The planning part of creating your landscape design is incredibly important. This is a time that you are going to sit down with your landscape contractor and talk about what you hope your yard  is going to look like. This article will discuss 2 things that you are going to want to consider during the planning process. 

Maintenance 

One thing to take into consideration when planning out your landscape design is maintenance. While a design may look really pretty, you may realize that it is going to take a great deal of time and effort to maintain. If this is something that you feel you have the time and energy for, then you are good to go and plan out whatever type of landscape that you desire. However, if having a lower maintenance yard is important for you, then you are going to want to take this into consideration during the planning process. You will want to make sure that you have an irrigation system and drip system installed to water all of your plants, so that you don't have to worry about doing this yourself. You may also want to consider doing a lot of hardscaping so that you don't have to worry about keeping this part of your yard alive and healthy. 

Cost 

Something else that you are going to want to take into consideration is cost. This is going to not only include the cost to have the landscaping installed, but also the cost to maintain it. During the planning process you are going to be able to get an estimate on how much the landscape is going to cost to install; however, what you are going to need to figure up yourself is the cost of maintenance. This is going to include how much it is going to cost to water your lawn and all of your plants, the cost of fertilizer, the cost for landscape maintenance from a professional, seasonal care, and more. There are several things that you can do to cut the cost of caring for your yard. For example, if you don't want to pay a great deal of money on watering your grass, then you can have a smaller grass area. Once you have correctly budgeted the cost of these things, then you are going to be able to better see exactly what type of design you cannot only afford to install initially, but also afford to regularly care for.