Do It Yourself Landscaping

I believe that do it yourself landscaping is best executed when you have a home landscape plan or design to work with. You may make changes along the way, adding plants here or there, or replacing one plant for another, but starting out with a good home landscape plan will set your project off in the right direction.

This is the home landscape plan that I have created for my own yard. I have a ranch home with about ½ acre in both the front and the back. This do it yourself landscaping design covers only the area which is closest to the house. I have found it easier to complete projects in my own yard by breaking things down into “bite size chunks” by designing one area at a time.

I was able to create this do it yourself landscaping design in less than one hour, using a program called Smart Draw (opens new window). I did create a more detailed plan for my personal use, but found it to be a little too cumbersome to download on this site. This simplified plan gets at the basics and gives you a good idea of what I intend to do with the space. Before I am able to execute this home landscape plan however, I will need to have a tree removed and a new driveway installed. If you have a project such as a driveway or patio that needs to be installed around the area that you intend to landscape, I would suggest having that project completed first. The types of equipment, and the work involved in completing such a project could wreak havoc on your newly established plants, so it may be better to wait.

Below follows a description of each of the landscaping plants that I’ll be using for this do it yourself landscaping plan. I think they will work out quite well in this area, and will provide a variety of color and visual interest. I may add perennial flowers in the future, however I’m going to keep the flowers in this area to a bare minimum. Because this area surrounds the patio and the side door to the house, I don’t want it to attract a lot of bees.

1. Weeping Laceleaf Japanese Red Maple (Acer Palmatum Dissectum-Crimson Queen): This is the large plant on the left side of the house. While I don't often care about the botanical name of a plant I'm using, it may be difficult for you to locate on the web or in a local nursery if you don't have that name as well. This is a tree that displays beautiful shades of red throughout the growing season. It grows to a mature height of about 10-15 feet, and is best used as a specimen plant. It is one of the Japanese Maples better known for its disease resistance, and once it is established, it is fairly easy to maintain.

2. Japanese Yew: I’m placing one of these evergreen hedges at either side of the patio as an “anchor” to the area. This is an attractive, lush evergreen which is relatively easy to maintain, and thrives in both sun and shade. This is important for me because of the large maple tree I have located just in front of this planting area. The hedges will receive no more than about 4 hours of sun each day. This hedge can reach a mature height of over 20 feet, however performs equally well when it is neatly manicured to a height of about 2-3 feet.

3. Goji Berry or Chinese Wolfberry: I’ve had my eye on this baby for quite awhile ever since I happened upon it in a catalog, and can’t wait to try it out for myself. There are many reported health benefits of this fruit, and I’d like to add it to my morning smoothie. I’m not sure if it’ll take in this climate, but I’ve got to try it!

4. Globe Arborvitae: I didn’t add this to the design, but I will most likely add some type of arborvitae to the right of the evergreen shrubs. This is the area right outside my large picture window, so I’ll want a low-growing variety, perhaps a dwarf, or I’ll be sure to do regular pruning of a regular sized arborvitae. I like the Golden Globe and believe that this would add some nice color contrast to the area.

5. Blue Fescue: This is a perennial grass with a blue-silvery hue to it, that grows to be about one foot tall and wide. It is a mound-type grass that works very well as a border plant, and requires little maintenance. I'm going to stagger several Blue Fescue plants along the front of the patio.

6. Nikko Blue Hydrangea: I did not add this plant to the do it yourself landscaping design, however I have one that is currently growing in front of the patio, and I may add 2-3 more plants to be located just behind the Blue Fescue. These plants can be pruned to maintain a very low growing habit. Also, depending on the acidity or alkalinity of your soil, your “blue” hydrangeas may exhibit a beautiful shade of pink. I was going to investigate this further, and alter the soil to change the color to blue, but I kind of like the pink...so I kept it.

7. Evergreen Shrubs: The 2 evergreen shrubs I intend to plant will be Topiary Spiral-Shaped Evergreen Shrubs. They’ll be planted right in front of a house wall to emphasize their shape. I’m really not too sure how this is going to work out, but my partner really likes them...so...I’ll give it a shot. My do it yourself landscaping motto is to keep things simple! It seems like these bushes may require a little more maintenance than I’m used to with all the regular pruning, but we’ll see.

8. Ice Blue Juniper: This is a nice low maintenance ground cover that is adaptable to many different soil conditions. I’m planting it below the Japanese Maple to decrease the amount of weeds in this area. This plant is easily pruned back each year and has beautiful silver-blue winter color that will offset the Blue Fescue quite nicely.

9. Ornamental Grasses: I just love the look of the ornamental grasses! I love the variety of colors, the way that they change throughout the growing season, the way they sway in the wind...just everything! There’s something very peaceful about being surrounded by these plants. I will definitely plant some type of Perennial Fountain Grass which can get as tall as 3 feet depending on the variety. This plant provides a colorful display throughout the change of seasons, and is a beautiful accent plant when planted with other perennials and at the middle of borders. When I make the purchase, I’ll decide what grass I’ll pair with the fountain grass. It’s possible I’ll change my mind at that time, and decide on different perennial flowers or plants altogether.

The stepping stones that I have placed in this design already exist in my landscape. They are sort of “buried” in the lawn/soil because of the amount of time they have been placed there, so I’ll have to dig those stones up and place them in their new location.

The patio is also made out of lannon stones and I debated about whether or not I wanted to have this patio redone altogether. I’ve decided that I’m going to try and revive it – easier and cheaper than replacing it – by cleaning off the stones with one of my lawn and garden power tools - the power washer, and removing the debris between the stones, replacing it with soil and attempting to grow Moss between the stones. There are many areas in my landscape where moss grows naturally, so I’m hoping to encourage this on the patio. I think it’ll make a nice, soft walking area if I’m successful.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When completing any do it yourself landscaping design, please be sure to take safety seriously! One of the easiest things to overlook is the need to call Digger's Hotline. This is a free service which identifies any electrical, gas or other utility lines buried beneath the area, and the location of those lines. You need to make the phone call about 3 days prior to digging. Anyone completing a do it yourself landscaping project should take this protective measure prior to digging. Please don't skip this important step!

Do it yourself landscaping can involve a great deal of time and effort, but once the project is complete, I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to see your creation take shape! I hope that this information helps you in your efforts, and that these do it yourself landscaping tips prove to be useful to you.

Happy landscaping!

Return from Do It Yourself Landscaping to Home Landscape Plan