There are many ways to create a nice garden or landscape for your home. Ideally the yard would be a reflection of your style or personality. There’s the formal garden, the haphazard garden or something in the middle, which is what I tend to like. To begin with a design, it’s always good to get some books with lots of pictures of different yards, so you can determine what appeals to you. Then get out your paper and pencil and begin a rough layout of how you think it should look.
Begin with lines (preferably curved) to define the beds around the house. Don’t make them too shallow. You need to allow for a variety of sizes and shapes. Also decide if you want any planter boxes, such as near the entry or driveway. Those should be constructed first. They could be of brick, stone or cement. Next, consider a watering system. If you want a lawn, you’ll need to lay piping with sprinklers hooked to a controller. Then comes soil preparation. I would recommend ordering a good loamy soil from a landscape supply. You can spread it in the beds and where you plan your lawn.
I ordered sod to be delivered when I did my project. You just need to know your square footage to be covered and the company will tell you how much you need. There’s usually sod farms listed in the yellow pages. Getting back to your design, if you plan to put in any trees, you should plant them first, before you install your sod. Go to your books and find out which trees do well in a lawn and also are suited to your climate. A nice spreading tree that blooms in the spring is always a good choice.
Next, plan to put in a few shrubs just out from your foundation. Choose wisely, as they might not look as cute as the little 1 gal. plant once they mature. Always check for the size they will become. A mixture of evergreen and deciduous is always a good choice. Also consider a couple of shrubs with fragrant blossoms, especially near your entrance. Lastly, you’ll want to plant a few flowers for color. There are perennials that come back every year and annuals that last one season. Do read up on all the varieties. Actually it’s really fun to see what you can create.
