Southern CA, zone 10a. So we ripped out our front lawn manually and got a giant chipdrop delivery which we spread out about 6 inches thick on the bare dirt! Really just started on impulse without a clear design layout after scrolling here for months and admiring everyone’s beautiful no lawn setups. My dream is to have a pollinator friendly, cottage style native plants garden, maybe with some stepping stone pathways throughout. But when it comes to design I suddenly feel stuck and have no idea how to choose plants and lay them out in a way that looks good. I feel totally paralyzed because the area is so big i don’t know where to start! Do I space them evenly out with a lot of blank space, put tall plants in the back, use rocks? So scared of messing it up. Would love any and all advice, inspiration, ideas and photos of similar setups! Please be kind I’m a total beginner 🙂
by rw7216
3 Comments
Start with trees, looking for what grows well in the neighborhood and locating them according to where you want shade. Then put down your paths and shrubs. After that,fill in decoratively. Congrats! The results will be great.
Pinterest has lots of inspiration pictures.
Check out Dig, Plant, Water, Repeat on YouTube – she’s in Northern California and [started her garden from scratch about two years ago](https://youtu.be/80ZmocsDjfs?si=IjzhqoYOSGk-oLWF), going for the look you’re describing (not focusing on natives, but you can get the vibes). The videos with her landscape design consultations and plans might be helpful to you
– [landscape design consultation](https://youtu.be/6AqbQ9YQyEA?si=LHAQEB14nf62Xdga)
– [landscape design plans](https://youtu.be/PMobxQaw_YE?si=eylWfI-4nQhOIsTz)
– [landscape design update](https://youtu.be/-cOX3T8ekp0?si=6QDtsfY2N88p0FtN)
And just watching some of her monthly garden tours might be motivational.
Exciting project starting with a blank slate! Hope you post updates
I’d start with some native ground cover, and then maybe add an avocado tree or two.