This is all about landscaping ideas and how to create an attractive planting design. But before you can think about the plants you want to grow and the layout you must first consider the bed itself. When planning a new garden bed the three mistakes people make concern its size, height and position. This is explained in an article by Mike McGroarty which I found on Mike’s Backyard Nursery website.

The secret to an attractive landscape design is you have to be bold and daring.? Take off your ?conservative? hat and toss it in the fire pit!

What do most people do wrong?

1.? They don?t make the planting beds large enough.? Be bold, make those beds big.? Look at some landscape designs you like, get out of your car and step off the bed.? I think you?ll find that the nicest landscapes you see are beds are much wider than what you are thinking.
My advice is always the same, take all the money you have allocated for the project and build the beds.? You can always add more plants later, but it?s much more difficult to add soil to the beds or make the beds bigger later on.
2.? People don?t raise the beds high enough.? You don?t have to make the beds 24? high, but you do need to make them at least 10? to 12? high.? The plants will do better, and the landscaping will show off more.

3.? Design your beds in such a way that you can mow your entire lawn without the use of a weed whacker or a trimming mower.? Pam does most of the mowing at our house because she likes our yard to look nice and she likes mowing the grass.? (I think)? I bought her one of those zero turn mowers and she?s a wiz on that thing.? She gets it out the garage, rides around the yard for about 20 minutes and puts it back in the garage.? That?s it, she?s done.? Now trimming and absolutely no weed whacking.? Or string trimming as some would say.
The above photo is a bed design that was laid out by me so I can maneuver around this house at the nursery with ease and quickly cut the grass.? Nice gentle curves that are manageable with a riding mower.

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Image source: Mike’s Backyard Nursery
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