Some garden advisers will tell you to design an overall plan before you get started. I disagree with that. That process can be overwhelming. I think the best approach is to select one area in your yard that you want to start with. Generally, a curved bed will have more visual appeal than a square one.  Observe what you like in other yards or gardens and use that as inspiration.

Choose a few suitable plants, perhaps some shrubs as a focal point and fill in with perennials and annuals.  But before you do that you need to understand what conditions you have:

1.Is there any topsoil or is it mostly clay, etc.? Free soil tests are available through the county from April through November. Find more info here: https://wake.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-master-gardener-volunteers-of-wake-county/soil-testing-schedule/

2. What light conditions do you have: - is it full sun, part sun, shady, or dappled shade?

3. What about soil moisture? Is the area surrounded by large trees that suck up most of the moisture? Is there good drainage or are there areas that stay wet for long periods after a rain?

After you understand your growing conditions comes the fun part: Finding what plants will grow in those conditions. Visit local nurseries to look at various types of plants to see what you like. Read the labels, ask for advice, and only buy plants that are suitable for your site. Choose plants that have a high rate of success and are easy to grow to start.  Be sure to select shrubs that will physically fit your site once they grow. Beginners often make the mistake of planting shrubs too close together or in places where they will grow too big for the site.

Start by digging a hole twice as WIDE as the root ball and the SAME depth as the root ball. If the roots are pot bound tease them apart before placing the plant in the ground. Refill the hole with the soil that came out of it, but remove any rocks. If the soil is just clay with no top soil you might want to mix in some soil conditioner. Top off the planting with some organic amendment such as manure or compost, and then cover the area with shredded bark or other organic material for mulch.

Typically planting 3 of the same kind of plant provides a visual appeal and coherence – better than just one each of three different plants. Generally, groupings of 3 or more look most pleasing. Don’t plant in a straight line. Choose a triangular or zig-zag configuration. Then fill in with some perennials and some annuals. Annuals will die once the frost hits, but perennials will come back each year. However, annuals can provide a longer bloom season than most annuals.

September is a great time to start planting. You can do it now, but with the heat it will be very important to make sure the plants get watered regularly. If you wait until September, the plants won’t be as stressed and will be able to establish roots over the winter. You won’t want to plant summer annuals in September as the will be dying soon, but pansies, snapdragons, or other winter annuals do great over in our area and can add some winter color.

Once you have succeeded and finished in one area, then start another. Before you know it, you will have a beautiful backyard.

There are many, many sources of information online as well as handouts available at many of the local nurseries to help you get started. Here are a few

Online handbook filled with all things gardening: https://extensiongardener.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-gardener-handbook/

NC Extension Plant toolbox an online database that helps you to identify suitable plants for different conditions https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/

Good place to start to find other links from NC Extension https://gardening.ces.ncsu.edu/

And of course, you can also contact Extension Master Gardener℠ volunteers through email (<personal data hidden>), or by phone<personal data hidden> – please leave a message) or again through the Ask Extension form https://wake.ces.ncsu.edu/ask/  to ask more specific questions.  

Good luck and Happy Gardening!