Landscaping Pictures Of Landscaping

How to effectively use other peoples ideas to design your landscape

In most peoples search for landscaping ideas, the most common online search is for landscaping pictures. A lot of folks rely on photos of other peoples designs to get their ideas. How do I know this? Simply because I have a large picture directory on my site that gets tons of traffic. But even still, the most common questions I receive are still related to specific shapes and design ideas.

Now it would seem that with as many galleries, directories, books, magazines, and sites out there filled with free landscaping pictures that just about everyone could find a close match to their own yard or property that could be copied. That is if every yard was square or rectangular. However, most yards aren't square or rectangular. So even with the endless landscaping idea pictures and examples out there, it's still highly unlikely that you'll find an exact match to the shape of your property.

Even as a professional designer, I still use pictures of other peoples landscaping as an educational tool to get new ideas and create landscaping plans. However, I find it almost pointless to search for an exact idea to copy. I look for several unique and creative ideas that can be worked together to create a plan.

Now here's the point to this article and some good solid advice.

When looking at landscaping examples, pay attention to the details, ideas, and principles that are most common in all designs. Look for the concepts that are repeated often by different professional landscape designers. These are the elements that look good because they are generally based on basic principles of art and design.

If you're looking at pictures of front yards, pay attention to the walkways, driveways, and entryways of different front yard landscaping ideas. Pay attention to how they lead to the home and work with their surroundings. Also pay attention to how they work with and incorporate with other elements in the design.

If you're looking at examples of backyard designs, pay attention to how privacy, different rooms, and different purposes are created. There are hundreds of backyard landscaping pictures on The Landscape Design Site that will give you examples and ideas to go on.

Look at the way shapes are repeated and different plant displays are grouped and placed. Take notice of little details that you can apply to your garden and landscaping plans. Pay attention to the details of landscaping and not just the shape. In this way you'll discover more about the mechanics of landscape design.

Other peoples landscaping pictures are a great design tool to help you generate ideas. However, instead of hopelessly searching for your exact layout, borrow several ideas from several different designs. You'll have a much better chance of creating something unique to your own property.