Guide to Home Landscaping
Table of Contents
This smart guide to home landscaping explains how to landscape a yard and design a garden in simple steps. Every new gardener wonders how to be their own landscape designer.
Garden Planning
All good things begin with a plan. In order to be happy with your home landscaping results, it’s best to map things out in advance. This chapter will help to create a master plan and develop an overall landscape design.
Remember to make a plan that includes the following:
* Lot Boundaries
* Underground Utilities
* Overhead Wires
* Slopes
* Downspouts
* Puddles
* Erosion
* Solar outdoor lighting
* Both undesirable and desirable views
* Existing trees and garden plantings
Soil Preparation and Site Planning
Learning to examine the soil can make the difference between starting out successfully or fighting a frustrating failure. Learn about soil improvements, drainage, how to create a terrace, provide irrigation and add attractive outdoor lighting.
Designing Walls and Fences
Create privacy and separation in a garden by designing walls and fences that work for space. Add gates and trellises for beauty and function. Whether done by a professional or attempted alone, this informative chapter will keep mistakes to a minimum. Remember to consider pool fence design or a dog fence.
Trees and Shrubs
Planting trees and shrubs are often overlooked by new gardeners when home landscaping, but their long-term effects can have the most impact on a yard. Learn about pruning, how to choose the best trees and shrubs, planning for seasonal effect, adding hedges, purchasing tips, caring for new plants and the proper way to stake.
Lawn Care
Learn to plan or renovate a lawn, add a ground cover, and maintain an established lawn. Take into consideration whether your lawn will be in a sunny or shady area as you will need to plan for this accordingly. Shady areas are more difficult to keep a nice lawn so you might want to think about adding a gravel/decorative stone area with potted plants that love the shade.
All About Flowers
Add beauty to a yard with flowers, including a clipping garden that can benefit an indoor landscape as well. Add borders and beds, design with perennials, supplement with annuals, design with bulbs and care for flower gardens.
Special attention is given to:
* Adding borders and beds that are fragrant and colourful
* Gathering plants that will make an attractive border
* How to design a border with the proper height, colour and bloom
* Sample plans and perennial borders
13 Comments
Dan
December 3, 2020 at 5:50 pm
Good stuff
Sarah-Marie
March 31, 2021 at 9:59 am
I am so terrible when it comes to looking after my garden that I need all the advice I can get. I even managed to kill off our lawn last year but thankfully it’s coming back to life again now.
Sabina Green
April 7, 2021 at 8:57 pm
Ah, we all make our mistakes and learn. I once destroyed a clematis when ‘pruning’ because I cut away all the dead stems ‘below’ the plant. I don’t know how I thought it was going to get the water from the earth!! I certainly learnt a lesson that day.
Sarah Howe
March 31, 2021 at 7:36 pm
Ah some really good tips. My hubby is really into his garden and the lawn is such a big deal!
Sabina Green
April 7, 2021 at 8:58 pm
I think it’s a man thing, my husband is exactly the same with ours.
Lisa Jackson
March 31, 2021 at 8:04 pm
We’re not gardeners so we have a lawn and patio. I’ve been given some garden plants that I have to look after, but not sure how confident I am that they’ll still be around this time next year!
Sabina Green
April 7, 2021 at 9:02 pm
Have faith, you may surprise yourself!
MELANIE EDJOURIAN
April 1, 2021 at 7:02 pm
These are great tips. I agree the flowers are important. We have a nice splash of colour in the spring and summer.
Sabina Green
April 7, 2021 at 9:03 pm
We love to see colour, our front gardens are currently full of purples, yellows and red. It looks beautiful.
Mudpie Fridays
April 1, 2021 at 7:52 pm
We are currently looking to change our garden around after spending time during lockdown re doing the vegetable beds. I am quite excited about the project.
Sabina Green
April 7, 2021 at 9:03 pm
It’s lovely to have a project to work towards, you have a sense of satisfaction when it is complete.
Anosa
April 5, 2021 at 5:49 am
These are great tips, I wish I had time to dedicate to my garden but I hired landscapers to do the garden up next month.
Sabina Green
April 7, 2021 at 9:06 pm
I am sure you will be delighted with it, once it is complete. You’ll still be able to enjoy it and continue the upkeep.