If you have never engaged in a landscape planning project before, you might feel a bit overwhelmed with all the ideas, tips and techniques out there. You have plenty of choices, but then, the lack of experience might negatively impact your project. Just like for any other project, a little research will help you prevent the most common problems and succeed. Certain principles apply in design, whether you do it indoors or outdoors. Luckily, some of them are common.

1. Top 3 Ideas for Landscape Planning Among
Beginners
If you have never engaged in a landscape planning project before, you might feel a bit
overwhelmed with all the ideas, tips and techniques out there. You have plenty of choices, but
then, the lack of experience might negatively impact your project. Just like for any other project,
a little research will help you prevent the most common problems and succeed. Certain
principles apply in design, whether you do it indoors or outdoors. Luckily, some of them are
common.
Assessing Your Necessities
One of the main ideas in landscape design is assessing your needs. Don't just dive in without
knowing what you want or you'll have to change your project over and over again – whenever
new ideas kick in. Do you have any kids? If yes, they might need a space to play. Do you plan
to have a little garden? Maybe you want to grow a few vegetables for your salads in the
summertime.

2. Once you figure your needs, draw a basic sketch and place various elements accordingly. For
instance, your vegetable garden shouldn't be in the way, while your kids' playground must be
easily accessible. Keep in mind that these are just some ideas that can change in the next days,
so don't take them as a final plan. Draw some lines and circles, write some words and come up
with a plan.
Studying the Environment
The environment can give you plenty of details in your LVIA (Landscape Visual Impact
Assessment). Failing to study it may lead to unpleasant surprises later on. What do you have to
look for? First, check the sunlight. The figure which parts of your garden get more sunlight than
others. If you're going to have a vegetable garden, that's where you want it. A nice patio on the
western side of your house will only get sun in the afternoon. During the summertime, your
dinners can be quite hot.

3. Second, think about winds. You don't want wind whistling around summer campfires. These are
the most common mistakes newbies make. Tackling sunlight issues wouldn't be a problem but
analyzing winds can undoubtedly challenge you a bit.
Starting Small, Going Big
Don't overwhelm yourself with a massive project and a professional sketch. Start small and take
your time. Also, don't rush. You'll find plenty of ideas in magazines, not to mention garden TV
shows. A little homework can only open your horizons. You can come up with an outdoor
makeover in less than 72 hours – according to TV shows. But then, they have teams counting
dozens of people. You don't! Therefore, you have to start small. Work on landscape planning for
a couple of hours when you have time. Set a general plan and slowly go into details. You don't
have to file all the details in the first “session”.
Overall, planning your landscape makeover shouldn't be hard, even for a beginner. Sure, a
professional can do a much better job, but you can certainly come up with a small plan and go
on from there. Remember that flowers take time to grow – and so does your plan. You won't
finish it in one day. You'll add more and more details as you educate yourself. Planning will also
prevent unexpected situations and the need to perform random makeovers in the middle of the
action.