For most of us, maintaining a garden of any size fills an inherant need of some kind. Whether it’s to add some appealing fragrances, bring additional beauty to our homes, or simply fill a desire to grow and nuture something… we just can’t seem to resist this most basic urge. Often, once we’ve started, we can’t stop. In fact, most gardeners tend to start with a small bare patch of ground somewhere around their garden, but eventually they’ve expanded their efforts into almost every nook and cranny.

Now, even if you don’t expect to be landscaping your entire garden in the near future, it’s actually an great idea to plan as if you were, right from the start. This way even if it takes you ten or twenty years to accomplish everything you’d like, the end result will look like it was professionally designed instead of haphazardly put together on a whim.

Just like the inside of your home has designated areas for specific activities, the outside areas of your home should too. This is an important thing to consider when you start your garden and landscape planning. If for instance, at some point you’d love to have a covered porch on the front of your home, you might not want to plant a large tree or bush right next to the door. Why? Because if it takes you ten years to actually add the porch, you’ll find that removing that tree or bush is needed because it’s in the way. Since it has had ten years to really become large and established, moving it might be a major job which requires professional support.

There are other practical reasons for planning your landscape design too. Some areas of your garden should be designed specificly for children, playtime, and heavier foot traffic for instance. It would not be advisable to plant your prize roses right in the area where your kids and pets play the most! Try to keep your busiest traffic and play areas planted with everyday lawn or hardy ground covers, so it can stay looking nice no matter how much tough treatment it gets.

Shade trees are good to have around or close to entertainment and barbecue areas. You also need to consider any utility lines that may be suspended above the property too. If you plant a tree while it’s young, you may not realize that there will be problems once it is fully grown. If it becomes large enough, it may intersect with an electric or telephone cable, and this can be very dangerous.

Before planting trees anywhere in your garden, be sure you know what is above them, plus how big they’ll grow once fully matured.

You might want to consider designating some areas of your garden for rainwater runoff too. If you have an area of your garden which seems to naturally collect and pool rain water, you may want to consider putting a pretty flower or tropical garden in that area. This way you’ll be making use of natural rainfall, saving on your water bill, and preventing a mess all at the same time.

There are of course many other things you can do while planning your landscape and garden designs, and one of the most important of course, is to consider how much time you will have to take care of your garden. Ensure that you stop and think about what you currently have, how you can take advantage of your natural resources, and how much energy you have available – or wish to devote to landscaping your garden. You can then start planning your own special landscape and garden areas!