Spring is the perfect time to take stock of your yard. Are the plants healthy? Are the flowerbeds crowded or sparse? Could you use more trees or shrubs?.. “Once you have some understanding of the space to be planted, it’s a good idea to look at books and magazines, and find out what you like,” says Bruce Crawford, director of Rutgers Gardens and adjunct professor of landscape architecture at Rutgers University. “What style of garden you like? Do you prefer a lot of different shapes and texture combinations or do you like extreme simplicity?”