How to Landscape Perennial Gardens
Landscaping adds beauty and value to a home. When the landscaping is a perennial garden, you add easy care and reliable beauty. There may also be a plethora of return visitors, such as birds and butterflies, who grace your garden.
- Spend some time doing research. You need to know your growing zone and what plants will grow well in your climate. Look online at websites and blogs to pick up additional gardening tips. Learn about shade perennials and sun perennials and how to best care for them. Check out books from the library on the subject, or consider subscribing to a gardening magazine.
- Make a map of your yard. Use graph paper and include the house and any existing landscaping to stay in place. Inspect the area, noting the condition of the soil. Figure out how much sunlight shines in different areas of the yard. Mark your map where the utility lines are located. If a sprinkler system is in the grounds, include this on the map as well.
- Determine whether you want a formal garden or a natural one. A formal garden will have neat, maintained beds and edged, linear or symmetrical paths. Brick is a good choice for formal design. A natural landscape may incorporate a flagstone or pea gravel path, with a more eclectic vibe to plant order.
- Make a list of plants to incorporate into the yard. A casual yard could include delphinium, poppy or butterfly weed. A formal garden might have boxwood, roses or hostas.