A well designed landscape can add thousands of dollars to the appraised value of your home, and, surely, all of us understand the impact of "curb appeal" to potential buyers, real estate agents, appraisers, and loan providers. Beyond that, though, a well designed landscape offers a sanctuary and beautiful vista for the homeowner, neighbors, friends and visitors, and even passer-bys. A successful landscape design can be a show-stopper, eliciting fascination, envy, and wonder at the beauty of it. To achieve that impact, though, there are 7 important elements of a successful landscape design that must be considered:

1. By far, the most important element of landscape design basics is to recognize the primary point of view of your home and landscape. Unless your home is at the end of a cul-de-sac, you are most likely approaching your home from a singular direction, from the left side or the right side. Even if you live at a home that can be approached from both directions, it is most likely that you and your visitors approach your home from a common direction. That is your primary point of view. While it is important to look at all angles, the primary point of view is always what you see as you approach your home. After all, you are the one that will see your landscape every day, and you are the one that needs to be pleased with what you see.

2. Now that you have determined your primary point of view, the next important element of a successful landscape design is almost as important as the first....define what you love and hate about the area to be landscaped. Do you have a beautiful front walkway with arches and columns? Do you have large sweeping windows with low sills? Do you have a one-story horizontal ranch-style house that looks short? Do you have a neighbor that you wish wasn't your neighbor? Do you have a street light that intrudes into your living room, night after night? Do you need a little bit more privacy in one location or another? Do people use your yard as a cut-through to get to the dog park? Do you have a large tree(s) that must be worked with? Identify those good and bad areas and features, and use your landscape design to fix them through select plants, and landscape concepts.

3. Now that you have done the first two steps, we are ready to dive into the heart of landscape design basics: defining the landscape bed. I personally think that this is the hardest part of the design process, but it is also one of the most important elements to a successful landscape design. As well, it is also open to personal design preferences, so it is hard to go wrong with your choices. More than anything, I would say that you can easily make your bed outline too small (and the house dwarfs the landscape), but you can never make it too big (everyone loves a large landscape). Of course, the larger the bed, the more plants and expense, and, ultimately, weed pulling and plant trimming. But, design is still design, and given that you have identified the features of your home and yard that you love and hate, now is the time to put that to action. Short houses need lift on the corners, and some of those choices can also be used for privacy or blocking the neighbors and trespassers; tall houses need something on the corners to make them not look so tall; every row of plants needs at least 3', so 3 tiers equals 9' at a minimum for bed depth; use curves to soften sharp edges. Look at other designs that you admire in your neighborhood (not the plants, but the bed layout), and use that as an inspiration for your layout. Use a garden hose or extension chords to play with bed lines. At this point, we are still not at plant selection, we are just trying to define the space to work with. As we progress, we will revisit this step again, and refine it further.

4. At this point in landscape design basics, we are ready to consider plant selection and placement of those plants in the landscape, but we are not ready to decide on the exact plants that we will use. Instead, we are going to look at them as if they were geometric shapes, that grow to different sizes when mature. We are still on design principles, and every plant has it's place in a landscape. When I design, I look at plants like furniture: some plants are sectional sofas or entertainment centers, and others are cocktail tables or recliners; some are foot stools or end tables, and the rest of them are pictures and lamps. An important element of a successful landscape design is to make sure that we have the appropriate combination of all of these in the landscape design, as no living room would be inviting with all sofas, and no pictures and lamps, and visa verse. It is all about balance, and there are many plants that will naturally fill any design requirement . If you have a small living room, you still need a sofa, TV, and cocktail table; if you have a large living room, you need that, and a loveseat, recliner and a few end tables. It's up to you, and your design aesthetics, but ultimately, everybody needs the big and medium items, and then some pictures and lamps. In your landscape design, position your larger specimen plants first (trees, palms), then the mid-sized specimens next (King Sago, Crinum Lily, the 4'X4' plants), and then the rest is pictures and lamps. At this point, we are still not looking at plant selection, but we are re-evaluating our bed layout design. Is it going to hold all of the furniture/plants that we want to put in there? As we get deeper into landscape design basics, we need to keep the bed layout in mind. We will get back to that.

