Landscaping Planning

It can't be stressed enough:  An enjoyable backyard area begins with good landscaping planning.  And, good landscaping planning takes into consideration the following:

1.  Know the reason why you would like to landscape your lawn.

Before you can really begin to plan your backyard landscaping, it's important to know what you want out of your backyard.  Is it for gardening?  Entertaining?  The kids' enjoyment? 

2.  Look at your yard from the inside of your house when planning.

That way you can put some of the most beautiful plants, sculptures, etc. where you can see them from the inside of your house.  Why tuck some of the most beautiful features of your backyard where they can't be seen?

3.  Take stock of what your backyard landscaping already has going for it. 

Most backyards already have something going for them, such as great rock formations, or some gorgeous trees and plants.  You can save money by using some of what you already have. 

4.  Check the type of drainage your yard has.

Will you need to level or hill up any areas?

5.  Check which parts of the yard have appropriate sunlight.

Knowing where the sun hits helps determine where you can place furniture and plants. 

6.  Consider how much maintenance you wish to give your landscaping.

If you're the type who doesn't really like to "putter" in the garden, or spend weekends mowing the lawn, you may want to consider low-maintenance lawns and plants. 

After you've taking into consideration all of the above, take some time to sketch out what type of a backyard area you want, as well as create a budget.  You might want to look at pictures of backyards online, or buy landscaping books or magazines which offer different designs to consider. 

Synonyms:  Back yard and backyard are used synonymously.

ackyard, abckyard, bckyard, bcakyard, bakyard, bakcyard, bacyard, bacykard, backard, backayrd, backyrd, backyrad, backyad,
backyadr, backyaard and backyar are typos for "backyard."