Before you start to consider landscaping your home, you need to consider your landscaping ideas.  Are these ideas attainable? The best landscape ideas are the ones that have been carefully thought out with special attention paid to details.  A good design is not only based your personal ideas but also on the layout of your property and the limitations that exist in your region's climate. The following details will be deciding factors while working on your landscaping ideas:

 ·         What kind of conditions is your yard in?

·         Is the area sunny or mostly shady?

·         What activities do you plan to use your yard for?

·         Who will be using the yard?

·         How much time to you want to spend on maintenance?

·         Which landscape style would best complement your home?

·         Which landscape style best reflects your lifestyle?

When creating a landscape, you first need to choose a style.  Numerous landscaping styles exist or you can blend different elements from different styles to create a look that is all your own. The following styles are examples that may work for you and your landscaping ideas:

·         English garden style uses shrubs and perennials in a way that complements the style of your house.  Other decorative element might include an arbor or birdbath.

·         Oriental style uses water, rocks and evergreens with a variety of plants to create distinctive perspectives.  You might also consider adding a Zen garden.

·         Woodland style reflects the natural way that fauna grows in wooded areas.  This style has less manicured appearance.  It would be a good choice if you would like a low maintenance landscape.

·         Formal garden style follows symmetrical patterns, straight lines and precise geometric shapes with orderly, well-pruned plants. Topiary designs will often be a part of these landscapes.  This is a very high maintenance style.

·         Informal style uses plant beds with curves. Plants are arranged in seemingly random patterns.  This is a good choice for yards that will have children playing in them.

·         Butterfly gardens are used to drawn in butterflies and birds into your yard.  These gardens provide food to attract these flying friends.

After deciding the style of your landscaping, next consider what you want the new landscape to do for you, your house and yard.  The function of your landscape could be to create new areas for play and leisure, or to improve the view of your house.  You may also want to improve views from a porch, patio or a deck.  You can even incorporate outdoor rooms, adding even more to your landscaping ideas. 

Your soil is one of the most important factors in successful landscaping ideas.  It is a good idea to get your soil tested.   You will also want to know your soil type.  When it’s wet, loam will form a lump when you squeeze it and it will crumble. Wet clay forms a lump that won't break up, and wet sand won't lump at all.  You will need to add organic materials to clay and sandy soils to improve drainage.

The most important thing to remember is to planning.  When your ideas and limitations have been carefully thought out, then you will be ready to start turning your landscaping ideas into landscaping reality.