Landscape Design

Master the art and science of landscape design with guides covering styles, planning frameworks, and visualization tools. Whether you are a professional drafting client proposals or a homeowner sketching your first backyard plan, these articles walk you through design principles, software workflows, and creative techniques that turn ideas into buildable plans. Learn how to pair plant palettes with hardscape materials, work with elevation changes, and present polished visual proposals that win bids and delight clients.

24 articlesAudience: Both
Finished Project
Landscape Design

How to Start Planning a Landscape Design for Your Yard (Without Getting Overwhelmed)

We get it—thinking about landscaping your yard can feel overwhelming. There are so many options, and if you're like most homeowners, you probably have a few ideas but aren’t sure how to bring them tog

Apr 16, 20252 min read
Buzz and Bloom
Landscape Design

Buzz and Bloom Design Template

This design template is bold and bright and full of blooms (welcome, pollinators!). All three of the plants in the design are covered in flowers and bring a great deal of cheer and beauty to your yard

Jun 30, 20242 min read
Beat the Heat #2
Landscape Design

Beat the Heat #2 Design Template

This template brings a fun pop of color and lots of blooms for the pollinators! The grasses in back create a backdrop full of greenery and texture, and the flowers in front bring the charm and color.

Jun 26, 20242 min read
Beat the Heat #1
Landscape Design

Beat the Heat #1 Design Template

If you’re looking for plants that are tough, resilient, and low-maintenance, look no further! This template is full of hardy plants that do well in a number of conditions. Most of them actively improv

Jun 11, 20242 min read
Cool Tones Design Template
Landscape Design

Cool Tones Design Template

Good landscape designs are based on several different aspects. Some of the basic aspects include color theory, texture, and variety. This template doesn't contain many types of plants, yet it checks a

May 31, 20242 min read
Symmetrical Hedge
Landscape Design

Symmetrical Hedge Design Template

As arranged in this template, these plants form a symmetrical hedge of somewhat loose, mounding plants. The symmetry creates balance, but the looseness of most of these plants and the variety adds sof

May 31, 20242 min read
Black & White Shade Garden
Landscape Design

Black & White Shade Garden Design Template

This shade garden sticks to a black and white color palette, creating a fun statement bed in an area that can often be overlooked. Each of these plants are perennials–they’ll come back year after year

May 24, 20242 min read
Purple and Gold
Landscape Design

Purple and Gold Design Template

This planter bed template employs just three different plant species, yet it packs a massive punch, year round. It’s versatile, too–if you’ve only got a small space, this plan can be scaled down. Alte

May 16, 20242 min read
Red, White, and Blue Design Template
Landscape Design

Red, White, and Blue Design Template

This template is composed of plants that are tough and can handle cold winters and dry summers. Your yard will look beautiful all year, no matter the season! As arranged in the template, these plants

May 16, 20242 min read
Fall Color Template
Landscape Design

Fall Color Template

This template brings you year-round color. Each season allows for different plants to have their moment of glory, and your yard will look good no matter the time of year! Autumn, in particular, is whe

May 16, 20242 min read
2
Landscape Design

10 Things You Should Consider When Designing Your Landscape

Landscape design is an art form that combines the beauty of nature with the skill of a designer. It’s a way of creating a stunning and functional outdoor space that enhances the value of your property

May 10, 20233 min read
5
Landscape Design

Landscape Design Rules of Thumb

There is an overwhelming amount of information available about designing your own landscape. While we believe that you can never learn too much about landscaping, we realize that too much information

Aug 10, 20225 min read
mulch
Landscape Design

Summer Landscaping Tips

With longer days and the kids out of school, it can be tempting to spend the summer completely transforming your yard, adding in all sorts of new plants and changing everything up. It should be noted,

Aug 10, 20225 min read
IMG 1563
Landscape Design

Large Whimsical Garden for Entertaining

Over the last 50 years, the owners of this garden have DIYed every aspect of their spacious, half-acre property. From the front, this house seems unassuming, but as you enter the backyard, your breath

Jun 10, 20224 min read
IMG 1424
Landscape Design

Formal and Flirty Garden

This garden is the perfect mix of formal and flirty. The classiness of some of the more traditional foliage plants pairs well with the plentiful pops of color from a variety of blooms. From interestin

Jun 10, 20223 min read
IMG 1334
Landscape Design

Terraced Yard with Distinct Outdoor Rooms

Before 2019, over half of this sloped backyard was grass. One day, the owner of this garden realized that no one ever stood in the bottom half of her yard except for her when she came down to mow it e

Jun 10, 20223 min read
IMG 1269
Landscape Design

Shaded Forest on a Hill

Even though many people would worry about purchasing a home with an upward-sloped lot, the owner of this garden said the unique structure of the property was what especially compelled him to take it.

Jun 10, 20223 min read
trellis path spaces
Landscape Design

Landscape Design Tips for Small Spaces

In the last several decades, houses have become larger and lots and have become smaller, leading to smaller backyards. You may feel like you don’t have enough space to create the landscape of your dre

Jun 6, 20229 min read
New planting bed
Landscape Design

What to Prioritize When Installing Your Landscape

After you have designed your dream yard, you may start to wonder how you should prioritize steps in the installation process. For many people, time, financial resources, or other factors may make it i

May 12, 20227 min read
White house backyard with elevated patio
Landscape Design

The 5 Steps to Creating an Amazing Landscape

Whether you’ve just moved into a new place with an empty yard or you’re looking to re-do your existing landscape, there are five main steps to the landscaping process. Putting in the time and planning

May 12, 20226 min read
Backyard patio
Landscape Design

Seven Engaging Ways to Improve Your Landscape

Now more than ever, our backyards have become places to retreat and find solace. With a little planning, you can create the yard of your dreams! It can be a place of gathering and fun, a cozy and char

May 12, 20225 min read
Backyard patio
Landscape Design

The Top 3 Elements of a Fantastic Yard

If you want to have the nicest yard on the block, but have no idea where to start, this is the post for you. Starting out with a plan for your yard is crucial to its success. If your design is based o

Mar 24, 20223 min read
Backyard with patio pond and plant combos
Landscape Design

Surprising Benefits of Sustainable Landscaping

We know that some of you may envision sustainable landscaping as a yard with nothing but dirt, rocks and a few cacti. However, this is far from the truth. A well-designed sustainable landscape can loo

Mar 24, 20222 min read
Family gardening
Landscape Design

Health-Focused Landscape Designs

When you’re planning out the design for your yard, you have an opportunity to create a plan for your future health. Studies have shown that if people have an outdoor area that is accessible, attractiv

Mar 15, 20224 min read

Explore More Topics

Ready to design your landscape?

Put what you have learned into practice. SimplyScapes gives you professional-grade design tools — free to start, no credit card required.

Free forever. No credit card required.