Landscaping - Gardening - Lawn Care

Repetition & Scale
Repetition

Repeating an element periodically in your landscape creates a sense of unity. It could be a color, surface, shape, flower, or even a continuous path that winds through all of your outdoor rooms.

Scale
The relative size of your landscape's elements is important. Our eyes expect a certain range and progression of sizes; a deviation looks wrong. For example, we expect to see the shortest plants at the front of a bed or border and the tallest ones in back.

Landscaping must also be in proper proportion to your house. Towering trees would overwhelm a cozy cottage, while an 8- to 10-foot deck might look pathetically small on the back of a large, sprawling ranch-style home.

Implementing Your Plan

Few people can afford to create the landscape they desire in just one season or year. Here are some basic scheduling guidelines for making long-term changes to your yard.

Clear the site. In other words, do any necessary landscape destruction, such as tree removal, before you add anything new.

Do rough grading and install underground items. Install a pool, pond, drainage system, and all underground utilities. Prepare any large areas of soil while you have the equipment there.

Build structures. Or, if they are on the waiting list, keep their locations in mind as you plant, and leave a clear path for any large equipment that you'll need to create the structures.

Break large jobs into small segments. When prioritizing work, consider which existing conditions you can live with longest and which improvements will contribute to your use and enjoyment of your yard right now.

Better Homes and Gardens

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