One mistake many first-time landscape designers make is that they do not take into account their lifestyle and the atmosphere their landscape will create. Below are a few questions to ask yourself as you create your site design.
What is your style? Do you prefer sweeping curves with casual loose plantings, or do you prefer a more formal style with sharper edges and manicured plants? If you are unsure of your style, drive around neighborhoods or parks in your area. Make notes on what you like and dislike. Take pictures of any design that seems like it fits your lifestyle and the mood you would like to create in your yard.
Choose the "welcoming" view to your property. Drive or walk around the corner from your site, returning slowly to notice the views of your property as you get closer. Are there views that you want to hide or areas that you want to accentuate? Stand at the end of your driveway and decide if you want the front yard to be open and to guide visitors directly to the door, to encourage visitors to meander down a path or would you prefer your front yard to be a private garden "room" that blocks views and noises from the street?
Pick your Palette! Make a list of the colors and textures that appeal to your style, keeping in mind that native plants are preferred. Choose areas where tall green trees can create shade and block views, consider variegated plants that add color and texture to the landscape and imagine zones of highly colored annuals and perennials. Because most of us live in areas where deciduous plants lose their leaves in winter, concentrate on choosing evergreen plants for the base plantings around foundations and permanent objects. No one likes a barren yard in the winter.
