If you know you want to create a beautiful landscape for your home, but don’t know where to begin, you’re not alone. Landscaping is more complicated than it looks, and requires an understanding of some basic principles of design and knowledge about what plants will work in your area.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re considering landscaping for your home. Design, plant selection, budget, and other factors all need to be considered before you bring out the shovels. However, do-it-yourself landscaping projects can be successful if approached correctly.

Steps to Take when Creating a Home Landscape

Taking the following steps will help you turn your dream landscape into reality.

1. Brainstorm. What do you want your landscape to look like? Look at other people’s yards, design magazines and even old snapshots from past vacations to get ideas. Try to choose a unified theme for your landscape, rather than a mish-mash of competing ideas.
2. Budget. Landscaping can be expensive. Decide on your budget early on, and then shape your project around it. With a little creativity, it’s possible to create a striking landscape without spending a bundle.
3. Plan. Planning is the most essential step in a successful landscape design project. Draw an accurate plan of your site and decide where everything will go before you begin actual work on your project.

Common Landscaping Mistakes

To truly make your landscape spectacular, you’ll want to avoid these common landscaping mistakes:

• Cutting the grass too short. You may think that this means you’ll have to mow less frequently, but cutting the grass too short can lead to an unhealthy lawn.
• Forgetting the view from inside the house. Remember to consider how your landscape will look when you’re inside looking out, not just the appearance from the street.
• Incorporating too many different types of plants. This can make your landscape look cluttered and chaotic.
• Planting in the wrong location. Placing plants in areas where they get too much (or not enough) sun is a sure way to end up with a disappointing landscape.
• Placing trees and shrubs too close to the house. This can cause problems with pests, damage your roof and lead to mold.
• Neglecting basic maintenance. A poorly maintained yard is an eyesore. If you don’t want to spend a lot of time working in the yard, choose low-maintenance plants so that your landscape always looks fresh.
• Watering too much. Over-watering is a major cause of problems with plants. Most lawns, for example, only need an inch of water each week.