Once you’ve decided on the overall style of your garden-whether formal, semiformal, or naturalistic-define, divide, and conquer should be your design mantra. Following these three principal steps of landscape design will make the process of laying out a garden, which can seem overwhelming at first approach, much more manageable, successful, and enjoyable, says Meredith Jackson of Meredith & The New Yorkie.

Step 1

“Frame” your garden by defining the landscape’s outer boundaries. Any landscape, no matter its size, needs concise definition to be visually effective. A landscape without a boundary is like a painting without a frame: Even the most exquisite canvas looks better with the proper border around it.