Starter guide
Redraw your yard one bed, edge and path at a time.
Landscaping starts with a pencil, a tape measure and a walk around your own yard. It is the hobby of deciding where the lawn stops, where beds, paths and trees go, and then building that plan yourself with a shovel and a wheelbarrow. The work is physical and slow in a satisfying way: you cut a clean bed edge on Saturday morning and the whole front of the house looks different by lunch. You do not redo a yard in one go. Hobby landscapers take one small project at a time, each a weekend or two, and the yard becomes theirs over a few seasons.
A landscaping project has three phases, and only the middle one is digging. First you plan: measure, sketch, watch the sun and the rain, and decide what the space is for. Then you build: strip sod, cut edges, move soil, set edging, lay a path, plant. Then you tend what you built, which mostly means watering new plants through their first summer and recutting edges twice a year. A typical working session is four or five hours on a weekend morning, and you will feel it in your back and forearms the next day. Plants, mulch and gravel come from a local nursery or landscape supply yard. The tools are simple hand tools that last decades.
What you can build in your first month
A cut-edge planting bed
A curved bed about 4 by 10 feet carved out of the lawn, planted with three to five shrubs or perennials and mulched. It is the classic first project.
A re-edged front yard
Every existing bed line recut with the edger and topped up with mulch. No new plants, and the yard looks cared for in one afternoon.
A short gravel path
Ten to fifteen feet from the gate or patio to the shed or hose, dug out, lined, edged and filled.
A mulched tree ring
A 3 to 4 foot circle of lawn removed around an existing tree and mulched, which protects the trunk from the mower.
A first tree
One small container tree planted at the right depth, watered in and mulched, if you take the Tree planting direction.
Call 811 every time
State laws require you to contact 811 a few business days before any digging, including for a single shrub. The service is free. Utilities mark their lines with colored paint or flags. Dig by hand, slowly, anywhere near a mark, and move the project if it sits on top of one.
Private lines are on you
811 only covers utility-owned lines. Sprinkler pipes, low-voltage lighting cable, a gas line to a grill, invisible dog fences and septic lines are not marked. Check your house records and probe carefully.
Know your property line
A fence or mowing line is not proof of the boundary. Check your plat or survey before building or planting near the edge, and keep trees far enough inside that the mature canopy stays yours.
Walls and grading need permission
Many towns require a permit and engineering for retaining walls over about 3 to 4 feet, and some for lower ones. Changing the grade so water runs onto a neighbor's lot is not allowed anywhere. Ask your building department (and HOA, if you have one) before moving serious soil.
Lift less than you think
A full wheelbarrow of wet soil or gravel can top 300 pounds. Fill it halfway, lift bags with your legs and the load close to your chest, and get help for anything over 50 pounds.
Tool habits
Wear closed-toe boots, gloves and eye protection when cutting, tamping or raking stone. Keep your feet clear of the edger blade, and lay rakes down with the teeth facing the ground.
Look up, too
Stay at least 10 feet from overhead power lines with ladders and long tools, and never plant a tall-growing tree beneath them.
Draw the whole yard, or plant for the long run
Start here
Measure your lot and draw it to scale at 1 inch to 8 feet, with the house, driveway, existing trees and utility marks on it. Lay tracing paper over the top and sketch three different layouts before choosing one. Add the Garden design gear to the kit for the scale and the paper.
Start here
Pick the spot first: look up for power lines, check the tree's mature width against the distance to the house, and get your utility lines marked. Then buy a small container tree (a 5 to 15 gallon pot) in spring or fall and add the Tree planting gear to the kit.
Open a direction for its first step. Each button adds that direction's gear to the kit list (the scale ruler and gridded paper, or the staking kit and watering bag), and pressing it again takes them back out.
Planting a tree, step by step
Measure, edge, grade, build, plant
Reading the site
Know where the sun falls in June and December, where water sits after a storm, and which way the ground slopes. Every plant and path decision follows from these.
Measuring and layout
Pull two tape measurements from fixed points (house corners) to locate anything on your plan. For a square corner, measure 3 feet along one side, 4 along the other, and adjust until the diagonal is 5.
Cutting a clean edge
A crisp line between lawn and bed is what makes a yard look designed. Cut straight down, pull the soil back into the bed to leave a small trench, and recut in spring and midsummer.
