Where to Find Free Landscaping Designs

Christine Bude Nyholm
The landscaping design is the most important element in a successful garden. Before placing the plants in the garden, you should create a plan. Having a master design makes shopping for plants easier. A design is a road map of what to put into the garden. Therefore, when you find a good nursery sale, it is easy to look for plants that fit into the grand plan. This avoids spending money on plants and flowers that there is no space for. Landscaping designs do not have to be hard and fast. Gardening is a flexible, leisurely past time. Once in the garden, plants will take their own form and grow to a height and weight that is variable, depending on many conditions. The ever changing forms in the landscape is one of the many delights of gardening. Gardens are not static, they move constantly. The do-it-yourself project can start with a plan drawn from a number of resources.

A Garden Design is Important

A good design gives a general road map for the garden plan. The design allows you to plant the garden gradually, knowing that the eventual result will be as pretty as envisioned. Digging holes and planting plants is a lot of work. The arduous work can be spread out over time by using a plan.

Start with the backbone of the garden, placing larger plants in back. Move toward the front, placing smaller plants in front of larger plants. Purchase the plants as you are ready to put them in the garden. Purchase and plant the plants gradually, saving strain on yourself and on the budget.

Where to Find a Landscaping Design

Professional Garden Designers

Professional garden designers will draw up a plan, customized to your garden and preferences. A design by a professional design helps to make the garden mistake proof as possible. Fees for garden design vary. The designer may charge a flat fee or they may include the design along with the purchase of shrubbery and plants.

Garden Center Salesperson

The salesperson at the garden center has experience with the stock. The salesperson is often capable of drawing an informal plan, offering a guideline for you to use. If the salesperson provides this service free of charge, and you are happy with the plan, be sure to give them your business.

Garden Catalogs

Garden catalogs, such as Jackson and Perkins, are delivered to the gardener's mailbox. These product catalogs often include landscape plans. The plans in the garden catalog are specific to their product line. The suppliers are familiar with their product line and produce excellent plans using their garden stock and seeds. These designs are fertile ground to use as a basis for your own custom plan.

Library

The library is a wealth of information about any subject. The bookshelves are filled with books with general landscaping plans. You may have to adjust the plan to the specific size and shape of your landscape space.

Internet

Do a search on gardening and find a generic landscaping plan. The Internet is an excellent brainstorming tool for design plans. As in a library search, you will probably have to customize the design to fit your own landscape.

Make Your Own Plan

After doing your homework, design your own plan. Start out by drawing the shape of your yard on a piece of paper. Grid paper works best. Use the principles learned by talking to the garden or nursery salesperson, looking at garden catalogs and researching on the Internet. Making your own design makes this do-it-yourself project truly unique.

Enjoy planning the garden. Use all the available information to customize your own garden plan.

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Published by Christine Bude Nyholm

With over 5 million pages views Christine is one of the top 100 AC Contributors and Won Best of AC for Winter Travel Guides in 2008 and Best of Alternative Health in 2009. Christine's article Shop Around for...  View profile

  • A garden design can be flexible.
  • Use available resources to design your own garden.
  • Free Landscaping designs can be found in a variety of places
Landscaping is a great DIY, do it yourself, project.

2 Comments

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  • Lenora Murdock6/24/2008

    Excellent resources!

  • Charlie K6/23/2008

    Good resource ideas.

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