The private area - The private area is a retreat usually separated from the service and public use areas. It is a highly personalized space, often used for reflection and relaxation. When selecting the location for your private area, identify the spot in your yard where you feel most comfortable. It should have adequate shade for the times of day that it will be used and enclosed with some form of architecture whether the side of the house, privacy fence or screen plantings.

Architecture allows the visitor to feel secure. Courtyard Gardens are a good example of a private area, often surrounded on three sides with a picket fence and arbor. Perennials and flowering trees soften the hard lines of the architecture and provide attraction for butterflies and hummingbirds. A small Koi pond, pondless waterfall, or bubbling fountain is a great addition to your personalized space.

Once you've determined how your property is to be used, be sure to include all of the below-ground utilities in the initial construction phase of the project. Considerations like electrical, irrigation, invisible pet fence wire, and landscape lighting can be costly after thoughts.

Install 2 inch PVC sleeve pipes under walkways for future projects requiring access from both sides without having to pull up the bricks. If you are completing your project in phases, have the locations of what is already underground like irrigation and sleeve pipes drawn in on your landscape plan for future reference.