Shady Beside-the-Driveway Garden

A Client Design for Illinois

A custom shade-lovers garden plan ordered as a Mother’s Day present.

A Gifted Garden Design

Five years ago, I was contacted by a young man who was interested in getting his mother a special gift—a new garden plan. After talking with him about what he thought would be most helpful, his mother and I corresponded about the issues and hopes she had for her little shady side yard in Moline, IL.

“This is the only area in the yard where I have a shot at flowers. My children gave me ‘you’ for Mother’s Day! You corresponded with my son…

I like to work in the garden. I use the garden for the beauty of viewing.”

Join me today for an more in-depth look at my design process, including six steps, and get the full planting list for this lovely shade garden design!

My desk during the inking-by-hand stage of my design process.

Problems Solved

One of the parts of my job that excites me the most is getting to help people solve the little problems that tend to pile up in a garden. I am a natural helper and love a puzzle, so I really enjoy asking questions of my clients so that we can clarify exactly what will help them most and then working together to find a unique plan for their issues.

In this case, Lori (the mother) let me know about the issues that were most concerning to her, most of which are very common problems!

Problems: “Deer, Shade, Not enough flowers or unsatisfying plantings, No interesting views from windows for the winter months.”

Then we started the design process to find some workable solutions. Ultimately, we arrived on a plan.

Solution: I created a series of shade-loving perennial mixed borders with year-round interest, plus a strong design that includes an arbor to the backyard and a pergola for sitting.

Julie Witmer Garden Design & Coaching

Step One: A Custom Plant List

After researching the site and talking with the client about what they prefer, one of the first steps in my design process is getting to the joy of plants! I create a custom plant list for each client I work with on an online mood board via Pinterest. This way, my clients can have a high quality collection of plant photos, buying sources, and information, all in a collaborative list.