5 Tips for Landscape Design Beginners

If you’re about to embark on some landscape design in Richmond, Va., but aren’t exactly sure where to begin, you’ve come to the right place.

Whether your yard just needs a few things planted or a complete landscape makeover, here are some beginner tips for landscape design in Richmond, Va.

Make a List

A good first step in landscape design is to make a list of what you want and what you’ll need for your project. You can even make some rough sketches of your yard to help visualize what items you’ll have to get and where they will go. Are you building a patio? If so, where will it go? Do your kids need a space for playing in the yard? Is there room for a garden? These are all questions you could ask yourself while drawing your sketches and making your list.

Take Note of Sun and Wind

You can study the sun and wind patterns of your property to maximize your landscape design. For instance, if you build a patio on the west side of your house, it will get a lot of afternoon sun. Is this what you want? If you plan to build a fire pit, make sure it’s not in a spot in your yard where the wind whips through on a regular basis.

Start Small

No need to start with your most extravagant landscaping idea. If you start with some of the smaller things that won’t make or break your landscape design, your layout might become more apparent as you go along and you can make sure the bigger projects are done properly. Start by planting a small flower bed or spreading some mulch and see how your yard starts to shape up.

Find a Focal Point

I know we just said start small, but it’s also not a bad idea to find the focal point of your landscape design early and figure out how you’ll implement it. After all, the focal point is perhaps the most important element of your landscape design and it might be easier to figure out how to accentuate it once it’s in place. A breath-taking plant or tree can make all the difference in your landscape design.

Scale and Pacing

These are some of the hardest concepts for beginner landscape designers to grasp. Be sure to vary colors, shapes and sizes of plants, trees and other shrubbery throughout your yard. Also keep in mind that tall plants do best either up against a building or in the back of flower beds.