How to Landscape a Large Lot

Create a drawing of your yard to scale. Include your home, existing trees and other features in the yard as well as any slopes. Graph paper is helpful for scale drawing because you can put the ruler down and count the squares instead.

Make a wish list of the features you want to include in your landscaping. Do you want to leave space in the back yard for a kitchen garden, plant trees or install a fence to border the property lines, or wrap rose bushes around the front porch? You may not be able to include every feature right away, but this list will help you visualize and think creatively about your landscape.

Begin with the biggest projects first. If you plan to plant trees or build steps or retaining walls, completing these projects first will lay the foundations for smaller projects to follow. With a large yard, you can choose different types of large trees, like Japanese maples and weeping willows.

Consider the amount of open grassy areas you plan into the landscape. Did you leave enough room for the kids and pets to play? Will you be able to reach every grass patch with the mower, or do you want to scatter gravel to make some areas easier to maintain?

Seed the lawn with native grass seed, but avoid planting grass on a slope. Slopes are difficult, if not dangerous to mow. Tiered plant beds with a layer of gravel or mulch and basic timber steps will keep a steep slope safe and attractive.

Lay pavers, brick or stone to create walkways to the front entrance. If you plan to grow a large garden, you may also want to lay a pathway to the garden from your patio.

Plant privacy screens in exposed areas along the perimeter and pathways. Choose shrubs recommended for your plant hardiness zone and the growing conditions of your landscape. Ornamental grass, forsythia, hydrangeas, hibiscus and ferns add texture and color to a yard.

Prepare flower beds and vegetable gardens. Choose your favorite plants first, and since you have the space, plant companion plants to give vegetables the best growing conditions possible. Many companion plants, like beans and alfalfa, improve the overall conditions of a garden by adding nitrogen to soil and preventing pests.

Add climbers and flowering vines near fences to improve privacy and enhance the backdrop of your yard.

Edge gardens with pavers, brick, landscape timbers or mulch. Edging lends style and contours to a landscape while protecting plants from yard traffic and erosion.