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New Home Landscaping Careful planning is the key to success at landscaping from scratch. From "Dirt On Gardening" episode DDOG-112

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Professional Assistance

It's wise to invest in a professional landscape plan. Work with a landscape contractor or designer to develop a blueprint for your landscape. Bring your budget, your plan and be prepared to ask questions. Getting help from a professional at the beginning will save you time in the long run.

A conceptual landscape plane is less costly, and provides a basic outline or concept. For a little more money, drawings can be included as well.

A detailed landscape plan is more expensive, but you may find it worthwhile as something you can rely upon and refer back to as you develop your landscape step by step.

Looking at your budget, determine what you can contract for and what you can do (and are willing to do) yourself. Lower-level skills, like clearing, prepping and planting are things you can likely do yourself. For higher level skills, like working with masonry, concrete, drainage control and electrical installations, you may want to consider hiring a professional landscape firm.

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Breaking Ground: Tips for Getting Started With Landscaping

• Get your soil professionally tested. A soil test will tell you what type of soil you have--sandy loam, clay, etc. Armed with that information, you can find out what types of nutrients or amendments you may need to add in order to create a lush, beautiful yard.

  Money-Saving Tip: In most cases, compost is the preferred type of soil amendment for a new landscape. You may want to purchase compost in bulk and have it delivered.

• Invest in a good watering system. Irrigation is the next key to healthy yard. Depending on your yard, you may need a professional to install a system.

• Start your landscape with a few good-sized trees. Invest in some trees in the 15-gallon containers at the nursery. They're instant gratification because they've got a head start. Then you can add the smaller plantings--shrubs, perennials, ornamentals and other plants.

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