Most of us have had a time when we’ve driven through the neighborhood or visited friends and realized just how important landscaping is to the overall appeal of a home. For many of us, it is at this same point when we realize that we have no idea where to begin in landscape design for our own homes.

Landscape design is a tricking task for a number of reasons. Our options vary depending on the climate in which we live and the changing seasons. One of the most difficult hurdles in landscape design is creativity. We may like the way one idea looks on a different house but not know how to make the idea work for our own settings. This can be a frustrating realization.

To find potential landscape designs, it really is best to start from scratch. Do not worry too much about the details, such as which plants will survive in your climate or the cost of your project. Begin by collecting examples of landscape designs that appeal to you. When first starting your collection, there is no need to be realistic. Feel free to choose designs that are completely different from one another or that you may first believe will not work for your home. Take a drive and take pictures of landscape designs in the area, cut pictures out of magazines and find examples online. This compilation will be your starting point for your own landscape design.

Now that you have compiled your collection, it is time to work your ideas into a plan that will work for you. This time, when you look at each design, do not be bothered if the features of the house in the picture are different from yours or if the plants will not grow in your climate. Instead, go through and look at each picture and figure out which specific features of the design appeal to you. Keep in mind that these are ideas rather than exact models. Doing so can help to open up new creative possibilities rather than dismissing an entire idea because we do not like the specific plant used in an example picture. As you look at each photo, also imagine how you could work the design into your own setting to fit your own house. Remember that these pictures are starting points, but you can tailor your ideas to fit your needs.

Some examples may help you to put these ideas into practice. Say you are drawn to a picture of a certain arrangement of palm trees. While you may have not have initially considered this picture because palm trees will not grow in your climate or are too expensive, now you can take the time to discover what it is you like about the design and consult with a landscaping professional to discuss options you could use for trees to create a similar design. You may have initially disregarded another design because your house did not feature the window boxes or lattice in the picture, but now that you have realized why you like the display, you can find a place on your house where you can create something similar.

When we begin by choosing specific landscape elements from broader designs, we end up with unique landscape designs we can call our own. If we initially limit ourselves to choosing only examples that look similar to our settings, we will essentially end up copying the designs of others. The trick to unique landscape design is to recognize that our designs can have similar effects as others without including the exact elements.