5. At this point, we have not discussed another important element of a successful landscape design, which is the style of your home. If your house has a strong, distinctive exterior style, then it will lend itself to a certain landscape style, that must be honored. To me, as a landscape designer, most homes have a personality that calls to me of a certain style of landscape design. That being said, it does not mean that you can't bend the rules some, but all would agree that it would be a bad match to pair a Key West landscape design with a Colonial traditional home. As we get closer to plant selection, this part of landscape design basics is critical, as I do think that you can pair many plants with many styles, just be cautious of ignoring your house's inherent personality. When you ultimately do you plant selection, ask yourself "does this fit with the style and plan that I have envisioned?".

6. This important element of a successful landscape design might require some outside help, or a least a little bit of research and homework, and it is about the planting site, as well as your expected level of participation in the long-term care of your plants . What are the sunlight conditions (shade, part shade, full sun)? Is it exposed to winter elements (north facing, prone to freeze or frost damage)? What type of soil (well-draining, or clay-based)? Are there drainage issues, where water collects? Are there unusual but common issues like deer eating the landscape plants? Are you willing to provide pest control on plants that are prone to pests? Are you willing to trim plants to keep them to size requirements to meet your landscape plan? Do you have an automated sprinkler system, and are you willing to run it? If not, are you willing to hand water or provide water, to establish and maintain your landscaping? These issues are unique to your landscape, and you, and must be understood and addressed if you want a successful landscape design.

7. Congratulations! You are now ready to select your plants! You might have noticed that plant selection is the least important part of the Landscape Designs Basics process, for a very good reason. Plants are expensive, and some plants are permanent and difficult or expensive to remove. With a thoughtful plan, hopefully you will have a landscape plan that will enthrall you and captive others for years to come. Now that you know what you need to fill a landscape space, and you know what your site conditions are, and what your level of desired maintenance and care to be, you can shop for your plants. Start with the largest, and adjust your landscape bed line accordingly, with it's ultimate growth in mind. Then select the mid-sized plants, and give them room, too. The rest is pictures and lamps, and while they are important, they are usually not hard to move, or change out.

I've been doing this for years, and I can tell you that it is trial and error. I've done probably 1500 landscape designs, maybe more? and to be sure, every home is different, every client's needs are different. I get stumped, more than one would think, and I just walk away for a few hours or a day, and then revisit it. There is no right or wrong about design, you just have to like what you have done, and hope that others agree. That is the Art of it, yes?

This is an interesting concept, that your gardening style is related to your Astrological Sign! What do you think? Do you see yourself in this gardening horoscope?

link: http://moongrow.com/article%20archive/Gardening_and_Horoscopes.html

Gardening and Horoscopes
By the Astrocenter Team

It's now safe to plant outdoors in the Northern Hemisphere. But what will you grow in your garden of earthly delights?Flowers, herbs, vegetables, fruit-bearing trees, decorative shrubs - what a decision! Before you head off to the garden center, take a peek below to see which type of gardening suits your disposition best.

Seeds and life

Regardless of your choice, once you're down on your hands and knees, digging into the earth, don't be surprised if you're inspired to plant seeds in other areas of your life. Gardening isn't just fun. It's therapeutic.

Aries:

(March 21 - April 19)
Patience has never been one of your most famous traits, so if a project doesn't show results quickly, chances are good that it may not get finished.

Garden ideas

When deciding what to plant in your garden, forget about seeds. Get yourself some seedlings or mature plants of the fast-growing, hardy variety. Don't waste your time on anything that's not perennial, and don't be surprised if your favorite part of gardening is doing battle with the enemy: weeds.

Taurus:

(April 20 - May 20)
You, Taurus, don't ever start a project unless you fully intend to finish it. That goes double for projects that involve living things.

Garden ideas

You love good food and have quite the green thumb, so growing veggies, fruit, and herbs is a must. Yet your fondness for sweet sights and scents means you'll need a colorful, aromatic flowerbed, too. Oh, and trees - don't forget the trees. Sure, they'll take years to grow, but you won't mind. Patience is your middle name.

