Whether you have a large yard or a small yard, one of the fun things of having a yard is landscaping it. Have you always wanted a garden pond? Or perhaps you have always dreamed of having a waterfall in your yard? Why not develop the landscaping of your dreams?

Do you have children or grandchildren? Imagine your yard with wooden playscapes in an area of the yard designed especially for youngsters.

Other areas of the yard can include walkthrough gardens, flowers that add color and charm, and a selection of trees, shrubs, and other flora to balance the yard. Here are some basic ideas.

Areas

Having like elements repeat throughout the landscape, such as plants or rocks, will help unify different areas to each other. To fill in areas that need color perennials and summer bulbs can be added.

A play area is really beneficial if you have children or grandchildren. Wooden play sets can be attractive and a lot of fun.

A path for a tricycle or small bike can add to the fun. A gravel walkway around the yard will provide such a path and save the grass from being trampled down.

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Landscaping is a delightful combination of art and practicality. Following proper design principles you can create a scene that is both beautiful to look at and serves your purposes well. Professional landscape designers begin that process by considering the space available and dividing it into 'activity zones'.

An activity zone is an area that serves a specific purpose - a garden for flowers or vegetables, a yard for walking on, a pond for beauty, a patio for relaxing to look at them all. Those areas, and several more like walkways, fences and sheds are all part of the landscape and each needs to be considered in relation to the whole.

In order to create a whole that is pleasant to the eye and functional, you'll need to sketch out different designs - or use software to assist you.

In each area you'll want to think about which kind of flowers and other plants will grow best in your zone. You'll need to consider whether to create a multi-leveled step garden with the tallest in back, the next in the middle, the shortest in front. That works well, for example, in a rectangular garden with one side against the wall of your house. Or, maybe you want a circular garden that allows viewing from every side.

You'll want to consider areas for sheds to hold tools, the lawnmower, etc. Those areas will typically need to be flattened. Walkways, too, will need to be stepped or leveled, as will any patio unless it's raised.

You'll want to play in your imagination - on paper or on the computer - with various positions for trees of different species. Do you want shade trees for sitting under or fruit trees for growing your own apples, cherries and other fruit?

You'll need to drill down into some details about pruning practices, in order to keep your home safe from windblown branches and to keep your trees healthy. You'll want to consider the proper time of year to transplant flowers and shrubs, in order to keep the garden under control.

If you have pets or young children - or if you just want to separate off an area for esthetic purposes - you'll need to consider fencing. That can be in the form of ordinary chain link, or you may want something a little more stylish in the form of wrought iron, redwood or brick.

You should consider how much time and effort you want to put into maintenance after you've established your garden. Some plants require a considerable amount of care or will need to be replanted year after year. Annuals, for example, are plants or flowers that experience their entire life cycle in one year - hence the name. But that means re-doing the effort every year.

You should take into account the amount of sunshine versus shade for your various areas. That will have an impact on the type of plants you choose. Similarly, the amount of water available from rainfall versus the need to water will influence your choice. Some plants are very sun or drought tolerant, others do better in partial shade with perpetually moist soil.

So, above all, you'll need to consider your particular geography, climate and specific conditions. That will determine how long your growing season is, what mix of evergreen, deciduous or fruit producing trees you want, and a host of other variables.

But you don't need a degree in landscape design to get started and produce satisfying results. Start simple and add or re-do as your knowledge and experience grows. Expect a few failures. You'll soon discover that your efforts are bearing fruit as your landscape design skills flower.

One of the benefits of having a yard is the fun you can have landscaping it. Imagine your yard with a garden pond enhanced by a pond bridge, wooden “playscapes” for children, walkthrough gardens, and a selection of trees, shrubs, and other flora to balance the yard and enhance visual appeal. Whether your yard is big enough to include all those items or not, any yard, big or small, can be made to look appealing. Here are some basic ideas.

Areas

Repeating like elements such as plants or rocks throughout the landscape will help unify different areas to each other. Perennials and summer bulbs can be used to fill in areas that need color.

If you have children or grandchildren, a play area is needed. Wooden play sets can be attractive and a lot of fun. A gravel walkway around the yard provides a path for a tricycle or small bike and saves the grass from being trampled down. A large tree provides a place for a tree house. The possibilities are endless. There are landscaping books especially for designing child-friendly yards.

Lawn

The lawn is usually the largest area of any yard. A lawn is beautiful, but if you surround your lawn with beds of flowers and shrubs and with a number of trees for shade, it turns a lawn into a Garden of Eden.

Shrubs

Place shrubs around the perimeter of the lawn. In the foreground, flowering shrubs are a good choice, with the bigger shrubs behind. To add beauty to your shrubs use spread lighting which creates a spherical pattern of light to highlight groups of shrubs and flowers.

Shrubs can complement the color of your house. For example, forest green trim on a house is complimented by shrubs with yellow leaves, and homes with neutral features can always use a few splashes of dramatic color in their landscaping.

Plant a few annuals near the mailbox and an odd number of shrubs or hedges in front of the house to create depth. As you drive around notice how that adds a touch of class to a house.

Flowers

Some people also like to place flowers in strategic places as part of the overall design to give the yard even more attitude. With some well placed shrubs and wonderfully colorful flowers you can transform your home from a run of the mill house to a showplace of style and grace. It is easy.

Pond

Building a garden pond can be a very satisfying project, and if done right will be the first thing people notice. Just about every yard has grass, shrubs and tress, but a pond adds something special, especially if there is a waterfall going into it.

Building a garden pond is not just a matter of digging a hole, lining it with plastic and filling it with water. You need a filter system to keep it clean and to aerate it, and you need a way to keep algae from taking over.

Rock

Rock can add drama to any landscaped yard. Rock also reduces the amount of water required to keep the yard looking green. If you live in an area that receives little rainfall decorating a yard with rock, whether it is in spots around the yard or the entire landscape, is a desired alternative.

Rock gardens really can be breathtaking when done right. Adding drought-resistant plants compliments dry rock landscaping well. This is a popular alternative to the vast areas of lawn traditionally found around houses in some parts of the world.

Rock can be used in several areas of the yard. Walkways, groundcover, walls, ponds and waterfalls are a few ideas where rock can be used with stunning results.

When using rock for groundcover and path work, it’s necessary to have a separator between the soil and groundcover. Rock walkways provide an attractive substitute for expensive and unsightly pavement, and will go with the rest of the landscaping.

Rock walls make an excellent alternative to white picket fences that may seem out of place depending on your surrounding environment and neighborhood. Water features can be as simplistic as a statue acting as a fountain to highly complex designs that mimic natural features with multiple terraces and water cascading over a rock bed.

Conclusion

Landscaping a yard is one of the pleasures of life. It’s a chance to add beauty to your surroundings for the benefit of yourself, your family and your neighbors. With some planning and research, and maybe some advice from a professional, anyone can design and create a yard that is stunning.