Landscaping - part II

In my last post, I covered the first two steps of landscaping, that were:
Step 1: Planning
Step 2: Procuring plants and manure

Now for the rest of the steps.

Step 3: Execution of 3 the stages

1. De-planting and Fertilizing: The title states it pretty clearly. Get rid off all the unnecessary plants. You can also create slopes in the garden like tiny hills. Then loosen the soil and mix it with a good content of manure. Once you finish adding the manure, leave it over night. Stage 1 complete!
2. Planting: Follow the design and plant accordingly. You can always improvise too. While planting your shrubs, keep in mind the distance that you have to keep between two shrub saplings. You want them to be able to grow and slightly overlap each other, so that they form a continuous line. In my case I planted a sapling per foot. But the distance will vary depending upon the type of shrub. Stage 2 complete!
3. Laying of the Lawn: That is pretty clear. If you have any rock garden or stepping stones(or tiles), first lay the lawn and then arrange your stones. That way, the lawn will engulf the stone. You can always grow creepers instead of lawn too. Stage 3 complete!

Step 4: Maintenance 
This is the never ending step. You have to tend to your garden. Else, you'll be right back at square one: over-grown jungle. Water the plants at least every other day.

Here are certain extra yet crucial pointers

• If you grow a creeper, pay extra attention to them, because creepers can provider a good habitat for rodents. 
• Similarly a rock garden can become a home for insects. So, keep an eye on them!
• If your soil is devoid of nutrients. Then just fertilizer won't cut it. You might even have to get some bags of nutrient rich mud and mix it with your soil while you are adding the fertilizer.
• This is a funny, but very important point - If you have a pet, make sure its potty trained!
• If you are not an avid gardener, then plant flowers that bloom all through the year. That way, your garden will always look pretty.

You can also plant a vegetable garden in one of your phases. Nothing is tastier than something picked out from your own garden. Hope your garden turns out great! Happy gardening!