Free sample design
Modern garden, partial sun, zone 6
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
- Adam's Needle Yucca Yucca filamentosa ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium) or Ironweed 'Iron Butterfly' (Vernonia lettermannii 'Iron Butterfly'). ×5
- Blue Oat Grass Helictotrichon sempervirens ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) or Red Switchgrass 'Shenandoah' (Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah'). ×5
- Creeping Juniper Juniperus horizontalis ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Japanese Garden Juniper (Juniperus procumbens 'Nana') or Shore Juniper 'Blue Pacific' (Juniperus conferta 'Blue Pacific'). ×5
- Smokebush Cotinus coggygria ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Spartan Juniper (Juniperus chinensis 'Spartan') or Blackhaw Viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium). ×3
- Thornless Honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Kentucky Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus) or Red Maple (Acer rubrum). ×1
💧 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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Thornless Honeylocust
For the first two growing seasons, water deeply once or twice weekly during dry weather, checking that the upper 2–3 inches of soil have begun to dry before watering again. Once established, thornless honeylocust generally needs supplemental watering only during prolonged drought, with a deep soaking every 2–3 weeks without substantial rain. Fertilizer is rarely necessary; apply a slow-release tree fertilizer in early spring only if a soil test indicates a nutrient deficiency.
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Smokebush
During the first growing season, water deeply about once weekly without adequate rain, allowing the upper 2–3 inches of soil to dry between soakings. Established smokebush tolerates dry conditions and usually needs watering only during extended drought, roughly every 2–3 weeks. It rarely needs fertilizer; avoid routine feeding, and use a light application of balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring only if growth is weak and a soil test supports feeding.
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Adam's Needle Yucca
For the first 2–3 months after planting, check the soil weekly and water thoroughly only when the upper several inches have dried, letting excess water drain freely. Once established, Adam’s needle yucca usually needs no supplemental water except during prolonged drought; avoid keeping its root zone consistently moist. Fertilizer is rarely needed, so skip routine feeding.
…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 Thornless Honeylocust ×1
- 2 Smokebush ×3
- 3 Blue Oat Grass ×5
- 4 Adam's Needle Yucca ×5
- 5 Creeping Juniper ×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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam's Needle Yucca Yucca filamentosa ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium) or Ironweed 'Iron Butterfly' (Vernonia lettermannii 'Iron Butterfly'). | 5 | 1-gallon pot | $40–$90 $8–$18 each | |
| Blue Oat Grass Helictotrichon sempervirens ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) or Red Switchgrass 'Shenandoah' (Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah'). | 5 | 1-gallon pot | $50–$100 $10–$20 each | |
| Creeping Juniper Juniperus horizontalis ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Japanese Garden Juniper (Juniperus procumbens 'Nana') or Shore Juniper 'Blue Pacific' (Juniperus conferta 'Blue Pacific'). | 5 | 4-inch pot or flat | $30–$60 $6–$12 each | |
| Smokebush Cotinus coggygria ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Spartan Juniper (Juniperus chinensis 'Spartan') or Blackhaw Viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium). | 3 | 5-gallon pot | $180–$360 $60–$120 each | |
| Thornless Honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis ↻ Can't find it? Ask for Kentucky Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus) or Red Maple (Acer rubrum). | 1 | 15-gallon pot | $250–$500 $250–$500 each | |
| Plants subtotal | $550–$1,110 | |||
🧰 Supplies
| Item | How much | Rough cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mulch: natural brown pine bark A 3-inch layer over about 90 square feet of bed. | 12 bags (2 cubic feet each) | $48–$84 | |
| Compost or garden soil About an inch worked into the beds, plus a scoop in each planting hole. | 8 bags (1 cubic foot each) | $48–$80 | |
| 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 | $216–$394 | ||
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 90 square feet of bed; measure your beds to fine-tune them.
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