Managing slope and water
Ground should fall away from the house, about 6 inches over the first 10 feet. A string and line level show you the slope you actually have.
Building a base
Paths fail from the bottom. Dig out 4 inches, tamp the soil hard, lay fabric, then add gravel in thin layers and tamp each one.
Right plant, right place
Check the mature height and width on the tag, and space for that size. Match sun needs and your hardiness zone before falling for a flower.
It looks sparse at first
Correctly spaced shrubs leave bare mulch between them for two or three years. Fill the gaps with annuals rather than planting too close.
Soil is heavier than it looks
A bed 4 by 10 feet produces a real pile of sod. Decide where it goes (a compost corner, a low spot) before you start cutting.
Summer undoes spring
New plants need steady watering through their whole first growing season, long after the project feels finished.
Planting along the foundation
Shrubs set 18 inches from the wall are jammed against the siding in five years. Plant at least half the mature width away.
Mulch volcanoes
Mulch piled against a trunk or stems holds moisture on the bark and rots it. You should be able to see the base of every plant.
Fabric under everything
Landscape fabric works under gravel. Under mulch in a planted bed it blocks new growth and weeds root on top of it anyway.
Too many kinds of plant
One each of twelve plants looks like a collection. Three kinds repeated in groups looks like a plan.
Your state extension service
Every state's land-grant university publishes free, locally tested advice on plant choice, soil and yard problems, and most run a Master Gardener help line.
Public gardens and arboretums
Walk one with a notebook. Plants are labeled and shown at mature size, which no nursery pot can do.
Your own neighborhood
Note which trees and shrubs look good in yards with your soil and sun. It is the most reliable plant list you will find.
Local nursery staff
An independent nursery will tell you what survives locally and when to plant it, and many deliver mulch and gravel by the yard.
The tools here are bought once. A shovel, an edger, a rake and something with a wheel do nearly all the work, and the layout tools (a long tape, marking paint, string) cost little and prevent expensive mistakes. When choosing a shovel, look for a forged or heavy-gauge steel blade with a turned step for your boot and a handle that reaches your breastbone. A file kept in the shed puts an edge back on the shovel and edger in two minutes, and a sharp blade cuts sod with half the effort. Edging keeps the lines you cut from drifting. The tamper and fabric can wait until you build a path. What the list cannot price for you is the living and loose material: plants, mulch and gravel vary with yard size and are far cheaper bought locally by the cubic yard than by the bag.
The first line is the plants, mulch and gravel, which come from a local nursery or landscape yard and are not something you order online. For the tools, compare the options on each line, then set your tiers and check out from the kit panel. Clicking a card selects it there. The digging, hauling, layout and safety lines start in the kit. The Garden design and Tree planting lines join when you switch those on, and the tamper and landscape fabric start out of it until you build a path.
The plants and loose material are the project itself, and they are heavy, perishable and sold by local climate.
Not sold on Amazon
Not sold on Amazon. Buy from a local nursery or landscape supply yard. One cubic yard of mulch covers about 100 square feet at 3 inches deep and typically costs $30 to $50, plus delivery. A first bed of three to five shrubs runs $60 to $150.
It digs planting holes, lifts sod and loads the wheelbarrow. No other tool gets used as much.
KOLEIYA Shovel,Shovels for Digging Heavy Duty with Fiberglass Handle,Spade Shovel for Gardening Trenching Planting Transferring,57 inches,Blue
4.2(267)
$29.99
Gemplers All-Steel Roundpoint Shovel with D-Grip, Digging and Landscaping Shovel, Durable and Comfortable
4.4(26)
$45.99
A long straight handle gives more leverage and is easier on your back than a short D-grip.
It cuts the crisp line between lawn and bed that a shovel's curved blade cannot, and recuts it each season.
A manual step-on edger is all a home yard needs. Powered edgers are for long runs of sidewalk.
The stiff steel teeth level soil and spread gravel and mulch, and the flat back smooths a bed for planting.
WORKPRO 65 Inch Bow Rake, 17-Tine Metal Head Rake with Adjustable Handle
4.4(119)
$27.99
Bully Tools Bow Rake 16" Tines, Heavy Duty Steel Garden Rake for Leaves
4.7(977)
$37.99
This is the rigid rake with short teeth, not a springy leaf rake.
