Three worked garden plans, generated by the planner

These are not mood boards: they are the planner's real output for three yards, with the inputs, bed areas, plant counts and planting order. The same inputs on the planner produce the same plan, so you can change one value and watch what moves.

Prices are deliberately absent. Nursery prices change by size, cultivar and region; the honest number is your local price × the counts below.

Cottage backyard, 20 × 30 ft

Layout: patio about 120 sq ft, path 4 ft wide, 3 planted beds totalling 168 sq ft — Back border (part, 108 sq ft), Left border (full, 30 sq ft), Right border (full, 30 sq ft).

Planting list: 11 species, 90 plants in total. Counts are bed area ÷ spacing², rounded.

Planting order from the plan

1. Call 811 (or your national equivalent) a few working days before digging, then mark beds, patio and path with string or marking paint using the dimensions on the plan.
2. Build hardscape first: patio 120 sq ft, path 8.4 ft long × 4 ft wide (34 sq ft). Gravel or base at 3 in deep ≈ 0.3 cu yd for the path.
3. Prepare beds (168 sq ft total): remove turf, loosen soil and work in 2–3 in of compost ≈ 1–1.6 cu yd. A soil test from your local extension service tells you what else is needed.
4. Place the focal feature in the centre of the back border so the path leads the eye to it.
5. Shrubs and large grasses next. In zone 6, plant in spring after the soil can be worked, or in early autumn at least 6 weeks before the ground freezes.
6. Perennials in spring after your average last frost, or early autumn. Set them at the spacing in the plant list (measured centre to centre) and in groups, not single plants.
7. Edging and groundcovers along the front of each bed last, so they aren't trampled during planting.
8. Water new plantings deeply, about 1 in per week, through the first growing season unless rain covers it. Then mulch beds 2–3 in deep (≈ 1.6 cu yd), keeping mulch off stems and trunks.

What to change first: the exposure assumption. Drop to part sun and the plant list changes more than any other input. Cost is not shown because nursery prices vary by size and region; multiply counts by the pot size you actually buy.

Native garden, 40 × 60 ft

Layout: patio about 192 sq ft, path 4 ft wide, 3 planted beds totalling 789 sq ft — Back border (full, 432 sq ft), Left border (part, 179 sq ft), Right border (part, 179 sq ft).

Planting list: 12 species, 240 plants in total. Counts are bed area ÷ spacing², rounded.

Planting order from the plan

1. Call 811 (or your national equivalent) a few working days before digging, then mark beds, patio and path with string or marking paint using the dimensions on the plan.
2. Build hardscape first: patio 192 sq ft, path 24.8 ft long × 4 ft wide (99 sq ft). Gravel or base at 3 in deep ≈ 0.9 cu yd for the path.
3. Prepare beds (789 sq ft total): remove turf, loosen soil and work in 2–3 in of compost ≈ 4.9–7.3 cu yd. A soil test from your local extension service tells you what else is needed.
4. Plant the focal Desert willow first in the centre of the back border; keep it at least half its mature spread (7.5 ft) from fences and buildings.
5. Shrubs and large grasses next. In zone 7, autumn through early winter is usually the best time — roots grow while tops are dormant.
6. Perennials in spring after your average last frost, or early autumn. Set them at the spacing in the plant list (measured centre to centre) and in groups, not single plants.
7. Edging and groundcovers along the front of each bed last, so they aren't trampled during planting.
8. Water new plantings deeply, about 1 in per week, through the first growing season unless rain covers it. Then mulch beds 2–3 in deep (≈ 7.3 cu yd), keeping mulch off stems and trunks.

What to change first: the zone. One zone colder removes the tender species here and the relaxed matches show which substitutes the planner used. Cost is not shown because nursery prices vary by size and region; multiply counts by the pot size you actually buy.

Patio garden, 12 × 16 ft

Layout: patio about 80 sq ft, path 3 ft wide, 1 planted beds totalling 48 sq ft — Back border (part, 48 sq ft).

Planting list: 4 species, 25 plants in total. Counts are bed area ÷ spacing², rounded.

Planting order from the plan

1. Call 811 (or your national equivalent) a few working days before digging, then mark beds, patio and path with string or marking paint using the dimensions on the plan.
2. Build hardscape first: patio 80 sq ft, path 1 ft long × 3 ft wide (3 sq ft). Gravel or base at 3 in deep ≈ 0 cu yd for the path.
3. Prepare beds (48 sq ft total): remove turf, loosen soil and work in 2–3 in of compost ≈ 0.3–0.4 cu yd. A soil test from your local extension service tells you what else is needed.
4. Place the focal feature in the centre of the back border so the path leads the eye to it.
5. Shrubs and large grasses next. In zone 9, autumn through early winter is usually the best time — roots grow while tops are dormant.
6. Perennials in spring after your average last frost, or early autumn. Set them at the spacing in the plant list (measured centre to centre) and in groups, not single plants.
7. Edging and groundcovers along the front of each bed last, so they aren't trampled during planting.
8. Water new plantings deeply, about 1 in per week, through the first growing season unless rain covers it. Then mulch beds 2–3 in deep (≈ 0.4 cu yd), keeping mulch off stems and trunks.

What to change first: the exposure assumption. Drop to part sun and the plant list changes more than any other input. Cost is not shown because nursery prices vary by size and region; multiply counts by the pot size you actually buy.

What the three plans have in common

• Hardscape comes before plants: patio, then path, then beds.
• Plant counts come from mature spacing, not pot size.
• Every plant list is filtered by USDA zone and sun, then sorted by the style's mixing rule (repeat 3–5 of each, not one of everything).

Related: what to measure first · spacing chart · raised bed layout · render vs plan