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Step 1
Consider the maintenance aspect. Do you love working in the yard and garden, getting your hands dirty, pruning and weeding? Or do you prefer to throw a few plants out there and hope they thrive? Maintenance is a big part of a great landscape, but a great landscape doesn't have to be high maintenance if you plant it well. If you like planting annuals every year, you need to consider what spaces you will leave for annuals. If you simply want to get it done and let it grow, you should fill your space with perennials or self-seeding annuals so that you don't have to plant every spring.
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Step 2
Consider the plant options. Using native plants is becoming more and more popular, and will contribute to a more low-maintenance landscape. Do you prefer to have a lot of blooms or more greenery? Do you like color all season? What about winter options? Do you want some evergreens near the house or driveway for some green all year round? Do you want to grow flowers you can cut and bring inside for arrangements? Take a look at websites, garden catalogs and landscaping books to get an idea of the type of plants that are appealing to you.
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Step 3
Consider decorative options. Would you like to have a big visual impact with a fence, gate, gazebo, large stones or water feature? Is outdoor lighting important for grilling parties and kids playing? Before you start drawing in your plants, draw in your decorative features, as you will have less flexibility with where they go. Accessories may be both functional and decorative (as a fence and a gate). Place it where it makes the most sense for the way you and your family already use the yard. For example, if you want to put in a stone path, and your kids already cut across the yard in a certain pattern, go ahead and put the stone path where they already walk. Go with the flow and let the landscape elements work for your family rather than trying to retrain your spouse and children.
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Step 4
Choose larger plants first. Trees and larger shrubs need first priority for growing space. Consider how big they will be when fully grown, and give them that much space. While they are still young and growing, you can plant annuals around them to fill in the space. It is important, however, that you don't crowd a bunch of perennials around because you'll simply end up overcrowding your yard and you might have to dig out some of those plants you worked so hard to get in. When choosing where to put your trees and shrubs, think about how they will offer shade and privacy to your home, whether they are close to power lines, streets, or sidewalks, and if they interfere or flow with the general use of the yard.
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Step 5
Design planting beds around the larger plants. You don't have to put a round flower bed at the base of every tree, but do use your larger plants as a general guideline of what needs to be filled in with smaller plants, and then sketch in planting beds in those areas. A nice curved bed full of evergreens and hostas is lovely; ferns beneath a tall, well-established shade tree provide a cool refuge in summer. Of course flowers are wonderful, too. Group flowers together for the most impact. You might have one planting bed that is for masses of spring bulbs, such as tulips, hyacinths and daffodils. You can also plant some deciduous perennials in there to grow and fill in with greenery during the summer after the bulb blooms have died.
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Step 6
Leave some space. Having a beautiful front yard does not mean having every square inch stuffed with a plant. And remember, plants grow. When you first lay down the mulch and put in those tiny little perennials, they might look lonely. Feel free to fill in with annuals at first, but you'll see a lot of growth within a couple of seasons. And even as they reach full maturity, plants and people can all benefit from a little space between. Be sure to water and fertilize regularly to keep your landscape beautiful.
