Designing – or remodeling – your outdoor space can be a fun and creative process, but it can also be overwhelming. Make things a little easier by first exploring your backyard landscaping options.
As you plan which garden ideas to explore, you’ll find that garden landscaping is at the heart of most – if not all – of them. By understanding the best ways to approach this, the less hassle you will have when creating your dream space.
To understand how to plant a garden, we need to understand what it really means. “Landscaping is just the outdoor version of interior design—albeit with quite different materials,” says Tabi Jackson Gee, founder, TJG Gardens (opens in new tab). “The landscaping piece itself refers to any changes you make to your outdoor space—from creating new plant beds to building walls or patios.”
“Both the hardscape and the softscape (plants) need to be carefully designed to be functional and beautiful, and with budget, location and future uses in mind,” continues Tabi. “Designers then work with landscape contractors to bring those ideas to life. There’s so much that goes into the process that people don’t see – choosing the right materials, the right finishes, the right lighting and so on are all skills that contribute to a beautiful garden.”
“Most good designers can do both – you need an incredible amount of knowledge, not just about plants but about materials, construction methods, costs, supply chains – and it’s this knowledge that allows a designer to help a client get the most out of his garden.’
