Landscape design sounds rather daunting, especially for someone like me who doesn’t exactly have a green thumb.  Let’s face it, people spend years and years studying this beautiful art, finding new and creative ways to beautify and add peace, comfort and tranquility to outdoor living spaces.  And what could possibly be more rewarding than enhancing and improving upon the wondrous and ever-changing canvas that God has already created for our pleasure, our enjoyment and for the natural habitats and life cycles of hundreds of little creatures that live among us.

Now as wondrous and tranquil as this all may sound, it doesn’t always play out so harmonically.  There are actually two main categories that seem to consume every aspect of landscape design… and those are knowing what we want and expect and of course “budget”.

Some of us have trouble visualizing what we want, or organizing the many images that we have floating around in the books of our memory banks.  First things first, we need to do some research.  We need to pour through books and magazines and cut out pictures of things that grab our attention and/or things that turn us off for some reason.  We don’t need to understand why, we just need to start building a portfolio of what we are drawn to, what makes us smile, what makes us feel calm and at peace… and also the things that for whatever reason bring an unsettling feeling or a feeling of disharmony.  As with art, you are either drawn to certain pieces or would rather turn away.  There is no right or wrong.  Everyone has different tastes and you should never ignore what’s leasing and brings you tranquility just because someone else says “that’s not really in right now.”

Another great way to get in touch with your gardening/landscape aura is to get in your car on a long Sunday afternoon with soothing music in the background and a camera, and just drive around different neighborhoods.  Stop in front of houses whose landscapes intrigues you, try to figure out what aspects intrigue you and be sure to take lots of pictures.  Once you start building a portfolio or scrapbook, you will start learning about your likes and dislikes and trusting your own judgment when it comes to landscape design.  This is just a start.  Budget is a whole other story which we will get to later.

So if you’re dreaming of turning a turning a backyard of dirt into a resort style oasis, or if you just want to spruces up your front garden a bit with more color, let’s share some ideas and collectively beautify our community!