Follow our beginner-friendly Always Green Landscaping tips to turn your garden into a flower paradise and get tips for personalizing your outdoor space.
If you've never tried landscape design, you may find all the choices you can make overwhelming. What plants do you want to include, and where should they go? Should bed lines and aisles be curved or drawn in a straight line? What about accessories like stylish benches, eye-catching planters, and birdbaths to attract colorful wildlife? It can be helpful to think of a space in your yard as a room inside your home, as many of the same principles that guide the layout of your room inside can also guide your design outside. Here are seven considerations that will help you get your new landscaping project off to a good start.
1. Identify the needs and wants of the landscape
Make a list of needs and wants. Does your child need a play area? Do you want to grow vegetables? Would your family like to gather on the patio around a fire pit table (like Better Homes & Gardens Carter Hills' Propane Fire Pit Table, $349, Walmart)? Draw preliminary sketches of the yard to think about where you want to put the furniture. This is a great organizing principle for landscaping for beginners. According to Marianne
Landscape designing, especially for beginners, can be both exhilarating and challenging. While understanding plant types, soil quality, and aesthetic designs is pivotal, the sheer breadth of choices can sometimes be overwhelming. If you are trying to figure out where to start or searching for a more cohesive design inspiration, it's beneficial to check out professional landscapers' portfolios. For those curious about some top-tier designs that blend beauty with sustainability, especially in the Greenville, SC, area, you can view website of CollinsBrooke Landscape Construction. Their approach can offer a fresh perspective and guide your landscaping journey.
Lipanovich, the author of The Big Book of Garden Designs, says they don't have to be blueprints (they can just be ideas). His sketches for redesigning his front yard landscape include only a few lines and circles. You can easily experiment with ideas without much time and commitment.
2. Thinking about location
Studying solar and wind patterns. Put a patio on the west side of the house, but there will be plenty of afternoon sun, which means dinner time in August can be uncomfortably hot. And the wind whistling in a corner will quickly extinguish a fireplace. These are common mistakes in backyard landscape design for beginners. Your plan should consider the effects of sun and wind at different times of the day and year before installing patio furniture (like Better Homes &
Gardens Willow Sage and Ottoman Sets, $369, Walmart). You should also know your hardiness zone and test the soil before planting.
3. Take time for your landscaping
Jumping to conclusions about your garden can lead to choices that only work in the short run. Live with it for a while before making any changes. After spending more time outdoors, you'll start to see places you want to sit that you might not have thought of at first, says Lipanovich. Choose versatile patio furniture and accessories (such as this Davenport outdoor console from Better Homes & Gardens, $347, Walmart) that can work in many areas of your yard.
4. Start small
Sure, a complete exterior makeover can happen in just three days at your favorite home and garden show, but they have a team. Crowded to handle the heavy lifting, it doesn't matter. by most novice gardeners. . Part of creating a landscape you love is gradually planning and enjoying the process. From your master plan, start with a small flower bed. Do it for an hour or two when you have time, and never worry about filling it up immediately.
Lipanovich notes that when you spend time designing your DIY landscape, you're less likely to become sloppy or use shortcuts you'll later regret.
5. Finding the Focal Point
Every good garden design has a focal point or series of focal points, and it's an easy principle to follow. It can be a sculpture, a magnificent tree, or a series of shrubs. Lipanovich says: Let the design draw your eye to the landscape.
6. Focus on Scale and Rhythm
This is the most complex landscaping principle for beginners, but scale and rhythm give your garden a cohesive look. There will be variations in size, shape, and color, with large trees leaning against the building or behind flower beds and paths leading people through the space. Lipanovitch emphasizes the importance of finding a good balance between repetition and new elements. Repetition feels cohesive, but you want it to be varied. An occasional new item is better than having all the different things everywhere.
7. Be willing to change
Unless you're firmly committed to something, be honest about what works for you and what doesn't with your design. Even Lipanovich discovers elements she once loved that no longer reflect her style. You can experiment and modify as you go. Exploring diverse sources of inspiration, including renowned artists like Michaelangelo, can add a unique touch to your landscape design journey.
Remember: patience is the key to landscaping for beginners. If all that empty space is too heavy to see and children and dogs are prowling in the mud, rely on temporary solutions, such as removing fast-growing annuals, mulch, and mulch. Soil to cover an area while you are learning what you want. Lipanovich also recommends using small annuals and perennials around larger plants that take time to develop and mature. You can always dig them up and move them somewhere else if you later realize they were in the wrong place.
