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So you have a yard, but do you have landscaping? The best thing to do is to get back to the basics and start learning about landscaping from the soil up.

It Starts with the Soil

In order for your soil to work as well as possible, you need to have it tested. Your soil might be perfect or it might just need some nitrogen. Soil engineers can test and analyze soil from different points in your yard to help your yard perform at its best.

What you need to understand about landscaping is that it serves more than just an artistic or aesthetic purpose. Landscaping is functional outdoor art, but it can also serve as a vehicle for privacy; landscaping can exist to attract certain insects or birds to your home; landscaping can be used to cover up your foundation that sticks out from the bottom of your siding, among other things.

Good landscape designers are taught to utilize your landscaping for whatever you desire (security, privacy, etc) with a design that is pleasing to the eye and to the neighborhood.
So think about what you are trying to get done with your landscaping. If you are trying to attract butterflies or keep neighbors from peering in, keep this in mind so that your landscaping can serve both purposes.

Simplicity is important in design and art. It's one of the best guidelines you can follow as a beginner or do it yourselfer. Just keep things simple to begin with. You can do more later on.
Simplicity in planting, for instance, would be to pick two or three colors and repeat them in your landscape. Keep decor to a minimum and within a specific theme.

Balance is just as the word implies a sense of equality. There are basically two types of balance in landscape design: Symmetrical and Asymmetrical.

Symmetrical balance is when there are equally spaced matching elements in the garden design. With a garden equally divided, both sides could share all or part of the same shape, form, plant height, plant groupings, colors, bed shapes, theme, etc. Symmetrical design is somewhat of a mirror image or reflection. Asymmetrical is just the opposite.

After you have completed your landscaping you will be outside, sweating, and getting your hands dirty trying to get that green thumb.