Help with designing my Garden?

Ok i live in New jersey i have a very big house and i have three big gardens. the problem is they are all a mess. to start first of all they are all uneven no grass full of weed. I have been trying to work on it for weeks now but cant seem to get any wear. Can anyone please advise a good lanscape design i want a lot of color in my garden Help pleasee

Help with designing my Garden?
If you use perennials and bushes that aren't too messy or evergreens, you might not need grass--no mowing!!





If you do want grass, sod is the best answer--do it in early spring or late fall to give the grass time to establish before summer or winter.


Doing any hardscape work such as raised beds or pathways first will make the job a lot easier. You can rent a roto tiller and just grind up everything that's already in the yard to use for soil amendments for next season! Then spray with a pre-emergent in fall and again in spring 4 weeks before planting to kill weeds before they pop up.





One note--It takes years to make the best garden for any plot of land--walk through your property and notice which areas get the most light, shade, water, wind, etc. These will be your 'microclimates' so get plants that do well in those areas. Also look at the heights of trees you want to buy to make sure they alter the garden in a way you desire before planting.


Many catalogs provide plant deals which come with planting guides so ask for free catalogs from every website you visit that you like.





Here's one to get you started:





http://www.waysidegardens.com/webapp/wcs...





Free Planner:





http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jhtml?story...





Gardening for Beginners:





http://www.thegardenhelper.com/gardeneri...





Good luck!


gg
Reply:Better Homes and gardens has a great website with garden plans and landscape designs for just about any type of set you could have. They give you the photo, the layout and alternate suggestions.
Reply:clean out and design your gardens by yourself, check the web site www.exteriorguide.com has some garden ideas.
Reply:There are wonderful books at the library on garden design - themed gardens, English cottage, french country, etc. Check them out, compare what they have to say..


Buy some colored pencils, paper, small ruler.. order seed catalogs.. make a pot of tea or cup of coffee.. enjoy yourself!!!!!!! Things don't happen overnight.. a good/great garden is always in the making, and never completed.. but oh my.. how beautiful
Reply:check out www.hgtv.com, or www.betterhomesandgardens.com. They've got some really good ideas.





And don't be discouraged. If you are trying to clean out and design these gardens by yourself, it's going to take time and diligence to get them the way you want them. I've been working on mine for 3 years and I'm not finished yet.





Or you could hire a landscaper, and have them do it all for you, at cost of course.....