Start by determining what you want the landscape to do for you. Consider room for entertaining or recreation, space for pets, gardening or even privacy. Most likely it will be a combination of all these. Once you decide what the function of your landscape will be, make a plan showing how much lawn is needed, where to place trees and shrubs, and where the outdoor living areas will be. The accuracy of the plan is important since it will be used to determine construction material needed and the number and placement of plants.
Graph paper is available in both sizes.
Draw your house, walks, driveway, boundaries, and other features, such as existing trees, power poles, ditches, well, septic system, etc. To show which parts of the yard will get the most sun, indicate on the map which side of the yard faces south. Identify possible microclimates in the yard. These are areas that may be cool in dense shade or hot in sunny spots. Problems such as a steep slope, poor drainage or the need to screen unattractive sights should be taken into consideration.