Landscaping For Dummies. Lance Walheim

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       Incorporate raised beds or elevated planter boxes (for flowers as well as vegetables or herbs). Kids and pets tend to prefer flat, easily accessible areas.

       Take out, and don’t plant, any plants known to have poisonous leaves or berries. Look them up; the information is readily available online. Cross-check with the American Association of Poison Control Centers. When in doubt, err on the side of caution and remove/avoid.

       Avoid planting thorny bushes or trees, especially in high-traffic areas. These obstruct sightlines and access and also can snag or scratch skin and clothing.

       Monitor children and pets when they are in the yard. Doing so is especially important if you lack fences or have a water feature.

       Never leave your tools, supplies, or sprays lying about … or even accessible. Kids are curious, and these items are often hazards. Better safe than sorry — put stuff away, up high, out of reach. If you’ve decanted garden chemicals or sprays into other containers (jugs, jars, sprayers), be sure they’re both clearly labeled and stored out of reach.

       Don’t set up a play structure or swing set close to trees, fences, or the property line/neighbor’s yards. You don’t want to risk injury or damage, to people or property.

       Flood control: Your property may need a retention area to hold runoff during a major storm event. This tends to be more likely and urgent if your property slopes. Some municipal codes require residential properties to be ready for a 6- to 8-inch (15.2 to 20.3 cm) rain event. Check with City Hall and your codes officer and/or call a professional landscaper in your area to clarify and get advice.

       Collecting water: In dry climates or areas with very long, hot summers, homeowners look for ways to gather and use what water they can for their yards and gardens. This can be anything from installing a so-called rain garden (a garden set up to deliberately receive and benefit from water running from your house’s gutters) to setting up a rain-collection barrel to using gray water (basically, used household water from sinks and drains). You may get necessary information and guidance from your municipality and/or a local professional. For more discussions on all these avenues, check Chapter 5.

       Storage shed: You may need a shed dedicated to yard and garden maintenance if you don’t already have one. Having one for your tools and garden supplies can help alleviate any crowding in your garage. (Or if you don’t have a garage, a shed is a great place to keep all your yard gadgets and tools.) Think about how big it needs to be and where you want it. Don’t forget to figure out if will block access or sun. Last but not least, for security and safety, be sure it has a latching or locking door.

       Potting shed: These often look like playhouses, complete with shuttered windows and windowboxes, but they can be as practical as they are cute. Install shelves and hooks, a utility or dry sink, a potting bench, and hanging nesting wire baskets for storing gardening tools and supplies. You can also use a shed as a cool, dry place to dry freshly harvested bundles of herbs and to store stacked unused pots. (A she-shed is similar but may be less practical. It may look the same on the outside, but inside, harbors a comfy snoozing or reading nook, or art supplies.)

       Storage bins: These can be anything from weather-tough plastic bins with fitted lids that get stashed somewhere until needed to the outdoor equivalent of a parson’s bench — that is, a bench on your deck or patio whose seat lifts up to allow storage within.

       Outdoor closet: This can be tall and skinny and perhaps fit into a corner. It’s a place to store or hang long-handled tools such as rakes and shovels as well as perhaps a coiled hose and other useful items.