Garden planning!

Is anyone else out there thinking of their gardens and the upcoming spring?  As a Wisconsinitte I know there are still months of winter left, but this year I feel like it's flying by!  My baby will be one in April so I know it will be here before I know it (and before I'm ready for it, most likely!).

This is the year my husband and I are going to invest a bit in our "curb appeal," lawn, and gardens.  I'm already excited thinking about the changes we'll make, and a bit overwhelmed at all of the possibilities!  I grew up on a farm, yet I am very new at gardening/landscaping.  Shade?  Sun?  Soil?  Zones?  It's all pretty much beyond my knowledge at this point.  BUT!  There are so many great resources out there and so far I'm enjoying my Pinterest and Google searches.

Last night I came upon a great tool on the Better Homes and Gardens website!  It's a garden planning tool that first asks you a series of questions, and then based on your replies it gives you a garden plot idea!  You can find it here:  http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plans/.  I went through the questions a few times, adjusting my answers based on my front yard, back yard, and vegetable garden.  I know I won't use their suggestions exactly, but I'm thrilled to at least have a starting point!

 

This is my husband, daughter and I in front of our house last spring.  Not a great house shot, but at least you can see that we're working with the bare minimum so far - boring evergreen bushes and some railroad ties are about it for front yard landscaping.  When we're ready to start tearing stuff out I'll be sure to take some good "BEFORE" shots! 

 

I guess before I get too far planning my garden I'd better figure out how to get rid of those bushes!!