Well after our eye-opening midterm presentation our wise and wonderful professors reminded the Lot group of our origional purpose!
Our origional assignment was to remodel the Wildflower Garden and get all of the supplies ready for next semesters group!
So with a new determination the group set to creating ideas for the new design for the garden. The origional design, although well thought out and extremely appealing did have a few flaws, which needed to be addressed. These were the paths which weren’t wide enough for more then one person at a time, and the fact that the garden got a bit our of hand over the summer.
With these factors in mind, and the Wildflower Group’s Legacy Report in hand we got to work!
Our first design was very similar to one the past group had considered.
It’s a simple design which utilizes the square-foot gardening concept which the last group decided to use. The paths are nice and wide and we decided to incorporate a sitting area in the center of the lot which we believe would encourage the use of the area.
Our second design took into consideration the shape of the “cap” we were considering placing on the birdhouse pole.
This design created more beds which could be planted, in a more defined way. It also also allowed for a pathway to the Green House which is currently being researched and priced by our Green House Team. We also decided that planting some trees along the back of the lot will give the area more of a private feeling. It was suggested that we use fruit bearing trees.
Our Third Design used the idea of concentric circles for the design with one very wide pathway leading into the area.
Our group thought that this design was an effective example of the square-foot gardening concept. We also believed that it would allow us to plant all the types of plants which the Wildflower Group proved would thrive! We believe that with the mulch which already covers the lot, we would already have a jump on keeping those pesky weeds down!
After consulting with our professors, it was suggested that we also consider a more organic design for planting. Making the height of the plants the key element in suggesting where they would be placed. Our fourth design is an example of this.
Using the idea of the different lengths of grass on a golf course the group created a design which uses the heights of the plants to create visual interest in the lot. This design makes would make the viewer believe that the lot itself is not flat, but has small hills and valleys in it.
These are just a few ideas which we have come up with. We are still researching which plants would be best suited to our area, as well as those which are self-sufficient for the most part. We have come a long way, but we can’t see the finish line yet!