Sod, soil, mulch and gravel all have to move across the yard, and carrying them by the bucket wears you out in an hour.
VINGLI Wheelbarrow, Plastic and Steel Wheel Barrel, Garden Cart for Lawn, Gardening, Construction (Black)
4.6(95)
$72.99
Gorilla Carts Poly Dump Cart, 800 lb. Capacity, 5 Cu Ft, Gray
4.7(30.6K)
$150.99
WORX Wheelbarrow Heavy Duty Dolly, 8-in-1 Aerocart Garden Cart, WG050
4.5(6.3K)
$189.84
One wheel turns in tight spaces and tips to dump. Two wheels are steadier with heavy loads. Check a neighbor's garage before buying: this is the easiest tool to borrow.
A yard is bigger than a pocket tape. A 100 foot reel measures the lot for your sketch and transfers the plan back onto the ground.
Sutekus Tape Measure 1/2" Open Reel Measure Tape Dual Sided Fiberglass Measuring Reel with Feet and Meters for Yard Field Engineer (100FT)
4.4(84)
$9.99
Fiberglass tape does not kink or rust when dragged through wet grass.
It draws bed lines and path edges on the grass so you can judge them before cutting, and white is the color 811 asks you to mark your dig area with.
Krylon K07316007 APWA Brilliant White Water Based Marking Paint - 15 oz. Aerosol
4.2(47)
$8.73
Buy the inverted kind, made to spray with the can upside down. One can marks several projects.
A morning on a shovel handle blisters bare hands, and gravel and edging steel cut them.
HANDLANDY Leather Work Gloves Mens & Women, Utility Safety Mechanic Working Gloves Touch Screen, Flexible Breathable Yard Work Gloves (Large, Brown-Cowhide Palm)
4.4(8.4K)
$16.80
Hydra Hyde Unisex Leather Work Duty Safety Breathable Hydrahyde Flexible Water Resistant (Large) Gloves, See Image, Large US
4.7(177)
$37.50
Snug is better than loose: extra material bunches and causes the blisters you are trying to avoid.
A tight string gives you a straight edge to dig to, and the small level that hangs on it shows how much the ground slopes.
LURKA Mason Line String,#18 Feet Braided Construction Nylon Line with 5 Built-in Levels and Spool Fluorescent String Line for Precision Work, DIY (540FT Orange Leveling Instrument Kit)
4.4(61)
$17.88
Mason Line String Kit with Adjustable Magnetic Post Level – Includes 6 hanging line levels, 2 rolls 540FT #18 mason line & reel, 2 beech wood blocks. Works on metal & non-metal posts. High visibility.
4.8(14)
$26.99
Tie it between two scrap wood stakes or long screwdrivers pushed into the ground.
It holds gravel in a path and keeps lawn grass from creeping into a bed, so the lines you cut stay put.
AGTEK Garden Edging 40FT Landscape Edging Kit 2 Inch Height Plastic Garden Border
4.4(819)
$15.21
EasyFlex No-Dig Landscape Edging with Anchoring Spikes, 1.5 in. Tall Straight Top Plastic Garden Border, 40 Foot Kit, Black
4.5(3.9K)
$30.59
VEVOR Steel Landscape Edging, 6 Packs 40 x 8 in Rust-Resistant Metal Landscape Edging, Bendable Garden Edging Border, Heavy Duty Lawn Edging, Easy-to-Install, Flower Bed Yard Pathway Divider Black
4.5(188)
$55.99
Measure the run first and buy that length plus 10 percent.
Tamping gravel, cutting edging and chopping roots all throw chips at face height.
Radians Mirage Performance Safety Glasses MR0111ID, Clear Anti-fog Lens
4.4(1.5K)
$7.23
DEX FIT Safety Glasses SG210 Series - Anti-Fog & Scratch Resistant Z87.1 Certified, Adjustable Temples
4.5(2.1K)
$13.99
NoCry ANSI Z87.1 Clear Safety Glasses with Side Shields — Durable Anti Fog & Scratch Resistant Eye Protection Glasses or Men & Women — ANSI Z87 Rated Protective Eyewear with 100% UV Shielding for Work
4.2(296)
$16.99
Look for the Z87.1 impact rating printed on the frame.
It converts feet on the ground into inches on paper without arithmetic, so a 40 foot fence line is drawn as 5 inches at 1/8 scale.
