You've decided you're finished with a plain green lawn and want to move on to a beautifully landscaped yard full of flowering plants and attractive gardens. While you are still in the planning stages of your new lawn, take at look at what you already have. This will be a starting place for which direction you need to go with your landscaping design.

First, take into consideration the style and look of your home. Try to find plants and trees that will complement its style. For instance, if you live in a large Victorian style house, a Japanese style garden with small compact bushes and tress might look slightly out of place. Pair your large house with large shade trees, old fashioned climbing roses on arbors and other plants that will fit the style of your home. Not that you can't mix in a few small trees and shrubs, but a large house with small, compact plants doesn't look balanced just as a small house might look over powered by several large trees and climbing vines or bushes.

Next, take into consideration the color scheme of your house. Pick plants that will complement your existing color scheme. For instance, if you live in a cream color house with a red door, you might want to pick a few plants that will bloom in a color similar to that of your door. This will emphasize the red and draw your garden and home together. Of course, you might be planning on refacing your home with new vinyl siding or a new paint color when you add your landscaping. If so, you can go with about any color scheme you wish.

Next, when you plan your landscaping design, try to work with what you already have in the way your land lays. For instance, if you want to integrate a water feature with a waterfall, you will want to pick a spot in your yard where you already have a natural hill. This will make your water feature installation much easier and will also make the feature look more natural and more like it belongs in your yard.

Also, choose your plants carefully based on the amount of sunlight you have in your yard. If you have a shady yard, don't try to grow roses, geraniums or any other plant that requires direct sunlight. Instead choose plants like ferns, hostas and azaleas. If you have a yard that gets a lot of sun, don't try to grow ferns. They will fry in the hot direct sunlight. However, if your yard does get a lot of sunlight, you have the opportunity to grow a variety of beautifully flowering plants that will keep your garden colorful all summer long.

When planning your landscape design, be sure to take into consideration how the design will look with your house and existing lawn. Try to match you landscape, home and natural lay of the land so that your garden and home will look like they naturally fit together.