1. Start with lifestyle

Landscape design is really about how you and your family want to use your outdoor space. Do you want a backyard with an expansive grassy lawn for throwing a baseball and setting up a swing set, or a gazebo sitting area surrounded by an English garden? Do you find gardening a therapeutic, relaxing hobby or do you prefer low-maintenance color spots that are nice to look at while reading on the back patio? All of these questions are worth considering before you plant anything.

2. Plan for the long haul

Good landscape design is like good architecture: they both stand the test of time.  Start with a foundation of trees and shrubs that provides the basic structure of your yard, and will grow over time in a manageable way. Leave plenty of room for expanding root systems and branches, accenting with foliage that can be thinned out over the years as the landscape matures. That flowering dogwood or redleaf Japanese maple you plant as a sapling will grow along with your family, and provide a wealth of memories as the years go by.

3. Design a year-round color palette

Your landscape is continually changing, from season to season – for better or worse. Plan for year-round color with annual and perennial flowers that ebb and flow with the seasons. Keep in mind that perennials typically have a two- to four-week peak of high bloom and then subside into foliage. One low-maintenance strategy is to plant a variety of the same species in an area – for example, daylilies –  that bloom at different times of the year for consistent color.