12" Architectural Scale Ruler, Aluminum Scale, Triangular Ruler, Scale Ruler for Blueprint Imperial Measurements for Architects Engineering Artists, Draftsman Drawing, Laser-Etched Markings.(Black)
4.7(597)
$4.99
WEN Architect Scale Ruler, 12-Inch, Triangular, Aluminum with Laser-Etched Imperial Drafting Scales (ME333R)
4.9(90)
$10.00
Stylo Architectural Scale Ruler, 12 Inch Aluminum, Black Imperial
4.7(1.3K)
$13.99
An architect scale reads in fractions of an inch per foot. Use the 1/8 side for a whole lot and the 1/4 side for a single bed.
You draw the fixed parts of the yard once, then lay fresh see-through sheets over it to try as many layouts as you like.
Bienfang Designer Grid Paper Pad, 10x10 Cross Section, 11x17 inches, 50 Sheets
4.7(1.2K)
$16.79
Clearprint 11" x 17" 1000H Design Vellum Pad with Printed Fade-Out 10x10 Grid, 16 lb., 100% Cotton, 50 Sheets, 1 Each
4.6(59)
$44.95
A printed grid keeps lines square. The larger 11 by 17 inch size fits a typical suburban lot at 1/8 scale.
A new tree on a windy site or with a small root ball can rock loose before its roots take hold. Stakes and soft straps hold it steady.
Tree Stakes and Supports, Heavy Duty Tree Stakes Kit Include 3Pcs Tree Straps for Staking, 3Pcs 12" Steel Spikes, and 39Ft Rope, Tree Supports for Young Tree Anti Strong Wind, Bad Weather
4.6(148)
$11.99
Fabulas Tree Stakes Kits, 6 Pcs 11.8 Inch Heavy Duty Steel Stakes and Supports for Leaning Young Trees Straightening with 6 Pcs Support Straps and 13.2ft Anchor Ropes, Against Strong Wind Bad Weather
4.6(102)
$21.99
ArborTie Heavy-Duty Ground Anchoring Kit for Tree Support, Includes Three 10’ ArborTie Green and Three 15” Steel Eye Earth Anchors, Versatile Tree Stake Kit, Landscaping Stakes (AT HD15)
4.2(340)
$36.80
Most small container trees on sheltered sites need no staking at all. If you do stake, leave the straps loose enough for the trunk to sway and take everything off after one year.
A new tree needs deep watering every week for its first two summers. The bag empties slowly over several hours so the water soaks down to the roots.
Greenscapes Tree Watering Bag with Micro-Perforated Seams for Slow Release Drip 6-8 Hour Empty Time: Fits Up to 4 Inch Caliper, 20 Gallon Capacity (Pack of 1)
4.3(3.4K)
$13.99
Tree Watering Bag, 20 Gallon Slow Release Tree Watering Bags-Drip Irrigation Bag for Newly Planted or Established Trees (2 Packs)
4.2(1K)
$28.99
Treegator Original 20 Gal Slow Release Watering Bags for Trees 3-Pack by Tree Gator
4.5(607)
$69.99
Zip it around the trunk, fill it from the hose once a week, and take it off over winter.
For later, when you build your first path. Packing the soil and each layer of gravel is what keeps a path from sinking and going lumpy after the first winter.
Steel Tamper 8"x8" with 49" Handle, Ground Tamper Tool Fillable Steel Base
4.4(29)
$28.99
Roughneck ROU64379 F/Glass Earth Rammer (Tamper) 8-inch x 8-inch
4.7(742)
$59.17
Truper 8x8-Inch Cast Steel Hand Tamper, 48-Inch Heavy-Duty Structural All-Steel Handle with Cushion Grip, Manual Dirt and Asphalt Ground Compactor (Model 17472 / PIS-8)
4.5(68)
$65.82
An 8 by 8 inch head suits paths. A 10 by 10 covers ground faster but is heavier to lift.
For later, when you build a gravel path. Laid under the stone, it stops gravel from sinking into the soil and blocks weeds from below.
DeWitt Pro-5 Weed Barrier Fabric 5 oz, 3 x 250 Feet – Heavy-Duty
4.6(2.6K)
$92.99
Use it under gravel and stone only, not under mulch in planted beds. Overlap the seams by 6 inches.
