• Starting with a blank canvas, use articles and photos of other yards to inform your landscaping process.new construction landscaping image by Photoeyes from Fotolia.com
  
  The boon of being a homeowner: Your backyard can offer peace, time with nature, fresh herbs, flowers and vegetables, a place to grill or barbecue, and space for children to play. When landscaping your backyard, keep in mind all the purposes you intend the space to serve. Identify which elements of model backyards you want to incorporate into your own. Use both visual and written resources as aids.
  
  

Lawn Alternatives

• Instead of a lawn, take inspiration from the American southwest and try "xeriscaping."patio image by Joan Albert Lluch from Fotolia.com
  
  When landscaping, consider designs that use less grass and more varied plantings. Particularly effective in dry areas, you'll find the arrangements cut down on water use and add some interest to the space. Many resources offer tips on "xeriscaping," or landscaping intended to consume the least amount of water. "Sunset" magazine offers an online photo album of backyards with minimal lawns. Landscaping ideas include planting between pavers, planting decorative and hearty grasses, large beds of low-growing succulents and potted plants complementing expanses of gravel or sand, according to "Sunset" magazine. Apartment Therapy.com offers photos of yards from the American Southwest that make use of similar principles, with flagstone, packed earth, tiles or decks replacing large expanses of lawn.
  
  

Landscaping to Fit Your Space

• Container gardens bring the outdoors to the smallest of spaces.potted plant in peruvian garden image by Jennifer Stone from Fotolia.com
  
  Whether you have a palatial back meadow or an urban garden, design your landscaping to suit the space. "Sunset" magazine offers an online collection of photographs of gardens and yards that make the most of small or unusual spaces. Suggestions include using dramatically vertical plantings, such as vertical garden towers, hanging plants or slender varieties like the colonnade apple tree, according to "Sunset" magazine. Other unusual ideas include growing succulents among rocks and boulders, reclaiming parking strips with full flower beds or planting miniature vegetable patches in as little as four square feet, the magazine reports. To make use of walls or trellises, there are photos of different plants that make surprisingly good arbors, such as melons or zucchini, both of which double as decorative plants when in bloom, according to the magazine.
  
  

Full-Scale Landscaping Projects

• For a taller budget, combine varied plantings and outdoor elements for a lush and entertaining backyard.garden image by narongkron from Fotolia.com
  
  For a dramatic re-definition of your outdoor space, peruse successful landscaping projects that offer you a before-and-after glimpse. "Kiplinger" magazine features an online slideshow of extensive, professionally-designed landscape renovations. Most of the projects run from five to six figures, according to the magazine. The various yards' features include cabanas, swimming pools and lap pools, fountains, brick paths, recycled furnishings and a glassed-in conservatory. Regardless of your budget, the landscape designs in "Kiplinger" magazine offer visual clues on how to use plants and outdoor elements to complement the home's architecture.