So in landscaping design there must be in the gardener’s mind a picture of what he desires the whole to be when he completes his landscaping project.

Should you include lots of bare open lawn in your landscaping theme? A large extent of open green lawn space is always beautiful. It is restful. You can use the wide open green to emphasis the garden areas and other points of interest or activity in the design.

This type of open landscaping adds a feeling of space to even small grounds. If you cover your lawn space with many trees, with little flowerbeds here and there, the general effect is choppy and fussy. You want to create an area where you can relax and enjoy the yard.

Trees, shrubs and plants are an easy way to change your backyard design or give it a fresh new look.

Trees
A single tree or a small group of trees is not a bad arrangement. Just make sure you do not center the tree or trees in the lawn or design. Let them drop a bit into the background or make a focal point with them. In choosing trees for your landscaping project, keep in mind a number of things. You should not choose an overpowering tree. The tree should have a good shape, with something interesting about its bark, leaves, flowers or fruit.

The bright berries of the ash, the brilliant foliage of the sugar maple, the blossoms of the tulip tree, the bark of the white birch, and the leaves of the copper beech all these are beauty points to consider when planning your overall landscaping arrangement.

Shrubs
Shrubs look best when planted in groups. They have a more natural look. Keep in mine, the biggest mistake most gardeners make when planting shrubs is not giving them enough room to grow without looking crowded when grown. Note the size they will grow and plant accordingly. If you have bare spots while the shrubs are growing fill the space with perennials or annual flowers.

Plants
Perennials, annual plants and container planters help to add interest and tie the different landscaping areas together. They are also one of the easier landscape design areas to change or move for a fresh look.

In conclusion, plan for open lawn spaces in your overall landscaping design and keep a visually appealing tree to blend in the background. Think balance and you will come up with a beautiful landscaping design for your yard.

As a general rule of thumb grades of over 5 percent are too steep for comfort or for best appearance. They are difficult to mow and often have problems with grass and rutting. I know from personal experience.

Where there are differences in grade on a small lot you should put in steps and a terraced slope.  Or a retaining wall could connect the two levels. With a retaining wall you need to plan for the wall to be sturdy. And check for any construction regulations in your area before starting the project.

The most comfortable steps for a garden path have a 5-inch rise and a 14-inch tread. A 6-inch rise and a 12-inch tread will also work. Anything steeper can be uncomfortable, particularly if it has a rough surface. It’s also wise to include a handrail with any stairs. You do not know who may use the steps and what weather conditions may be, so offer your guests the security of a handrail.

Terraced slopes seem to work best if you use a rise of 1 foot in a 3-foot area, particularly if a power mower is to be used. If the banks are too steep to make grass cutting easy, it is much better to plant them with ground covers. My front yard has such a slope and it has one terraced area near the top were I planted shrubs and perennials and added a set of stairs. The lower section has ground cover with perennial groupings and decorative rocks.

Note: Ground covers add instant beauty to a yard. They can help prevent erosion and cut back on mowing difficult areas. And these perennials come in a wide variety of color, texture and season flowering. But, as with all plants, they can have drawbacks and with ground covers you have to check for invasive spreading. Read the rowing tags and instructions well and ask at the garden center when you buy the plants.

You may also want to consider using heavy mulch or crushed decorative rock in certain areas of a slope. In my area I can find free pine needles and wood chips for free. They add a rich base to a slope to build on.

The main concern when landscaping a graded yard is to simplify yard work, prevent any runoff flooding and to make the area safe for family and friends.

If properly planned a yard with a steep grade can be turned into a beautiful garden area that can be enjoyed. Many slopes have incorporated gardens, plants and a place to relax in the design making it a useful addition to the home and garden area.

photo credit: JulieFinestone

Here’s how to clean up your backyard and get it back under control.

Clean up the weeds, leaves and shrubs.

Grab your garden tools and a wheelbarrow and start first by cleaning up the fallen leaves. You can also pull out the weeds growing along fences and the sides of your house at the same time. If you have a compost pile add the fresh material into the pile.

Next trim your shrubs with a garden trimmer. For a nice trim its best to step back and take a good look at the shrub. Remove any damaged or diseased branches. After that you can trim the top and sides. It depends on what type of shrub I have on where I dispose of the cuttings. Shrubs with leaves go in the compost pile for the garden areas. Evergreen shrubs are put in a pile to be used for mulching material around shrubs and trees.

