Weekend Tips For Your Garden: When It Comes To Planning, Less Is Not More

To borrow a phrase from Robert Browning's poem, Andrea del Sarto:The Faultless Painter "Less Is More." But no so, when you are building your garden.  There are so many different variables to building and planting a beautiful garden in your yard. Now is the time to start figuring out what colors, styles and decor you would like to have in your garden.

You cannot do without water. Therefore, you need to consider your water sources and what plants will require more water than others. You can go with a drip system, traditional sprinkler system or a decorative water wheel with a pond.

Color, color and more color is the name of the game. Greens, yellows and purples with some added blues, will dazzle those who will view your backyard masterpiece.

Something else to think about is shape. Not only are there traditional flower shapes with peddles and bulbs, but what about broad, leafy shapes that will provide shade for the flowers that require less sun than others? You could also stage garden peacocks that have big foliage and showy blooms.

And finally, you can add decor to your yard at little to no cost. It doesn't take much to buy or get a used chair that you can paint yourself to stage in your garden. Even a non-functioning, 3-teired fountain could be used for hanging plants and flowers for a bigger and more broad planter.

The ideas are endless. I would advise that before you plant your original garden, draw a diagram of your yard and draw in what you would like to plant. This will make it somewhat easier when figuring out what to buy and will help you get a good vision for your yard.