convenience factors. 

Distance to water

How will you get water to your garden? The common answer is a garden hose, which is perfectly fine for short distances. But, placing the garden at the back of the yard and needing 100' of hose to reach it means a huge pressure loss and lower flow rate. You'll need a bigger hose, or it will take longer to apply irrigation water. I also find the likelihood of mowing my garden hose is directly proportional to how long it is, especially if I let the grass get a bit long.

Gates and Access

Gardens may be fenced for aesthetic and privacy reasons or to keep critters out. Either way, the location of the gates, how wide they are, and the location of the paths in the garden relative to the gates will be important later on. An immediate 90-degree turn after passing through a gate can be hard to navigate with a fully loaded wheelbarrow. Walking a tortuous path around wonderful garden beds while carrying the trash to the bins is not ideal. 

Access can also mean the ease of hauling materials and removing them. When planning new garden beds or an entirely new garden, consider whether you'll be having deliveries made at a later date. Topsoil, compost, rocks, timbers for framing raised beds, and mulch can all be easy or hard to get to the right spot, depending on access. I've moved 20 yards of topsoil from the front to the back of the house by the shovel and wheelbarrow method—I had put a small perennial bed in the only place a dump truck could get through. It was a great exercise, but it could have been easier with some proper garden access planned out ahead of time.

Underground

Get the location of underground utilities marked (call the Diggers' Hotline, 811 is the nationwide number to call before you dig, or contact your local utility company), septic or sewer lines, cable, power, telephone, or fiber optic. 

Snow

If you live where snow removal is an annual affair, consider where the plow piles get pushed. You don't want to build a raised bed only to have it mauled by the plow. Snowplow piles are often pushed some distance from the driveway or parking area. 

Functional Considerations

Many of us start out with a veggie garden and a pack of zinnia seeds. And that's where some of us stay. But, even veggie-only gardens can benefit from some thought given to planning and design. Crops that need frequent attention or harvesting should be in easy-to-reach locations. Tuck plants with lower access needs further back in the bed. I keep cherry tomatoes handy at the edges and corners of the beds for easy harvesting and grabbing a snack as I roam around in the garden. The cauliflower doesn't need to be where I can easily reach it. 

Gardeners want veggies or herbs, fruit, flowers for cutting, wish to create habitat for native pollinators, a spot to loaf or rest, or most commonly, some of all these. A garden should fit its owner's desires like a comfortable shoe. Take some time to make a list of what you want from a garden, and then plan those functions into your design. 

Grow What Brings You Joy

Of course, the advice of growing what you enjoy, whether flowers or vegetables, is timeless. I've met gardeners who grew lettuce every year even though no one in their house liked salad. That said, growing plants just to watch them is perfectly valid. I grow huge collard greens because I like how they look–I rarely eat them. 

With limited space, a bit of planning time factoring your likes and desired uses maximizes the garden space and enjoyment. You may love tomato sauce but have zero interest in making it yourself. In that case, skip the three big rows of tomatoes and plant something you would like to bring into the kitchen, like potatoes, greens, beans, peas, or even three big rows of sunflowers. 

Native Species

Many gardeners enjoy planting only native species and cultivars of native species in their gardens. The benefits to pollinators and wildlife are undeniable. A patch of buzzing native bee species is lovely to behold and is a great spot to plop in a lounge chair and grab a nap. 

Most of our kitchen veggies are not native, but many require the pollinating of all those beautiful insects found in your native plant garden. Plan the two sections of garden near each other to take advantage of beneficial insects and the habitat native plants provide. 

A Quiet Spot

My garden is my quiet spot where I unwind and relax at the end of the day, although I'm often in it throughout the day as well, weeding, wandering, taking pictures, weeding again, etc. If you're after a bit of quiet and meditation-level privacy and solitude, a garden is the perfect place to find it, even in a backyard in town.

Consider a combination of shorter and taller plants to provide a wall of living plants for visual screening. Vines growing up a trellis can transform a garage wall into a beautiful green backdrop. Sunflowers, strawflowers, and zinnias make a quick and easy bed of annual plants that will effectively wall out the world. They are easily and inexpensively grown from seed. Cap it off with a spot to sit, sunny or shady, depending on your preference. 

A quiet "garden room" created by plants should have an entrance that doesn't face the street or other sources of prying eyes to make it feel more private and secure. 

Designing

Every garden should reflect the interests and likes of its owners. Whether you like neat lines and formal beds with everything in their place or the less tamed and more carefree color and flow of a cottage garden, make it yours. Will a sprawling pumpkin vine cause distress, or do you find it enchanting? Would you like your onions in rows or a patch here and there? Of course, the beauty of gardening is you can always change it up. Here are a few more tips for designing your garden. 

The view from other angles

Consider not only how the garden will look from the inside but also from other areas, such as the deck, the kitchen window, or the front walk. Spacing between plants or features and the space they take up themselves is an important consideration. A bed of uniformly tall or short flowers isn't as interesting as a bed of varied heights, clumps, and mounds. 

Create a mockup

After generating a few ideas and writing them down, it can be immensely helpful to head outside with some stakes and string. Create as accurate a mockup as you can. Use a borrowed trash bin to simulate a large shrub. Layout beds and paths. Think about access. Grab your wheelbarrow or wagon and test drive it in the proposed layout. Does it make the corner? Don't rush this step. 

Often, our best ideas come not in the initial rough draft but in the revisions. Leave the string and stakes up for a week, wandering in it for a few minutes a day. You may find some good ideas pop up once you see the plan on the ground, not just on paper.

Spend extra time on the paths

Paths are the unsung and underappreciated workhorses in the garden. They provide access and are the vantage point from which we view our handiwork and that of Nature. If you distill it down, the physical form of a garden is defined by its paths and beds, and what isn't one is typically the other. 

Many gardens are built on a budget, with features added over time. You may begin with simple mown grass paths and then add hard paving with bricks or stones to more heavily traveled areas. Paths may meander, or you may like the order of regularly lain-out beds and access for functionality. 

Trees and hedges

Don't ignore the idea of trees in a garden. While many of us are hungry for all the sunshine we can get due to too many trees, others are stuck with an expanse of flat, shadeless terrain. Adding a couple small, ornamental trees can be just the thing to break up the featureless flatness and provide some structure. 

Perhaps my favorite feature in a garden is the hedge or fence, which provides privacy and a sense of stepping into a different world. Outside, there is bustle and busy careers, cares, bills, and required engagements. Inside the garden, past the gate and down the path, is different. Hedges can fit even in smaller spaces, and create an entirely different experience.