1.3 acre to landscape

[Pil]

Hi all, I have about 1.3 acre to landscape. I also have a new art studio that was just complete spring day. I have already planted cannas and a few crocus.

[img]https://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u90/Pilanart/Landscaping%20yard/yardsforlandscaping2.jpg[/img]

the red areas are where cannas are already planted and the gray are is where the septic tank is.


[img]https://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u90/Pilanart/Landscaping%20yard/yardsforlandscaping1.jpg[/img]

the red area to the left around some boards laid out in the yard is where I would like to plant sunflowers and other flowering plants in full sun.

the black area is where the stone walkway will go and the red straight marks are where I have already planted tall growing cannas.

any help is appreciated for landscaping designs with plants, shrubs, trees, benches and or pots.

plants and flowers that come back everyyear is what I am looking for.

Thank you

[rainbowgardener]

I've never had such a big blank canvas to start with, but here's my first couple thoughts. Your studio is a very square box, with very prominent red outlined rectangles. I wouldn't make the walkway to it a straight line like that. Curves are much more natural looking. Try a nice gentle curve from where ever that path is starting from to the studio. Also your land is very flat and open. To give more interest, I would think about having a truck load of dirt brought in and build a mound or berm somewhere behind the sunflower bed. Extend your path from the studio around behind the mound. You want a garden to have some separate areas and not to all be visible at once, but have surprises to discover around the bend. Plant some hedge at the back of your property and put a gazebo or arbor or something between the berm and the hedge with seating area and path leading to it. And definitely plan for a water feature (small pond with fountain) somewhere. Adds so much more life to a garden.

[bullthistle]

I'd also spot some flowering trees here and there to bring down the height of the building so after a long winter going to "work" you can see Mother Nature at work.

[!potatoes!]

a birds-eye-view can be pretty helpful, especially for such a big, blank, canvas...you might be able to get a google-maps (or similar) satelitte image to work with, having a full top-down map has helped me quite a bit with landscaping layout...

as far as specific plants go, I'd just like to remind that there are a lot of very attractive plants, trees/shrubs/perennials, that produce food as well as look nice. can't be a bad thing to feed the body as well as the eyes...