Free sample design
Cottage garden, full sun, zone 8
This is a real design package for an example yard. For $29.99, you get the same for your own yard.
All 3 concepts in this package. Tap one to see its full plan.
Calm and foliage-first: fewer kinds of plants in bold, flowing sweeps of grasses and evergreens, in greens and silvers with white accents.
🌿 Plant list
- Dune Sedge Carex pansa ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Verbena 'Homestead Purple' (Glandularia canadensis 'Homestead Purple') or Lamb's Ear (Stachys byzantina). ×5
- Japanese Holly Ilex crenata ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Indian Hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis indica) or Glossy Abelia (Abelia x grandiflora). ×3
- Leyland Cypress Cupressus x leylandii ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) or Southern Live Oak (Quercus virginiana). ×1
- Peach-Leaved Bellflower Campanula persicifolia ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) or Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata). ×5
- Shasta Daisy Leucanthemum x superbum ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Culver's Root (Veronicastrum virginicum) or Blazing Star (Liatris spicata). ×5
💧 Care list
Watering and feeding for each plant. With your own design you also get weekly care emails and a Companion to ask questions.
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Japanese Holly
For the first growing season, water deeply about twice weekly, checking first and watering only when the top 1–2 inches of soil have dried. Once established, water during dry spells, typically every 7–14 days without soaking rain, keeping the root zone moist but never waterlogged. Fertilize lightly in early spring with a slow-release fertilizer labeled for acid-loving shrubs, following the label rate.
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Peach-Leaved Bellflower
For the first 6–8 weeks after planting, water thoroughly every 2–3 days as needed to keep the root zone evenly moist, not soggy. Once established, provide about 1 inch of water weekly from rainfall and irrigation during active growth, checking more often during hot, dry weather. Apply a light dose of balanced, slow-release flower fertilizer in early spring at the label rate; avoid heavy feeding.
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Leyland Cypress
During the first growing season, water deeply once or twice weekly as the upper few inches of soil dry; continue supplemental watering through dry spells in the second growing season. Once established, water deeply during prolonged drought rather than on a fixed schedule, allowing the soil to dry somewhat between soakings. Routine fertilizer is usually unnecessary; if growth is weak and a soil test indicates a nutrient shortage, apply a slow-release tree fertilizer in early spring at the label rate.
…and 3 more.
📐 Planting Plan (overhead view)
Every plant in this design on one plan, seen from above. Each circle is one plant; the number tells you which plant it is (see the key below).
- 1 Leyland Cypress ×1
- 2 Japanese Holly ×3
- 3 Peach-Leaved Bellflower ×5
- 4 Shasta Daisy ×5
- 5 Dune Sedge ×5
🌱 Watch It Grow
🛒 Shopping list
Every design comes with a printable shopping list like this one.
🌿 Plants
| Plant | Qty | Size to buy | Rough cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dune Sedge Carex pansa ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Verbena 'Homestead Purple' (Glandularia canadensis 'Homestead Purple') or Lamb's Ear (Stachys byzantina). | 5 | 4-inch pot or flat | $30–$60 $6–$12 each | |
| Japanese Holly Ilex crenata ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Indian Hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis indica) or Glossy Abelia (Abelia x grandiflora). | 3 | 3-gallon pot | $105–$210 $35–$70 each | |
| Leyland Cypress Cupressus x leylandii ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) or Southern Live Oak (Quercus virginiana). | 1 | 15-gallon pot | $250–$500 $250–$500 each | |
| Peach-Leaved Bellflower Campanula persicifolia ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) or Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata). | 5 | 1-gallon pot | $40–$90 $8–$18 each | |
| Shasta Daisy Leucanthemum x superbum ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Culver's Root (Veronicastrum virginicum) or Blazing Star (Liatris spicata). | 5 | 1-gallon pot | $40–$90 $8–$18 each | |
| Plants subtotal | $465–$950 | |||
🧰 Supplies
| Item | How much | Rough cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mulch: natural brown pine bark A 3-inch layer over about 80 square feet of bed. | 10 bags (2 cubic feet each) | $40–$70 | |
| Compost or garden soil About an inch worked into the beds, plus a scoop in each planting hole. | 7 bags (1 cubic foot each) | $42–$70 | |
| Steel garden edging Along the front of the beds where they meet the lawn. | 30 feet | $90–$180 | |
| Tree stake kit One per new tree, for its first year or two. | 1 kit | $15–$25 | |
| Slow-release fertilizer For the spring feeding of the trees and shrubs. | 1 bag | $15–$25 | |
| Supplies subtotal | $202–$370 | ||
Soaker hose (50 feet, $20–$40): Optional, but it makes the first weeks of watering much easier.
Prices are rough US estimates, not quotes. They vary by region, store and season, so expect to pay more at a specialty nursery and less at a big-box store or end-of-season sale. Amounts of mulch, compost and edging are worked out from about 80 square feet of bed; measure your beds to fine-tune them.
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