Softscaping; Plant Selection and Layout

Softscaping is a commonly used term in the landscape industry that composes all the living parts of the landscape. There are many things that can be incorporated into a softscape, including annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, vines, and groundcovers. Some of the most important things to take into consideration when planning a softscape are climate, plant selection and plant layout. Using different plant arrangements and materials you can create a softscape that provides a beautiful show year round.


Knowing your sites existing condition is the first step to take when planning a softscape. Plants thrive in different growing conditions and it is extremely important to put the right plant in the right place so they flourish. Find out what kind of soil you have (clay, sand, loam) and the sun/shade conditions of your property. Depending on the plants you choose you may have to add soil amendments to improve existing soil conditions. It is always beneficial to add organic matter to your soil through composting and mulching.

Heres a video talking more about different soil amendmants:


Once you understand your site conditions I recommend going to your local nursery and look at the plant material they have. This will help you see the plant material available to your climate zone. Write down plants that interest you keeping in mind there final size, texture and bloom time.

Plant Selection -
Do not just look at the plants with the prettiest flowers when at the nursery! Some of the most fabulous blooms (rhododendron, magnolia) may only last up to 2 weeks. It is important to look at foliage textures and colors that work well together. You want to create a season long show in your garden so choosing plants that have contrasting bloom colors and different bloom times is important. Living in Canada our growing season is limited for certain plants. A basic rule that should be followed is that 60% of your budget goes towards coniferous shrubs and trees and the remaining 40% be used for perennials, deciduous trees and shrubs. This is so your landscape provides year round interest and doesn’t just go flat once all the perennials die. Using grasses is also a great way of adding winter interest!













The pictures above show the increase in plant size over the course of only three years!

Planting Styles-
There are many great garden styles to choose from that will influence your plant selection. Things that can influence your planting style are the structure of your house, existing or planned landscaping, personal preference and maintiance. With peoples increasingly busy schedules low maintenance gardens are becoming increasingly popular. Choosing the right plants can minimize maintenance; but remember these are low maintenance not no maintenance plants.

Plant Layout -
Always place your plants in the garden bed based on the final size they will reach. When planting a new garden it is important to allow three to five years for perennials to reach maturity. Your garden may look bare at first but be patient and give it time to fill in. This will save you money and time in the future because you won’t have to be removing over crowded plants.




This plant was planted to close to the house.

D-I-Y Landscape Design; A Personal Reflection

Allow your home and landscape to be a personal reflection of your favorite styles, concepts, colors and shapes. Coming up with the perfect design for your yard can be a difficult task. However at the end of the project, you will be leaving a personalized legacy in your yard for years to come. In this entry we will look at the steps you should follow when creating a landscape design.

Before putting pencil to paper, take a walk around your neighbourhood and go to your local garden/stone suppliers for inspiration. Bring a camera with you and take pictures of ideas, design and plants that catch your eye. Also pick up a few books or catalogs that you can look back at for ideas. Check out this video called "Principles of Landscape Design" to see how contrast, texture, color, scale, repetition and rhythm all play important roles when designing a landscape.

First thing you need is a site layout of your property. The property survey that came with your house is preferred since it shows property lines, utilities and is to scale. If you don’t have that you can do a simple sketch or computer drawing of your property.


Inventory - This is the first step of creating your design. Go around your home and take an inventory of existing site conditions. These can include: sun rise and set, wind, elevations/drainage, existing plants, heavy shade/sun, good and bad views, noise, soil conditions etc.


Analysis – This is where you look at you site conditions in your inventory and start to create very basic ideas for these spaces. The objective of this is not to put thought into the material or design of the space but just to allocate areas.







Program – Looking at the spaces you created in your analysis start to think of different ideas, structures and materials that could be used in this area. Do this in a chart form. Maybe planting a shade tree or building a shade structure in the sunny location or installing a type of screen or tree line to block out that bad view. The more ideas you can come up with for these spaces the better. Never limit yourself to a single idea; the more you put on paper the more you have to choose from.


Concept Plan – This is the stage where you start putting your ideas into a design. Reflect back on your program and begin to lay out how you want your spaces used and shapes for that area. You should begin laying out garden bed areas and where you want to see hardscapes or landscape features.



Planting Plan – Once you have a good idea where your hardscapes are going you can start choosing specific plants for the garden beds you laid out in the concept design. Look back at the inventory design to see lighting and soil conditions to ensure the plant is in the right growing conditions.


Master Plan – In this stage you will look to finalize garden bed shapes and the specific materials, patterns and layout of your hardscape structures. If your unsure of materials stop in at your local stone supplier and they usually have product guides and display that can help in your decision. Adding color is a nice finishing touch making the design much easier to read.




Creating beautiful designs takes many years to perfect. Take your time and use it as a reference when you start installing your landscape. Following these steps can help you create a realistic design and help you visualize your dream back yard before putting a shovel in the ground!

Here are some links that can help provide you with some inspiration. They will show you different styles and ideas that can be used in your landscape design:

Landscape Design Advisor

Home and Garden Landscaping

The Landscape Design Site

This is a very useful forum where you can ask questions regarding design, plants and installation: Landscape Design Forum

About Our Landscape

An attractive landscape can improve a family’s life in many ways. Your back yard can act as your own vacation spot to get away from today’s fast paced society. A well designed landscape can be used to entertain your friends, watch the kids play or a romantic evening. Using different materials your landscape can provide different sounds and smells while having a constantly changing picture every time you look out the window. It has been shown in studies that being able to see out doors at a natural landscape it can increase productivity at work and even helps recovering hospital patients. With some creativity and professional advice it can be very easy to create a back yard getaway that is a representation of you and your family.

Having a diverse landscape your adding aesthetic value to your house and at the same time you are helping the environment and the community around you. Plants help air quality conditions because they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen during photosynthesis. Plants and trees also create a place for many forms of wildlife to live. You will be able to watch and enjoy the presence of the different animals and birds in your backyard all year round.


Not only can your landscape create a place to relax it also increase your property value. According to Money magazine a landscape renovation can have 100%-200% recovery value compared to 75%-125% if you were to do a kitchen remodel. Having a beautiful landscape will increase curb appeal and attract more people when trying to sell your home. Using the proper plants can also reduce heating and cooling bills. During summer shade from one deciduous tree can reduce a homes cooling bills by up to 20%! Coniferous tree can be planted to block the cold NW winter winds resulting in lower heating costs.