| Before you even think about taking a major
step in landscaping your yard, you or a professional need to look at the
following criteria:
* site location
* size of your space
* shape of your yard
* contours (change in elevation, dips and
hills)
* drainage patterns (where does water enter
and leave your yard?)
* zoning (what things won't you be able to do
with the existing ordinances?)
* setbacks
* utilities (where is that gas line,
anyway?)
* significant existing features (stumps, sheds,
trees)
* traffic patterns
* views from and into your yard
* climate/microclimates within your space
* neighborhood patterns (is your corner lot
a cut-through?)
Brainstorm; sit in your yard, walk around, and
come up with the variables that make your yard unique. Do you have kids who
need a place to play? Is there a big utility pole right where you wanted
to plant flowers? Does your drain spout empty in a really bad spot? See if
there are any unfavorable conditions that can be fixed beforehand; if not,
your landscape plan will have to work around, or even improve, these
situations.
Good luck on this first step. Next you'll need
to make a proportionately-drawn sketch on graph paper, in which you'll insert
all of this preliminary information. From there, you can go on to designing
your yard, but if you have trouble doing so, you'll at least have all the
footwork done so that a designer can take the process from there. Happy
landscaping!
Stacy Helt is a home business owner who
specializes in personalized plant lists and landscape design via the Internet
for customers in every region of the United States. She has a five-year degree
in Landscape Architecture, and can be reached at
designer@yourperfectlandscape.com.
Her business web site can be found at
http://www.yourperfectlandscape.com.
While there, you can sign up for Perfectscapes, the free e-newsletter about
gardening and landscaping.
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