How to make a landscape design 🪴 THE STEPS 🪴 Plus DIY tips for a first time landscape design

Learn how to make a landscape design! Do you know the main steps?
I hope these tips for a first time landscape design will help you get started!

I HAVE EXCITING NEWS!
🪴Design-Your-Own Landscape Layout ONLINE COURSE is now available! For do-it-yourselfers who want to create their own landscape design, but just need a little extra guidance.

I’ll walk you through the design process, step by step, so you can create a practical, hand-drawn "layout plan" (a landscape design plan that shows the layout of the finished design).

How to survey your site for characteristics that will influence your design (saving you time and money by playing to the strengths of the space)
How to easily collect ideas and inspiration, and apply professional design strategies to bring inspiration to life in your own space
How to measure your yard and make a base map (a hand drawn, to-scale map) to realistically test ideas that match the size and scale of your space
How to research low-maintenance plant possibilities, and keep your planting plan organized for efficient plant shopping and installation

Learn more and sign up, here!

🌱 Landscape designing from scratch? It’s important to start with use, first, to come up with ideas 🪴

🌱 Landscape Design Tips for Reducing Weeds 🌱 Less time weeding & maintaining your yard through design:

And if you’re new here, hello! Welcome to Garden Project Academy, where I offer online courses and resources to help you with your garden project! My name is Eve Hanlin, I’m a certified horticulturist and landscape designer from the Pacific Northwest corner of the USA.

You can also follow on social media:
Tag me in your projects @gardenprojectacademy. I would love to see what you’re working on!

Remember that everything in my videos are for informational purposes only: It is entirely up to you to decide what is best for you, and your landscape.

©2023 Garden Project Academy LLC

[MichaelB]

I never thought much about gardening until I became a homeowner. Now it’s my favorite hobby. I find myself trying to recreate three acres into an old world fantasy scene. I’ve successfully naturalized Foxgloves in the woodline and have created an English Bluebell forest. Now I’m working on making a fantasy cottage style garden with climbing roses, hollyhocks, delphiniums, Foxglove and Lupins. It’s like being Bob Ross but painting with biology. And it’s a great thing to do with my daughters. Next thing you know your picking strawberries, making Oxeye Daisies and periwinkle into flower crowns with the girls, there’s humming birds after the cardinal climbers and butterflies everywhere and it all smells like roses outside. Can’t beat gardening as a hobby!

[RT-subl]

I do my base map digital as PPP slides having google map as a background picture. That makes it very easy without measuring to get the proportions right. I can also copy any slide and play around with ideas and write down information for each plant, like the date it was planted etc. When google map is updated I can see if my flower plan and the new map match and correct it.

[alphadraconis]

@Garden Project Academy I've been working on landscaping for 15 years. Started as a labor, now I'm a foreman. I can build retaining walls, fountains, waterfalls, outdoor kitchens, covered patios, you name it! My next goal is to learn to design a landscape plan, I love what I do and appreciate you sharing you knowledge.

[veganconservative]

Draw a base map (make a printer copy as an emergency backup) then use clear plastic as overlay sheets, drawing in using non-permenant mediums. One can be for shade/sun, and others for walkways, patios, another for major plants you want. Now you can mix-and-match layers. Oops, this won't work with that? Wipe off the feature and redraw it.

[ayaouahnanou]

an architecture student here and who thought i'd actually be following steps from a diy video to do my assignment, ur process works

[scouser]

We bought a new family home many years ago and I hired a landscape architect to help design our back garden. His remuneration arrangement included a very reasonable upfront fee that was substantially discounted as long as we bought all our plant materials and landscape materials from the nursery he was affiliated with. He followed the same steps covered in this video, and the critical component that personally involved us was his gaining an understanding of our requirements and thoughts on the project. We were extremely satisfied with the creative ideas and required knowledge that he brought to the project. I did all the planting and other landscape required physical work myself. The end project was definitely much improved with the valuable participation of the landscape architect. I was personally also capable of drawing to scale paper renditions of the site plan and finished design, as I had taken drafting courses in high school; however, I did not possess the needed knowledge of what plants would thrive in our climate, soil type and sun and shade areas. In addition, he possessed the knowledge of the ultimate size of the chosen plants trees and shrubs, all of which is required to develop a plan that you will be happy with. By the way, I do enjoy your educational videos. You do an excellent job.

