I like landscaping. It makes my home look nicer. It also makes my home a more-pleasant place for me and my guests.

I also enjoy some of the landscaping done by other people. Especially those people who have put in so much more effort than I have.

To most people, landscaping just means a few plants and flowers scattered about. Actually, it is much more than that.

It includes the hardscape or hardscaping, which are the non-living parts.

That would be such things as walkways, walls, fences, paved paths, patios, pools, fountains and decks. And don’t forget the pink flamingos.

It also includes the softscape or softscaping, which are the living parts. That is the grass, flowers, plants, shrubs and trees.

As with most activities around the home, there are two ways of doing thing. You can hire a professional or you can do it yourself. For most of us, it is do-it-yourself landscaping. All you need is a little knowledge, a little money and some work. How much work you do is up to you. I know I have my limits.

Here’s a tip for you. You are more likely to achieve quality landscaping if you begin with a landscaping design. Today they even have landscaping software you can use to create landscaping designs. You also can buy landscaping videos.

It all can sound very complicated and overwhelming. You can read articles about design and they will mention scale, proportion, form, lines, texture, color and other such things. I find these terms to be meaningless.

My landscaping ideas come from very simple sources. Best of all, they are free landscaping ideas. I look at what other people have done. If I like it, I copy it or adapt it. I look at other homes near me for front yard landscaping ideas. I look at landscaping pictures in magazines for backyard landscaping ideas.

You do need to landscape in accord with your geographical location. A wooden deck is popular in Oregon or Washington. It quickly will rot away in Florida. No matter how much you like desert landscaping or Arizona landscaping, you are not going to be able to have it in Minnesota.

Then I go to work. Landscaping yards is easy. I visit a garden center and get a few landscaping plants and flowers.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money. Have you ever seen a redneck tire planter?

Some things are more difficult to do. Hillside landscaping can be a challenge.

Water provides a pleasant setting. Some people are blessed with a lake or pond. Other water settings are manmade. There are many things you can do for pool landscaping. Fountains look good everywhere.

Gardens can be very rewarding. They provide a pretty and restful environment. You can make a flower garden or a vegetable garden. How about a rock garden?

Whatever your final landscaping goals are, remember that you don’t have to do everything at once. Just get started and have fun with the process. When you finish you can sit back and enjoy the results.