Do-It-Yourself Landscaping Online

Landscaping is a very important aspect of your home`s attractiveness. Trees, shrubs, flowers, plants and a well-kept lawn all add to the value, beauty and appeal of your residence. So, although you are not a professional landscaper, by using online resources to educate yourself in the landscaping profession, you can create a professional landscape for your home.

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It is important that you do your homework -- so begin by doing a site analysis of your property and deciding what you want your landscaping to provide, for example a play area, a patio or entertaining area, a vegetable garden, and any flowerbeds. Perhaps you desire a water treatment, such as a pond or fountain. Make a note of any existing trees, shrubs and plants that you either want to keep or remove. Then ask yourself some basic questions. Are there any changes to elevation that you want to make? Do you need to leave space for a shed for storage? Also ask yourself how much time you want to spend maintaining your landscaping.

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As you do your site analysis and planning you can do additional online research regarding any aspects of this site analysis to obtain additional detailed information. For instance you might want to research ponds and pond maintenance. Or you might need more information about the cost of sheds and construction. You may have questions about the type of patio to include in your design - poured concrete or a wood deck. These are all topics that can be thoroughly researched online.

Once you have decided on just what you want included in your landscape, it is time to think about how you are going to include all of these elements in your landscape design. The best way to accomplish this is by physically walking around your property. (Take along a pad of paper and a pencil to jot down your observations, etc.) You may find that the spot you thought would be perfect for the play area doesn`t really work. Or that you want a bigger deck or patio than you originally thought. And, maybe that tree in the backyard will provide the shade that you desire. As you walk your property you may also discover that you need additional paths or walkways.

Once again, you can find additional information online, such as the sizes of play sets. (Will they fit into the space you have allotted?) Maybe you are considering a precut deck, in which case you will want to find out what the standard sizes are. As you can see, you can use the Internet to aid you in answering all of your landscaping questions.

Once your questions are answered, you can finalize your landscape design. You can even get detailed instructions online on how to measure your property and lay out your design to scale.

Your design is finalized and now it is time for what most gardeners consider the fun part -- picking out your trees, shrubs, plants and flowers. You can do online research on plants and trees that are specific to your growing zone and learn their characteristics, such as mature height and width, location requirements (full sun, partial shade or shade) and what diseases/pests they might be prone to.

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You can educate yourself on how to purchase a healthy tree or plant and you can even get a feel for price ranges. All of these things can be accomplished online without even stepping foot in a nursery.

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The Internet is a wonderful resource for all of the educational tools that a do-it-yourself landscaper requires and all of this information is only a click away.