from our "home remodeling" project library

There is but one standard by which your garden should be judged: do you like it? If the answer is "yes," then your garden is a success. But while success can be judged by a single criterion, failure can be the result of a thousand different things, and when you begin to design your own perfect garden, you need to be aware of those many things that could be conspiring against you.

Picture It before You Plant
Creating a perfect garden is in some ways like painting a picture: if you don't have a clear idea before you start of what you want, you're likely to be disappointed. Coming up with a garden design can be as simple as creating a diagram of your back yard, sketching in the colors you want where you want them, and heading to your local garden store to find flowers and plants to fill out your palette. The important thing is to know what you're trying to achieve before you start.

Make It Make Sense
It's also important to be practical. If you're planning on including a vegetable patch in your garden design, for example, it might seem convenient to be able to take two steps out the back door to pick a few items for the salad. This is true, but do you really want your aesthetically-challenged zucchini and tomato plants to be more visually prominent than your flowers?

You Can't Grow Pineapples in Pennsylvania
Remember to be aware of where you live. The greenest of thumbs can't make a barrel cactus thrive Vermont. Including native species and plants that have adapted well to your area in your garden design will go a long way towards making your garden a success.