Landscaping back yard information

howdy...i am filling in my backyard; i have landscaping software...if i were a landscape person would i be landscaping from the house to the back fence view....or would i landscape from the back fence to the back of the house view....; i hope that makes sense....or would it be a little of both;

Hi sticks_n_stones, If I were you, I would have to do a rough drawing of the outline shape that I hoped to have at the end of the job, measure the garden, mark any cables, utilities, drains etc, a photograph with an overlay of tracing paper will be a great help and just play around with a soft pencil on the paper to give you any paths, lawn area, trellis arches, ponds any other features you wish to place inside the garden, draw circles for trees and shrubs, lines for decking or squares for patios, on the left hand side of the paper, note down what all the squiggles, circles and squares etc mean, it is easy to forget IF you have to leave the drawing for a few days, it does not have to be to scale at this point as you will want to continualy go in and out the garden as you draw to see if things are looking anything like a possability, once you feel happy, get out to the part of the garden you are wishing to work on and if it helps, lay your garden hosepipe around the rough shapes and bends, lay garden canes down where you might want the deck, go back indoors and look outside from the windows, this is a good way to let you see from the house IF these features are too big, too small or need moved to a new spot.
From that, if you are happy, get some dry sand, garden spray paint and mark these areas, you can alter things as you have not yet dug any holes or ripped out the wrong shrubs or trees, as you go around, you get to know what will work as you now know all the curves, hidden corner, high bits of ground and where you might require some steps, so it is not a fast job to plan like this, but it is a safer way as you wont make so many costly mistakes either.
I know this all sounds a bit childish and playschoolish, but because we are not profesional gardeners or landscapers, we have to adapt to an easier way to do it and for my money, this is it, it is how I laid out our HUGE garden and did it like, one room at a time. Once you have the rough plan, you can start at any end you like, just keep in mind that IF any features require heavy machinery etc, then no point starting and getting a lovely bed made, then you have to bring a heavy digger over it, better to have the heavy projects done like paths, building work, decking etc, as you have already measured where this is to go and you have all your markings done in sand or paint spray, so really it all depends on what your project is, that will dictate where you start and finnish.
Last time I was in USA, I looked at loads of paperback books in the book stores on landscape/planning gardens, planting for most situations and all the how to that you need to get you started and finnishes, so although you have all the software, unless you are able to take it out to the actual garden, for an amature, I have them, but find them rather messy to understand as I have to keep going back and forwards to different pages, but I dont know which one you have, they were all desighned by profesionals, so how would they know how much experience each one of us have, keep your plan simpple to start with and you will never go wrong, ask people, look around your neighbourhood/parks, show gardens etc, it will amaze you just what you will manage to do, IF you start at the bottom of your garden, you will look out and see a lovely feature and plants etc,and a mess to reach it, if you start closer to the house, each time you walk outside, you will have a nice area to sit and really get to grips with the next part of your plan, take your time, be patient and go for it, good luck and dont try to do it all in a weekend it will be a failure. go for it!!!!
WeeNel.

wow...thanks for the information..; i have alot to ponder and do...
thank you:)

HI my name is Richard, and i have a few questions about land scaping my backyard is ful with rocks and dirt, i want to put grass instead how do i start that project. it will be my first time doing something so extreme, can you help or giude me though. Thank You.

This message was edited Jun 1, 2007 3:06 PM