The eight planting zones
Maps are north-up: Garden Way runs along the bottom (south) edge, the driveway is on the west (left), the pool is behind the house to the north.
| Zone | Location | Brief | Sun | Deer | Approx. area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | West side of the front yard, adjacent to the driveway | Street-facing ornamental fruit tree(s) backed by a deer-resistant berry shrub border. | Full sun unless blocked by a tree | high | 23 sq ft |
| Owner's instruction: One, maybe two, fruit trees can go here (maybe one by the street and one by the house) surrounded by deer resistant berry bushes - or have a sufficient deer resistant border to prevent / reduce browsing. The street-facing size of Zone A should be ornamental, the north side of Zone A facing the house does not need to be ornamental; possibly an Asian pear could go on the south side of Zone A in at least one of the design drafts. | |||||
| B | Front yard immediately to the east side of the stairs that lead towards the house | One showpiece shrub ringed by drought-tolerant, deer-resistant ornamentals. | Full sun unless blocked by a tree | high | 7 sq ft |
| Owner's instruction: Ornamental section with some nice flowers and maybe one show piece of a shrub, possibly a goumi berry, carolina allspice or something else; needs to stand up to deer pressure; can have lots of ornamental, drought tolerant, deer resistant companion plants around a main bush/shrub. | |||||
| C | Adjacent to the front porch, parked between the walkway to the front door and Zone A | Kitchen-adjacent berry bushes with culinary herbs and ornamentals within easy reach of the porch. | Full sun unless blocked by a tree | high | 8 sq ft |
| Owner's instruction: This should be ornamental and deer resistant with a berry bush or two in the middle, surrounded by ornamental companion plants and culinary herbs (since it's close to the house and easy to reach). | |||||
| D | Adjacent to the front of the house | Long-bloom ornamental border along the house face; one 10-12 ft feature plant between the windows and a small ornamental tree at the east end. | Full sun unless blocked by a tree | high | 17 sq ft |
| Owner's instruction: This should be ornamental with an extended bloom season when taken as a whole; some shrubs/bushes can be tucked behind a row(s) of deer resistant companion plants, herbs, and/or flowers. Possibly, there can be one 10-12' or so plant between the two windows (could a Chicago Hardy Fig go here?); the furthest east part of this zone could also have a small tree, maybe a serviceberry or something else not too big, but ornate. | |||||
| E | Adjacent to the east side of the house | Thorny gooseberry row plus partial-shade woodland perennials and groundcovers. | Partial sun | high | 13 sq ft |
| Owner's instruction: Maybe a row of gooseberries (thorns) could go here; doesn't matter if it's ornamental; perhaps this is partial sun; any other plants that thrive in partial sun could be considered in this zone. | |||||
| F | North-east backyard (behind and east of the house, near the pool's east side) | 2-3 full-size fruit trees (15-25 ft) in the north-east backyard. | Full sun unless blocked by a tree | medium | 19 sq ft |
| Owner's instruction: Plant 2-3 fruit bearing trees (15-25' height) in this spot - assume the two large backyard trees are removed. | |||||
| G | Rear (north) boundary of the property | Lowest-priority rear boundary: optional asparagus bed / perennial strip, otherwise left as lawn. | Full sun unless blocked by a tree | medium | 29 sq ft |
| Owner's instruction: Lowest priority zone; currently grass. Possibly asparagus here, otherwise can remain lawn. | |||||
| H | North-west backyard (behind and west of the house, near the pool's west side) | 2-3 full-size fruit trees (15-25 ft) in the north-west backyard. | Full sun unless blocked by a tree | medium | 27 sq ft |
| Owner's instruction: Plant 2-3 fruit bearing trees (15-25' height) in this spot - assume the two large backyard trees are removed. | |||||
Working assumptions
- The two large backyard trees (one either side of the pool) are assumed removed, so Zones F and H can each carry 2-3 fruit trees.
- Existing landscaping and existing front-yard trees/shrubs are assumed taken down; the planting areas are largely the same footprints as the existing beds.
- Temporary deer fencing is assumed around all zones while plants establish.
- Zones A-E are held to high deer resistance; interior plantings may be protected by casual browsing pressure from the deer-resistant border.
- Low-maintenance species are preferred; some watering in the first few years is assumed.
- Organic installation methods assumed; no synthetic herbicides or fertilisers in the plan.