There are so many gardening ideas available on the internet, TV lifestyle programs, and magazines, the problem isn’t finding some, but how to narrow down the selection!
The factors that will help your search are
1. Budget
2. Size of the garden area (backyard garden, courtyard, balcony and so on)
3. Your interest in gardening.
Other factors such as plant and soil knowledge, what tools, appropriate plants etc come later – and information is readily available from the local nursery and the evidence of what’s growing in your area.
Presuming the first three criteria are met, then the fun begins.
What do you need or want?
- Shade
- Color
- Play areas for the kids
- An entertainment area
- The practical: a vegetable and herb garden
- Style: Fragrant garden, shaded, cottage garden, tropical, drought-resistant.
Some ideas to consider for an average home with a front and backyard.
Garden accessories
- Fountains
- Ponds
- Garden art (statues, rocks)
- Birdbaths
- Arches
- Arbor
see more on garden accessories
Types of plants
Trees: large and small; flowering; for shade
Shrubs and bushes and cottage plants for foliage (texture, color, perfume), flowers, fragrance, color.
Lawns and grassed areas
Paving, walls, fences and edging
Swimming pools and accessories
The practical: water – availability and cost; soil preparation, composting, maintenance, climate, drainage. Some of these you can change – others not! But you can adapt!
The front yard is the introduction to your home – and therefore should be different than the back yard where you can be more relaxed and haphazard as your taste prefers.
The front should have a sense of welcome – a “feel good” sensibility.
If you area is limited, don’t worry. Many regular plants come in dwarf versions (even fruit trees) or espalier versions that allow you some taste of a garden that larger areas can enjoy. Many shrubs, annuals, herbs, vegetables and even small trees can grow in tubs and pots and up walls on a trellis