“I Need a Plan: Envisioning Your Garden”

Do you envision a garden full of dramatic shapes and colors like
 those found in the Terrace Gardens? Duke Gardens'"I Need a Plan"
series can help you make it happen (photo by K. Webbink).

By Sarah Leach Smith
Duke Gardens photos by Karen Webbink
Additional photos courtesy of Suzanne Edney

Are you intimidated by the term “landscape design?” You don’t have to be! Our upcoming “Envisioning Your Garden” class, part of the “I Need a Plan: Garden Fundamentals” program, will boost your confidence and inspire the DIY-er in you to start designing!

We are excited to introduce to you the teacher of this great class, landscape designer Suzanne Edney. Suzanne has been teaching since 1969 and has incorporated her passion for teaching into her business, Custom Landscapes: Landscape Design for Do-It-Yourselfers.

Landscape designer & instructor Suzanne Edney

“My mission is to design for homeowners’ needs and desires and to present opportunities for them to incorporate practical and easy techniques into their gardening practices,” Edney says.

Edney’s business mission makes her the perfect person to teach this class and help YOU envision your own garden design plan, whether your hope is to attract butterflies, create sculptural borders, grow food to eat, or tackle a challenging topography.

Would waves of pink muhly grass look great
in your landscape?

Perhaps your dream is to design a garden
to serve creatures great and small, like in the
Blomquist's Wildlife Garden.

Or maybe you aspire to grow vegetables....

...or build a dreamscape for butterflies. 

We recently talked with Edney about landscape planning and her goals for this class.

Q: What are the benefits of having a landscape design?

A: Landscape planning is very much like creating a floor plan for building a home. Most homeowners now realize the endless choices and potentials for use of their entire properties beyond the four walls of their houses, but they may feel unqualified to put the pieces of the puzzle together to allow them to make informed and cost effective decisions. Luckily, they have been exposed to the previously mysterious world of designers through TV and the Internet and realize the value of design plans.

Q: What can we expect from your “Envisioning Your Garden” class?

A: I will be explaining the design process from beginning to end to allow people to move forward with a viable landscape design for their property. Students can choose to elect designing ideas for either a front or back and will learn how to evaluate their space and begin the design process.

Below are some examples of Edney's garden designs.

An inspiring after & before comparison

Dry streambed drainage

A front courtyard

An attractive approach to a gravel driveway

A mountain slope garden

There are still spots available in this class, which is sure to be informative and inspiring. For more information, visit our website. If you would like to register for this class, please call our registrar at 919-668-1707. Embrace your inner DIY!