Gemini:

(May 21 - June 21)
You're perpetually busy, so free time isn't just rare; it's priceless and absolutely must be spent on fascinating activities. For gardening to fit into that category, a virtual buffet of brightly colored flowers is the only option.

Garden ideas

Choose fast-growing blossoms, and start with plants, not seeds. Then, you might want to just skip all the work and buy the flowers at your local outdoor market.

Cancer:

(June 22 - July 22)
A garden is a required part of your nesting process. It's part of what makes a house a home. You won't settle for one type of greenery, either.

Garden ideas

You want flowers, herbs, veggies, and fruit - a little bit of everything. If you don't have a yard, you'll manage to create your own little Eden on your deck or patio. Getting your hands dirty in good, rich earth is the point. It's healing to your soul, your mind, and your heart.

Leo:

(July 23 - August 22)
Showy, extravagant, colorful and impressive - that's a garden worthy of regal Leo. Better still if it's chock-full of rare blooms in imaginative displays. You'll only be satisfied if the end result is something you're proud enough to submit for the cover of Town and Country. In your mind, that's a garden.

Garden ideas

Be sure you have qualified help with new plants and seedlings and with rearranging and pruning your "permanent residents." If you opt to go it alone, prepare yourself to do two full-time jobs.

Virgo:

(August 23 - September 22)
You have a famous connection with leaf-creatures, so strong that they can't help but flourish under your care. That applies equally to the finicky African violets on the windowsill to your hardy vegetable garden, regularly producing enough to feed a family of four for the year.

Garden ideas

Warn your friends not to worry if they don't hear from you for a while. 'Tis the season to ignore your two-legged friends in favor of your green-legged "buds."

Libra:

(September 23 - October 22)
Creating and maintaining balance, harmony and beauty - that's your job. It's not easy, but during growing season you have an excuse to indulge yourself in one of the more pleasant aspects of your astrological work: planting and tending to flowers.

Garden ideas

You have a knack for arranging a garden - from seeds, mind you - so that the heights, colors, and even the size and shape of the blooms are perfectly symmetrical. It's magical, and the final result is equally enchanting.

Scorpio:

(October 23 - November 21)
As a lover of secrets, you prefer what's behind the scenes and beneath the surface, and you absolutely must be in control of any project you take on.When it's time to plant a garden, then, anything that's already growing just won't work.

Garden ideas

You want to start from scratch. Planting seeds is terrific, but your all-time favorite is bulbs. Seeing them sprout from the earth you've personally turned, worked, and fertilized is the ultimate in satisfaction.You have zero tolerance for weeds.

Sagittarius:

(November 22 - December 21)
Anything with fur, feathers, or leaves is automatically a member of your extended family, and you treat them all with love and respect.

Garden ideas

Since bigger is always better in your book, your favorite leaf-creatures are trees or plants that are capable of becoming trees. If your garden is potted, start with avocado pits or apple or orange seeds. If you've got acres, go for broke. Start an orchard - and maybe a business.

Capricorn:

(December 22 - January 19)
Before you invest your valuable time and energy into a garden, you'll map it out on a grid, read up on the expected growth demographics in several books, and then, finally, when all conditions are right, plant your seeds.

Garden ideas

There will be no need to thin out rows of seedlings, as some guides suggest. You'll plant exactly what you want to grow and tend to every seed until it's a mature plant.

Aquarius:

(January 20 - February 18)
Being different and making sure everyone notices that fact is what you live for. So when you decide to start a garden, you'll spend more time finding unusual plants and flowers than you will putting them in.

Garden ideas

Another alternative is to buy a seed mix, scatter it in your yard, and wait to be surprised by what comes up. Your garden tends to be weedy, though. To you, "weed" is just a label. Every living thing has an equal right to survive.

Pisces:

(February 19 - March 20)
Your yard is probably full of lovely greenery - an assortment of plants, flowers, and trees that you're sentimentally attached to. Your grandmother's rosebush may be next to the mailbox, your Mom's African violets in your window box, and that tree out front has probably been there since you were in grammar school (aren't those your initials on the trunk?).