ProjectYour yard, your regionScale1 square = 1 foot

A good landscape starts on paper, long before the first shovel. A local landscape designer, a nursery or your county extension office can help with the details of one yard; these guides explain the plan behind it: layout, soil, water, shade and the plants that suit each region.

Every number here comes from public sources such as the USDA hardiness zone map, NOAA climate normals, EPA WaterSense and state extension services, so you can check it yourself and plan with the climate instead of against it.

The plan

Three Beds, One Plan

Start with the basics bed, then find your region in the east or the west. Each plant symbol is a guide; the ones you have read are filled in.

Bed APlan BasicsBefore you plant: drawing the plan, finding your hardiness zone, testing the soil and placing trees to save energy.
How to Draw a Landscape Plan for Your Yard, Step by StepA good landscape starts on paper. How to map what you have, decide how you will use the yard, read sun, shade, water and soil, group plants by their water needs and phase the work, using EPA WaterSense guidance and federal building research.5 min readPlantedFind Your Hardiness Zone and What It Really Tells YouThe USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the starting point for choosing perennials, trees and shrubs. How the 2023 map was made, what zones and half zones mean, why many places shifted half a zone warmer, and the factors a zone does not cover.4 min readPlantedTest Your Soil Before You Plant: A Homeowner’s GuideA soil test costs little and tells you what your soil needs, and what it does not. How to take samples for lawns and beds, how often to test, what the report shows, how pH affects plants and how test results save water and fertilizer.4 min readPlantedLandscaping for Energy Savings: Shade Trees and WindbreaksTrees and shrubs in the right places cut cooling bills in summer and heating bills in winter. What federal and extension research has measured, which sides of the house to plant first, how to use deciduous and evergreen trees, and how windbreaks work on the Plains.4 min readPlanted
Bed BEastern RegionsThe Northeast, the Southeast, Florida and the Gulf Coast, and the Midwest: rain, humidity, cold winters and what each one asks of a yard.
Landscaping in the Northeast: Four Seasons, Deer and SnowNortheastern yards get steady rain, real winters and plenty of deer. What Boston’s climate normals say about the season, how to plan for snow, frost and hungry deer, why native plants and rain gardens fit the region, and a sample plan for a typical lot.4 min readPlantedLandscaping in the Southeast: Heat, Humidity and Acid SoilSoutheastern yards have long, hot, humid summers, mild winters and generous rain. What Atlanta’s climate normals show, how to plant azaleas and other Southern staples so they thrive, why shade on the east and west matters, and how to water and mulch for the region.4 min readPlantedLandscaping in Florida and on the Gulf CoastNear-tropical heat, sandy soil, summer downpours and hurricanes set the rules on the Gulf and in Florida. What Miami and Houston’s climate normals show, Florida’s nine Florida-Friendly Landscaping principles written into state law, what HOAs can and cannot require, and how to plan for storms.4 min readPlantedLandscaping in the Midwest: Prairie Plants, Rain Gardens and Cold WintersMidwestern yards face cold winters, hot summers and spring storms. What Chicago’s climate normals show, why prairie plants with deep roots suit the region, how to plant and care for them, and how rain gardens and windbreaks fit a Midwestern plan.4 min readPlanted
Bed CWestern RegionsThe Great Plains, the Desert Southwest, the Mountain West and the Pacific Coast: wind, drought, short seasons and wildfire.
Landscaping on the Great Plains: Wind, Drought and WindbreaksOn the Plains, wind shapes everything: heating bills, snowdrifts, dry soil and what survives. What Wichita’s climate normals show, how Kansas State and Purdue design home windbreaks, how to handle snow and summer heat, and which plantings stand up to the region.4 min readPlantedLandscaping in the Desert Southwest: Water, Heat and ShadeIn the low desert, water is the budget and shade is the luxury. What Phoenix’s climate normals show, University of Arizona advice on establishing drought-tolerant plants, why drip systems often fall short, and how to plan hydrozones, mulch and shade for desert heat.4 min readPlantedLandscaping in the Mountain West: Short Seasons and Wildfire ZonesMountain yards face dry air, big temperature swings, a short frost-free season and, in many places, wildfire. What Denver’s climate normals show, how Colorado’s fire experts divide the land around a home into zones, how to choose low-flammability plants and how to water in a semi-arid climate.4 min readPlantedLandscaping on the Pacific Coast: Dry Summers and Defensible SpaceFrom Seattle to San Francisco, the coast has wet winters and dry summers, a pattern that rewards native and summer-dry plants. What NOAA normals show, Oregon State advice on water-wise natives, and California’s defensible space law, including the new ember-resistant zone.4 min readPlanted

Rain & frost check

How Much Rain, and When Is Frost?

