How to Design Outdoor Landscaping

Measure the yard or garden space you plan to landscape. Most outdoor spaces will not measure a perfect square or rectangle, so measure any odd shapes and immovable objects in the area that you must work around.

Use your measurements to draw a blueprint of the area you have to work with. Allow each block on the graph paper to represent one square foot or meter of the area you intend to landscape.

Draw the current landscape design onto the graph paper in pencil. Darken specific lines with pen to represent parts of the current landscape that you cannot or do not intend to change, such as the location and edges of the driveway, or location of porch steps.

Draw on the design sheet any landscape elements you wish to include and erase any you want to remove or reposition. Start by positioning definite pathways, patios and driveways, as you will need to design other landscaping elements around those elements.

Choose materials for pathways, patios and driveways that compliment the exterior façade of your home or business. Choose materials that enhance the look of your building without identically matching in terms of sizes and colors. For example, orange clay pavers might clash with orange brick siding on a building.

Draw in the locations of gardens, bushes, fences and rock walls in the landscaping area. Most fences and rock walls will go along the edge of the property or along pathways, while bushes and gardens may go against these things or against the house. You can also place gardens in the center of the landscape, with pathways built through the gardens.

Color in the locations of gardens, fences, walls, pathways, driveways, patios and other landscape elements with a coloring pencil. This provides you with a better visual of the placements you have chosen. If you do not like the design on paper, re-draw until you find the perfect landscape design before you start any physical labor.