Planning a Garden Part One

Now that the snow has finally melted away, I am getting my first good look at the shape of my new yard. The winter certainly took a toll on the yard and since it is still pretty early in the season, the trees and shrubs are bare and the grass is in rough shape. I know its barely even spring yet, but I am excited to start planning my garden and flowers! I really want to revamp the front garden area bordering the front side of the house, as well as start a flower garden and vegetable garden in the back yard. I have started looking at types of flowers and shrubs I would like to plant in the front using my delicious online bookmarking account to save everything that I like. I also used the Better Homes & Gardens website (http://www.bhg.com/) which gave me some good advice on what types of plants and shrubs do best in areas that are in both the sun and shade and the degree of maintenance different types of plants require.

There are currently no real large shrubs in the front and after inspection they appear to be flowering bushes that do not hold foliage/greenery over the winter. I would like to plant something that is not so bare come the fall and winter months. I am seeing some green bulbs pop through the soil already and I can't wait to see what type of flowers those are! Other than replanting some new shrubs in the front, I would also like to re-mulch the flower beds as well as outline the beds with new grey brick to separate it from the grass. As for the back yard, there are currently two gardening plots in the middle of the back yard area to the right of the pool. We plan on removing those are replanting grass in that area to open up the yard. I would like to move the garden to the side along the left fence which still gets a good amount of sun. As for the the right side of the yard, I am researching some good flowering vines that could grow up along the fence. Stay tuned for part two where I will detail what specific types of flowers I have narrowed down on my list to plant, as well as the vegetables I will be growing. Any suggestions in the interim would be much appreciated:)