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How to Install Your Landscape Plan

By Rose Kennedy, special to = HGTV.com

With a = full-color=20 rendering and a lengthy plant list, doesn't a = landscape=20 design plan look great? On paper, that is. To = make the=20 leap from the page to your property, though, = requires=20 less gazing and more go-getting. Follow these = steps to=20 transform dreamy drawings into a property that's = beautiful and enjoyable and adds value to your = real=20 estate:

1. Correct before cultivating. There's = no=20 point in adding pretty elements to a landscape = that has=20 unfavorable "pre-existing conditions" =97 you'll = waste=20 time and money. Before buying any plants, take = care of=20 any pH problems, poor drainage, fallen limbs or = dead=20 trees that could sabotage growing conditions. Find=20 out how to get to know your soil.

1. Work out where you'll start. Of = course you=20 want it all right now, but the reality is that = the=20 average do-it-yourselfer cannot implement a = landscape=20 design in a couple of weekends. Instead, = prioritize the=20 order of tasks you'll take on.

It's tricky to decide whether to hardscape or = plant=20 trees, shrubs, perennials or annuals first. If = you put=20 in the walkways, walls and decks first, you = won't have=20 to trample an area you've planted. But if budget = or time=20 dictates that the hardscaping comes last, make = sure to=20 leave a little buffer zone unplanted around it = to give=20 yourself some extra work space. Keep in mind, = you can=20 always augment the landscape in progress with = pots of=20 annuals, container-grown vegetables or even = potted=20 shrubs like Norfolk pines =97 don't let a = craving for=20 color or "instant green" derail you from = proceeding in=20 the most practical sequence.

Last, understand that your best-laid plans = may fall=20 victim to a budget crunch or plants that simply = aren't=20 available in your area =97 or not yet. When that = happens,=20 revisit your priorities.

3. Adjust and accommodate. No = landscape design=20 is foolproof, so do plenty of double-checking on = the=20 listed trees, flowers and shrubs, making sure = they're=20 all cold-hardy and heat tolerant in your USDA=20 hardiness zone).

The same goes for any substitutes you've = arrived at=20 on your own. Research them thoroughly so you = know you'll=20 be able to provide the climate, sun, shade and = soil they=20 need to survive =97 and note their growth rates = and size=20 at maturity so you're not creating cramped = conditions.=20 If you're a time-pressed gardener, make sure any = plants=20 you're including aren't pest-prone.
And=20 of course, always make sure that you won't be=20 introducing an invasive species.
Get=20 lists of shrubs, trees, perennials and vines = that are=20 hardy in your zone.
Find=20 out how to reduce your landscape's = susceptibility to=20 pests and disease.

4. Buy with the best of them. It's way = too=20 easy to go hog-wild when you're buying trees, = shrubs and=20 other plants to implement your landscape design, = but=20 it's better to buy just the healthiest specimens = at=20 prices you can afford =97 and to avoid cutting = corners=20 with plants that are close to what the design = dictates =97=20 but not close enough. If you forget the idea of = instant=20 gratification, you can save money by buying = smaller=20 versions (say, a one-gallon plant versus a = five-gallon)=20 that will thrive in your landscape design over = time.

Even if you purchase all the components at = once, be=20 sure to shop at a place where an expert can = answer your=20 questions, and try to avoid plants that are = already=20 blooming or don't have a good, intact root = system. And=20 don't let appearances fool you. While those = trees and=20 shrubs may look like a yard of dead stick in the = store,=20 lots of them grow like the proverbial weed, so = go by=20 what you know of the species' mature size and = buy only=20 what's been laid out in the design plan.=20

5. Make your marks. There's a reason = that=20 landscape design has been drawn to scale, and = you can=20 give your plants their best start if you mark = out the=20 area according to the blueprint, using a = measuring tape=20 or yard stick and garden hose, a line of flour = from a=20 sifter or landscape marking paint.=20

Like you would any other building project, = measure=20 twice, plant once =97 and remember that the = design should=20 provide space so that people can move through = the area=20 easily and you should mark those areas, too.

6. Plant according to plan. Once = you've mapped=20 and marked the area, start digging! Any plant = will need=20 a hole at least two and a half times as wide as = the root=20 ball and you should never plant anything deeper = than it=20 was previously planted. In fact, leave it an = inch or two=20 above ground level and let mulch finish the = rest.
Get=20 more on planting seedlings.

And forget everything you know about = container=20 gardening when you plant a sapling. If you = simply dig a=20 big hole and add amended soil, the tree's roots = will=20 grow only to the edges of the hole and then = start to=20 girdle around the perimeter of the space. A = better=20 technique is to break up or cultivate the soil = in a=20 circular area around the location where the tree = is to=20 be planted.=20

Of course, if the surrounding soil is too = hard or=20 weak to support the sapling at all, amend the=20 surrounding soil only as much as the tree needs = to=20 survive, and extend the amendment to an area = several=20 yards beyond the root ball. Another no-no: the = old=20 "volcano mulching," or mulching all the way up = to the=20 trunk, which diminishes a young tree's chance = for=20 survival.
Get=20 more on planting saplings.

7. Gain by maintaining. Most everybody = would=20 have a gorgeous landscape if you could just = plant and=20 wait for the sun, rain and chlorophyll to do the = rest.=20 But you will need to water, fertilize, maybe = prune. How=20 much and how often you water depends on the = climate=20 where you live, of course, but in general, = younger=20 plants need more water than established plants = and all=20 plants prefer thorough, infrequent watering. = Watering=20 too lightly makes their roots stay near the = soil's=20 surface, where they're susceptible to drought. = Find=20 out more about watering.
To find out what = type of=20 TLC is needed for plants in your area, it's = always good=20 to consult with the local extension agent, who = should=20 also be able to tell you about any water = restrictions in=20 your area.

8. Revisit your plan. The whole point = of a=20 landscape design is to minimize guesswork, but = you'll=20 still need to evaluate how well the plan is = working for=20 you. Every couple of months (and gardener's = journals are=20 great for this task), note which plants and = spaces are=20 succeeding and which are not =97 or which looked = great in=20 the planning stages but don't really reflect = your=20 preferences now that you see them in practice. = It's okay=20 to make replacements, as long as you research = the new=20 additions the same way you did at the start.

And keep in mind that just as the seasons = change,=20 your landscape design needs will require = amendments over=20 the years. Perhaps you'll develop a yen for an = outdoor=20 kitchen, for example, or decide you want some = plantings=20 for songbirds, or new kids or grandkids will = require a=20 grassy patch of lawn where before you were happy = with=20 hollies. When changes occur, it's back to the = drawing=20 board, but just for tweaks to your plan.

=97Rose Kennedy is a = home-and-garden=20 writer based in Knoxville, Tenn.

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