If you have the opportunity to design your garden from the very beginning, consider yourself very lucky.  Usually once landscapes and garden beds are in place it is a very expensive, labor intensive and time consuming process to remove everything and begin from scratch.  It can be done but if you get to design your garden without having to go through all of that process it will be much easier.

One of the very first things to consider as you begin is how the hardscape portion of your plan will be laid out.  This is where the initial planning starts to take shape, and it must be done at the beginning because it is more difficult to install hardscape after the fact, although it can be done.  Your hardscape consists of patios, decks, walls, sidewalks, even fountains and drainage areas can be considered hardscape.  These are labor intensive projects which can be accomplished by the homeowner who has the time and skill, but here at Nature’s Friends Landscaping we have been doing this for years and have the equipment and planning skills to make it simpler and more successful for you.

As you begin to make a plan, or as you talk to us as we help you with a plan, it is always a good idea to make your garden landscapes meld with Mother Nature.  Nature is not static and doesn’t run in a straight line, it meanders and bends depending on the topography.  So you want to create curves for the edges of the beds as opposed to straight lines, curves are much more appealing to the eye as it appears more natural. 

Now, you may be constrained by the lot size and might have to use some straight lines which is totally acceptable but anywhere you can add a curve it will be beneficial.  Your garden will appear to be less man made and more nature made if it has places where it curves out of sight, creating an effect which makes you want to walk that way to see what is around the bend!  That is what you want to achieve as you design your garden, a little mystery and some surprises.