Landscaping is the one gardening endeavor that can consume lots
and lots of your time and energy. If you are thinking of tackling
it on a grand scale, you will need some major preparation. If you were to consider hiring a professional landscaper, you would most
probably find that the costs would be quite horrendous.

Now that's fine if money is no object, but I personally get great
pleasure from my own endeavours, gardening is after all my great passion in life.

I would strongly suggest however, that you have a clear idea
in your mind about how you would like your garden to look, rather
than simply starting off without a clear plan in mind.

Having said all that,here are simple but indispensable tips to
guide you in making your landscaping activities extremely
rewarding.

Draw Your Landscape Plan.

However not just any plan. It needs to be a well thought out
landscape plan, or you are certainly doomed to lose money as well
as time and energy. You really need to take account of the style
and function of your landscape, and a good idea of the plants that
you also want to include. Focus on that area where you spend most
of your time, because this is where your landscaping labors should
all be directed.

Investigate A Free Planning Sevice.

Hiring an independent designer would probly cost you hundreds of dollars, but you might well discover that many nurseries offer a
free planning service, particularly if you are likely to be
spending some money with them.

Take Account Of The Style Of Your Home.

When planning your landscape, the style should complement the
design of your house and your personality as well.
There are various landscape styles which you can choose for your garden:-

1. Formal - This style uses lots of straight lines and perfect geometrical shapes. Orderly arrangement of plants instead of
random positioning is employed, and close arrangement and pruning
is used on many landscaped gardens with this style.

2. Informal - This kind of landscaping goes well with houses which
have a cozy look to them. Beds with curved edges instead of straight lines and random placement of plants suit this landscape style.

3. English Garden - This style emphasizes on the harmony between the house's architecture and the garden.

4. Formal/Informal Garden - This style often comes with a brick
walkway that exudes formality. This walkway leads to the rear with
a circle of plants. The arrangement of plants resembles the English garden style, but it has no formal borders.

5. Oriental - It is often the kind of garden found in houses with
small backyards. It uses rocks, evergreens and water, and a wide variety of plants to create several angles with this style.

6. Woodland - This landscaping suits a house that has a wooded
backyard and an inclined terrain.

Keeping those tips in mind will not only make your landscaping a
very fruitful activity, but will save you considerable expense
as well as time.

Don,t be frightened to use your imagination and flair for color in
this project, after all it is primarily to please yourself and your
family. I suggest that the satisfaction that you will gain from
creating and desigining your own personal landscaped garden, will
make you feel like a true artist.