Landscaping Your Yard: Where to Start?

Would you like to improve the landscape design of your yard and property?  Where do you start?
I’m not much of a planner and this lack of forethought is reflected in my gardening style. My flower beds are in a constant state of change depending on what new plants I acquire each season. Many are planted and moved several times before they land in a suitable spot or die. To avoid making the same mistakes that I do, let’s see what the experts have to say.

It Starts With a Plan

If you were to hire a professional landscape designer, one of the first things he/she would do is draw up a plot survey of your property, including your backyard and front yard. This is something you can easily do yourself.

• Draw a birdseye view of your property noting the placement of all the manmade features—called hardscape—such as buildings, fences, driveways, stonewalls,etc.  Boulders, trees, and large shrubs combine with your hardscape to form the “bones” of your landscape.
• Using graph paper helps but you don’t have to agonize over exact measurements, a sketch that is roughly in proportion will be fine.
• Make sure to include the location of your well, septic system, or any buried utility lines. Orient your lot on the compass and note where your sunny and shady spots are.

Making a Wish List

Once you know what you’ve got you can move on to making a list of what you’d like. How do you want your garden to look? Start with a few general goals. For example:

• Do you want privacy for a patio area?
• Do you want to screen an ugly view>
• Is your top priority curb appeal/resale or a more private (patio) display?

If you already have flower beds: Note the successful plants and fill in the blanks with the colors, heights, foliage, and bloom time you need to get the desired look. This will help guide you when you are plant shopping. If you know that your garden lacks color after July 4th, you can limit your choices to later blossoming plants instead of buying more spring bloomers.
Look around your neighborhood. What gardens do you like? Colors? Plant shapes and textures? Sizes?
Be sure to make the most of what you’ve got already. Don’t try to change a dry, rocky spot into a vegetable garden. Use it for a rock garden planted with alpines and sedums instead.

What is Your Style?

Your garden should complement your home’s architectural style. Gardening is just like decorating the inside of your house, but instead of fabrics, paint, and furniture you will be using color, texture, shape, size, and placement of plants to create a mood.http://www.almanac.com/blog/gardening/garden-journal/landscaping-your-yard-where-start?trk_msg=PH4ELIOB0PAK52TF2SB8UROQ0C&trk_contact=EEBLFVJ2I0VAQT9EM5JFVJAK9O&trk_sid=0GPKPQG0PM48H0VC9MBUN4PSRK&utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=Landscaping+Your+Yard%3a+Where+to+Start%3f+(title)&utm_campaign=Companion+Daily