Pick a region. The chart shows normal rain month by month at one reference airport, with the dry months marked, and the facts below show heat, snow and the median frost dates.

Station:

Normal rain, inches per month

    Northeast →

    Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (monthly and annual/seasonal). Snow is shown only where the station’s normals include it. More on reading your climate in How to Draw a Landscape Plan for Your Yard, Step by Step.

    General notes

    Five Notes Before You Dig

    Every plan sheet carries general notes. These apply to every yard, whatever the region.

    1. 1
      Draw what is there first

      Measure the lot and draw it to scale on graph paper: the house with its doors and windows, the drive and walks, existing trees with the spread of their canopies, downspouts, spigots, slopes and the places where water stands after rain. Keep that base map clean and sketch ideas on copies. Find out where buried utilities run before any digging. More in How to Draw a Landscape Plan for Your Yard, Step by Step.

    2. 2
      Know your zone, and what it leaves out

      The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map divides the country into 10-degree bands of the average coldest winter night, split into half zones. It is the starting point for perennials, trees and shrubs, but it says nothing about summer heat, rainfall, soil or wind. Your own yard has warmer and colder spots too. More in Find Your Hardiness Zone and What It Really Tells You.

    3. 3
      Test the soil before you buy plants

      A soil test tells you the pH and nutrients you have, and what you do not need to add. Penn State Extension suggests mixing samples from 8 to 10 spots, 4 inches deep for lawns and 6 to 8 inches for gardens. Acid-loving plants such as azaleas and blueberries want a very different soil from a prairie bed. More in Test Your Soil Before You Plant: A Homeowner’s Guide.

    4. 4
      Group plants by the water they need

      EPA WaterSense recommends grouping plants with similar water needs into hydrozones and keeping turf separate from shrub areas. Residential outdoor water use across the country is nearly 8 billion gallons a day, mostly for landscape irrigation, so the layout itself is the biggest water decision. Mulch three to four inches deep holds moisture in most beds.

    5. 5
      Plant shade and shelter where they work

      In midsummer the east and west walls of a house take the most sun, so shade trees go there first. Studies collected by Building America measured cooling savings from landscape shading of 10 to 50 percent. On the open Plains, a windbreak on the windward side comes first; Kansas State puts fuel savings from windbreak protection at 15 to 25 percent. More in Landscaping for Energy Savings: Shade Trees and Windbreaks.

    Questions

    Read the Plant Tags

    Short answers, each with the guide that goes further.

    What is the first step in a landscape plan?

    Draw what is already there, to scale, on graph paper: the house, walks, trees, downspouts, slopes and wet spots. Then decide how you will use the yard before you choose plants. See How to Draw a Landscape Plan for Your Yard, Step by Step.

    Did my hardiness zone change in 2023?

    Possibly. About half the country moved to the next warmer half zone on the 2023 USDA map, which uses 1991-2020 data from 13,412 weather stations. USDA says that is no reason to remove plants that are thriving. See Find Your Hardiness Zone and What It Really Tells You.

    How deep should a soil sample be?

    Penn State Extension recommends about 4 inches for lawns and 6 to 8 inches for gardens and beds, from 8 to 10 spots mixed together. Sandy soils can be retested every 2 to 3 years, clay soils every 3 to 4. See Test Your Soil Before You Plant: A Homeowner’s Guide.

    Which side of the house should shade trees go on?

    Start with the east and west, which take the most sun in midsummer according to Building America research. Deciduous trees give summer shade and let winter sun through. See Landscaping for Energy Savings: Shade Trees and Windbreaks.

    How far does a windbreak protect?

    Good wind protection reaches about 10 times the windbreak’s height downwind, so a 30-foot windbreak shelters roughly 300 feet, according to Kansas State. See Landscaping on the Great Plains: Wind, Drought and Windbreaks.

    Can my Florida HOA ban a Florida-friendly yard?

    No. Florida law says a deed restriction or covenant may not prohibit an owner from putting in Florida-friendly landscaping. An HOA can still restrict all-rock yards or artificial turf and keep its approval process, so submit a plan first. See Landscaping in Florida and on the Gulf Coast.

    Should desert plants be watered at all?

    Yes, at first. University of Arizona Extension says drought-tolerant plants need regular watering for the first couple of years, then less so they can show their drought tolerance. See Landscaping in the Desert Southwest: Water, Heat and Shade.

    What is defensible space?

    The area around a home managed to slow a wildfire. Colorado State divides it into zones of 0 to 5, 5 to 30 and 30 to 100 feet, and California law requires 100 feet, or to the property line, in fire hazard areas. See Landscaping in the Mountain West: Short Seasons and Wildfire Zones and Landscaping on the Pacific Coast: Dry Summers and Defensible Space.