[cipherklosenuf]

For the base map I used the back of wrapping paper with 1 inch squares at a scale of 1sq yard to 1 square inch. I also used construction paper cut outs for plants.
I label the cut outs ..one could use post it notes too. This permits me to move things around on the map. I take a photo before putting it away.

[abc_xyz_is_me]

Hello from Slovakia, EU. I just want to express much appreciation for the good work you do here. I swear I couldn’t find any comprehensive and valuable content on approaching landscape design. You can address the most important info quickly and precisely. Unfortunately, real, modern landscape designers are scarce and I can’t help the feeling they’re not worth investing in. Thank you for this. You go by example. I wish you success. 👍

[grimrevan]

Tip: I used to draw base maps for reworking rooms in my house. For saving redrawing multiple times I recommend drawing out spaces of objects that take up space in your plan on another graph paper and cut them out with some light shading of a color pencil and write the name of the object on it. This way you can move it around your plan and figure out it's best placement. Since most parts of the garden will have a maximum radius/diameter you can easily make circles in proportion. It may seem tedious at first, but can save a ton of time in revisions. If you are this can happen countless times. I have a lot of heavy furniture that my wife can't help with. I like to move things once.

[Zayskibop]

i spend the last 6 months trying to find landscape design information that didn't irk me due to lack of foresight in the impact you are making or not being driven by profit.. You are knowledgeable, resourceful, and full of what's missing in landscaping! soooo glad I found your channel

[tricia]

This is SUCH GREAT CONTENT! i get excited when i see a notification for a new video. I have a question... who would i contact to do a 3D rendering of my design? Does sketchup exist for plants? Lol just wanting to get an idea if possible.

[dlynch]

Just brilliant for a widow on a small budget. I so appreciate you and feel grateful to have found your channel. TFS ❤

[kimberlymeredith]

I have a space in my backyard, heck my whole backyard(but we will start smaller), that I have been planning for two summers. I've been waiting for your course and am very excited to get started. Thank you for making this class available!

[Haileyrie]

This is the most helpful video and I plan on watching your other videos. We have decided to take a quarter of our 6 acre field that’s next to our wood line and turn it into a whimsical fairy garden. The inspiration is there lol but the steps to actual reality has had me stumped till I found your channel ! 😍

[anakreonmh]

I watched many similar channels but your provides such high quality and well structured content. I appreciate that. Thanks!

[Neonatnoon]

This is all such good info, I’m excited to use the map to gather some data so I can pick the right placement of things. Thanks for sharing and showing examples of why you use them.

[kitzimmerman]

I like using tracing paper over my base map. I've gone through many rolls of yellow trace paper.

[carolinemcintosh]

Very useful, informative and has helped me so much in understanding someo f the basics of landscape design. I can't afford to pay a landscaper and know very little about landscape design but this sets out very practical methods and process of the important things to take into account. I have a very 'difficult' section, it's sloped, and 'wonky' and had been uncared for. Lots of work to get it back to a starting point. I love the idea of doing the site survey to actually put down on paper or digitally the opportunities and limitations and also identifing what I have, the sun shade spots etc etc and to see where I can take it from here. Thank you so much

[theawilkins]

Thank you so much for this video. You really break down the steps well for all of us trying to do things on our own. I'm really excited to draw out a base map and being more organized with my plan instead of just buying a plant and planting it randomly.

[lsusantitus]

You are my very favorite . Thanks for your mind blowing thought processes. You get me going with start to finish.. favorite hands down ..❤