The major feature to any landscape is the attraction of the eye to it. Therefore, in planning your landscape, think about how your landscape can "stand out" from others in your area. The use of less common and "interesting" plants and a design that "draws the eye to it" will achieve this.

Either you can hire a landscape designer or, if you feel confident enough to do it yourself, buy some landscaping software or books and put it all on paper. You don’t have to do your whole plan all at once, but it’s important to get everything down on paper so you have a unified vision of what you want to do, planning is vital.

Where is your future garden located? Is it visible to neighborhood, or to your eyes only? Does it receive full sun, or is it shaded part of the day? What is the soil type? All of these factors need to be considered during your planning phase, and will help you out with your plant choices.

Think about the entire space and the overall effect you want to achieve. Don't limit your ideas to trees, shrubs, and grass. Consider a patio, deck, screening wall, outdoor lighting, a new walk, or a parking area as possible landscape features. Think about what you are trying to accomplish with your landscaping. If you are interested in attracting wildlife or keeping neighbors from peering in, keep this in mind so that your landscaping can serve this purpose.

Landscape gardening takes a lot of work. Rather than having your garden turn into a construction zone, it is best to do things one stage at a time. This helps keep costs down and makes the plan flexible to changes.

Money can be saved by buying these materials during the "off” seasons. Wood for example is cheaper during the winter months. The price of shrubs and soil are lower when you buy late in the season.

Check the prices of your local stores that sell gardening equipment and supplies. You can also do some surfing on the web, and by comparing the prices that you can get nearby and those available elsewhere, there is a chance that you can get the same thing at a more affordable price.