Mow the lawn and trim the edges

After the leaves, weeds and shrubs are tidied up, its time to mow the yard and doing any neglected backyard trimming. Mow your lawn on a low height setting to trim down the grass. This will let you get a good look at the lawn area. Get your weed whacker out of storage and edge any fences, sidewalks, drives and shrubs and trees.

This is when I look at the difficult trimming areas and decide if I will be creating mulch layering in these areas.

Clean up the clutter.

Start eliminating the clutter by placing any tools and belongings back into the garage or a storage shed. If you need more storage space, organize your existing space or buy building or small storage shed for your backyard.

If you have an item in your backyard that has sat in one place waiting to be fixed or used one day, wither fix it or move it on. Someone else will appreciate that old doghouse that has not been used in years or the canoe hidden in grass.  And yes, it’s hard to part with those “I’ll do it next week” projects.

Landscape your backyard.

If you feel you backyard needs made over just take a few minutes and sit down and take a look. What would add comfort or ease to the backyard? Is there a certain plant or tree you have always wanted. Do you need more room to entertain or would you like to make the yard easier to maintain?

Install paving stones to make a path or a few new trees and shrubs will give a new look to the yard quickly. Put a bench in your backyard for reading relaxing or to enjoy the garden area.

By adding new landscaping and creating areas in your backyard you will add interest to the yard.  You will also find yourself spending more time enjoying and taking care of backyard projects that will keep the yard clean and tidy.

photo credit: byrdiegyrl

But with the use of mulches, small plants or shrubs and garden art you can redo small sections of your backyard in a day.

If you divide areas of your yard into sections you can work on one section at a time to create mini gardens or garden rooms. Using this system the entire backyard will not be torn up and you can work with a small budget. You will also be able to enjoy the backyard while projects are underway

This you tube will show you five ideas for small backyard landscaping design ideas they used.

These ideas may give you a start for redoing you own backyard oasis or creating one.

I liked the use of mulch and stone in the video to create an easy to take care of patio area. I also like the use of small plants, mulch and less grass.

When planning your new small garden areas decide what is important to you and incorporate those ideas into your plans.  This may be a mini patio, reading room; children’s play area or a work area.

There are two ideas to keep in mind when planning your backyard projects.

1. Design the areas with change in mind. Will your children be growing up or will you be starting a family? Should the recreational area be downsized? Will you be adding a pool or removing one in the future?

2. And the last idea to keep in mind – is to keep it simple. With proper planning you can have a beautiful lush backyard oasis without spending the entire weekend working in it.

photo credit: Anika Malone

There are also stories created in the backyard. Many people include a hobby or interest in the backyard. Sports, art, a hobby such as trains are just a few of the many stories that surface in the backyard design.

For those who are interested gardening and landscaping starting your own shrubs lead to interesting stories. Your new shrub may be from a clipping off your Grandmothers bush or from a friends yard.

My most interesting shrubs came from a restaurant in South bend Indiana. The restaurant caught on fire while we were attending a Studebaker car show. We were in the hotel  next to the building. The next year we returned for another car show and stayed at the same hotel. the restaurant had enough damage that it went out of business but had not yet been torn down.

The bushes were so pretty out around the abandoned building and I knew the building would soon be torn down and the bushes would be bulldozed.  I borrowed a pocket knife from a friend and took clippings of the bushes. I found a nursery and bought some liquid plant starter, sans and paper cups.

Needless to say, the other Studebaker club members had a few laughs over my adventure.

I spent one afternoon starting shrub clippings in the hotel room. They were stored in the  room until we left and made the eight-hour trip home in the trunk of a 59 Studebaker.

Shrub clippings can be collected from friends and it’s amazing how many people will share a small clipping of their favorite shrub to a stranger who asks. It always leads to an interesting story and usually a few free perennials or plants.
photo credit: Mick E.Talbot

My backyard has perennials and shrubs from many states. I just have to check the growing zones of any shrub I get from another state.

**** I also check to make sure its not an invasive plant in my state or that the plant does not have any insect on that would not be good to bring to my community. Please this is a very important step to take. It’s even important when buying plants from a local nursery.

Fall is one of the best times to start shrub clippings. They have enough time in the fall to develop roots, particularly if you use a rooting hormone. And when spring returns they are a small plant ready to grow into a beautiful shrub that will add character and beauty to your landscaping and backyard design.

Here are two excellent sites for information on how to start a healthy clipping.

Propagate your shrubs from softwood cuttings

Shrub propagation

Starting you own shrubs makes for intersting stories for your guests but it also saves money and they make great gifts for company.