People love to spend time in their backyards, either pottering about in their gardens or simply enjoying the feeling of the sunshine while they read a book. Pottering about in gardens or landscaping the grounds of one's house is such a popular hobby, indeed, that a television channel actually exists to cater to the needs of these hobbyists. Home and Garden Television (HGTV) is dedicated to helping the viewer make the most out of not only their homes but their gardens as well. Indeed, so enjoyable are some of these programs that people watch them even if they have no intention of altering their homes or gardens one bit!

If you are thinking about landscaping your backyard, there's plenty of research you need to do before you get started. Watching HGTV is one source of information, but of course there are others. Keep your eye out when you visit the homes of your friends and neighbors, and see how they've done their yards. You don't want to be a copy cat, of course, and still less do you want to be accused of "keeping up with the Jones." But seeing their designs with an open mind can quite often provide you with a springboard toward something new and exciting.

Local parks and botanical gardens are a must-visit, as you'll be able to see the most sophisticated forms of landscaping available in your climate area. You'll also have the opportunity to speak with knowledgeable people about your landscaping ideas.

Don't confine yourself to just adding plants, flowers and trees to your yard. If you don't have a backdoor patio or deck from which you can sit and enjoy the fruits of your labors, you might consider adding one - and this can be designed in one of many ways to complement the landscaping.

Think about adding a conservatory, or a greenhouse. A pool is a rather ambitious addition, but it certainly will come in handy on the hot days of summer. Depending on the size of your yard, you could add a rock garden, or a water garden. The possibilities are endless.

Although watching HGTV, or other gardening/landscaping programs on other networks, will expose you to plenty of new ideas for your landscaping, don't neglect the world wide web, either. You'll be able to find innumerable websites devoted to landscaping - not only in your particular area but around the world. A Japanese garden can be quite peaceful to tend, for example. Explore all avenues before you decide on the landscaping that you will create for your own backyard.