Landscaping Class #3

Last night was class #3 of 4 in Brokklyn Botanical Garden's "All About the Space". Homework had been working up to concept sketches for your space. Lsat week Jim had suggeste the diagonal approach. I worked on that one first and it went together very easily. Still hard to balance what you want to have with where you can put it when you figure in sun/shade, poor soil, shallow tree roots, proximity to house, view etc etc.
I struggled to come up with a 2nd concept sketch, worked hard, drew furiously and ended up with an almost carbon copy of the first concept. Oops.
yesterday morning I got to work early and taped the drawings to my desk so that anytime I got an idea I could just swing over and do it. And I came up with a good 2nd concept: more "woodland", work the patio area to combine with the screened-in porch as a unit etc.
At last night's class we each got time one-on-one with Joan and Jim individually where we explained our 2 concepts and then picked them apart. I had Jim first - he liked both of my concepts but preferred the one with more woodland as having a more natural feel. He made some good suggestions such as looking to move the currently centred door on the porch to another location to open up space in the porch and to then work on a third concept that worked on shapes (focussing on a shape for the lawn rather than just have what's left as lawn) and to fill in activities afterwards.
This I worked on while waiting for Joan. She too liked the woodlandy, more natural concept and pointed out that my "shapes" concept drawing was quite similar in basis to the woodland layout.
There's still some work to do to work out the side of the garden that gets the sun as certain things can only go on that side and the layouts weren't working (flower beds, veg areas/beds, pond? etc). Joan is keen to hack down the ash? on the eastern border as it throws shade on the sunny edge but i don;t remember it having hard shade so I would rather keep it as there is no other tree on that side.
Next week is the last class - we each get to present our concept sketches/layouts and resources/ideas/vision and then the group discusses/helps etc.
I have to do some research and work on my layout for the sunny side of the garden.

It was a good evening and my drawing really progressed.