The first step in any backyard transformation project is to define your landscaping objectives, which will direct your efforts more efficiently.
For example, if your primary goal is to create a low-maintenance backyard garden, this will influence your plant selection and space utilization choices. Such goals and requirements that can define your landscaping objectives include:
- Focusing on drought-tolerance
- Creating a vegetable, herb, or fruit garden
- Improving the aesthetic appeal of your backyard
- Creating child-friendly play areas
- Accommodate companion animals
- Be accessible to people with disabilities
Additionally, your choices may be influenced by various constraints, such as the quality and type of soil in your backyard, the need for pet-safe plants, and the available shade and sunlight.
The nature of the soil, in particular, plays an important role but can vary significantly throughout the state, with some areas having poorer soil quality than others. In such cases, adding organic matter (for example, compost) can improve moisture retention in sandy soils and drainage in clay soils, leading to healthier plants and a backyard garden that requires less upkeep.