Do it yourself

You can do it yourself when it comes to landscape design, but make sure you go over the basic elements of good design and lawn and garden care before beginning so that you can be sure to maximize your results. With a little planning and doing your homework ahead of time, you can do it yourself and create a beautiful landscape that will enhance your home.

Take the time to look at the landscapes around your neighborhood or at your friends' homes to determine which factors are most important to you. When you do it yourself, allow plenty of time to consider the options available and the styles that appeal to you. Don't be afraid to ask for help from lawn and garden stores in finding the right flowers, shrubs and trees that are zoned appropriately for your area of the country, and also for the amount of sun and shade in your yard.

Remember that you are designing, and think about what that means. Designing is the deliberate act of choosing what structures, plants and other greenery you will place in and around your home. It may require revisions and rethinking as you move forward. Do it yourselfers should learn the basic design elements that affect all kinds of design. Think about color, form, line, scale and texture.

Now, do it yourself landscape artists may not realize how these elements come into play just as they toss a few shrubs into the yard, but they certainly do matter. Plants come in many colors. In addition to a rainbow of green shades, there are reds, yellows, orange, browns, blues, whites and purples that fill our landscape. Be sure to think about what colors you place next to each other, how well it complements your brick, stone or the color of your house. And the effect those colors have on the overall look and feel of your landscaping.

Color affects the emotions. Do your choices feel exciting? Laidback and relaxed? Inviting? It really makes a difference when choosing colors. Do it yourselfers also need to think about the texture of the plants. Texture isn't just an issues of touch. It affects appearance, too. Evergreens have a different texture from hostas. Look around and make sure that the textures in your landscape will complement one another. A variety of textures can be good, but make sure they work.

Form refers to shape, not only that of your flower and garden beds, but also to the shape of the plants themselves, and to the other items placed in your garden. When doing it yourself, be sure to think about the shape of those plants as they grow and creep past their boundaries. Be sure to incorporate a variety of heights and widths in the plantings.

Line has to do with the vertical and horizontal placement of plants and items on the horizon. When you look out at your yard, your eye follows the line of plantings. It should be a pleasing mixture of high and low growing plants. The line should complement existing structures.

Finally, scale is really important and not considered by many do it yourselfers. Scale refers to size. Think about the size of the plants and greenery in relation to each other and to the existing structures. Don't forget to think about their size over time.

Doing it yourself can be a rewarding experience, especially if you take the time to think about landscaping as a design process. To end up with great results that will keep you satisfied for years to come, be sure to think it through before you begin planting.