Considering the elements and amenities you wish to incorporate into your landscape is an important step of any landscape design. You cannot foresee all your future needs, but you have individual tastes and desires for your landscape.
Now is the time to venture out and look at different landscapes, either in your neighborhood or community places.
Armchair travel with books and magazines can help you visualize ideas you might be able to incorporate into your design. You will probably come up with more ideas than you have space!
The local library, bookstores, the Xeriscape Demonstration Garden and your neighbor's yards are all potential sources for ideas.
Finally, using a systematic approach can help you analyze your own likes and dislikes. Complete the Use Analysis Inventory to get help with some common landscape ideas.
As you move through this part of the exercise, keep notes, photocopies and photographs. Get out your panoramic photos and your base plan from previous steps. Lay tracing paper over each. Try out some of your new ideas. Remember tracing paper is inexpensive. Try many ideas!
