How to plan your spring garden

Planning a garden is always an exciting project, whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a beginner ready to dive into the dirt. With Microsoft Edge, you can make the process smoother and a lot more fun. From gathering inspiration and organizing ideas to designing your dream garden layout, Edge's features like Collections, vertical tabs, integrated search, and its smart Copilot AI assistant will help guide you every step of the way. Ready to get started?

Step 1: Find inspiration in the real (and online) world

Whether you're refreshing your outdoor space or starting from scratch, Edge can help you find and organize the best ideas. From front yard landscaping to backyard retreats, use these tools to explore creative designs, save your favorites, and plan your garden for spring.

Creative ideas for your front yard garden

Your front yard is the first impression of your home, making thoughtful landscaping a great way to enhance curb appeal. Whether you're drawn to a structured, modern design or a lush, cottage-style garden, Copilot can help spark ideas.

Try these prompts:

• “What are some front yard garden ideas for a welcoming entrance?”
• “Show me front yard landscaping with native plants.”
• “How can I create a drought-tolerant front yard garden?”

With Edge’s integrated search, you can also browse images, articles, and mood boards for inspiration. Use Collections to save and categorize ideas—simply click the Collections in Edge settings and organize images, links, and notes by garden style or plant types for easy access later.

Landscape designs for your backyard

Backyards offer more space to experiment with landscaping, whether you're designing a cozy retreat, an outdoor entertainment area, or a thriving vegetable garden. Microsoft Edge and Copilot make it simple to explore different approaches. You can try searching:

• ”What are some backyard landscaping ideas with a fire pit?”
• “How can I create a backyard garden that attracts pollinators?”

Edge’s vertical tabs are a great tool to help you stay organized while researching multiple aspects of your project. Unlike horizontal tabs, which can get crowded and hard to navigate, vertical tabs allow you to keep all your research open in a clear, stacked view on the side of your screen, making it easier to switch between topics without feeling overwhelmed. To access vertical tabs, just click the vertical tabs icon at the top of your browser or right-click on a tab to enable them.

Step 2: Plan your garden layout

Once you’ve gathered inspiration, it’s time to map out your garden. A well-thought-out design makes planting easier, maximizes space, and keeps your garden looking great all season long. Use Edge’s search to find expert tips or try asking Copilot:

• “What’s the best way to map out and space my vegetables?”
• “How can I incorporate raised beds into my garden layout?”
• “How do I design a garden layout for small spaces”

Whether you’re designing raised beds, mixing flowers with vegetables, or planning for seasonal blooms, Collections in Edge help you organize ideas effortlessly. Use Collections to group ideas by themes like small-space gardens or pollinator-friendly designs.

Step 3: Determine when to plant your garden

Timing is crucial for a successful garden, as planting too early or late can affect your plants' growth. To get it right, you'll need to research your region’s ideal planting schedule. Edge makes this easy by helping you find planting guides tailored to your area. Simply search for “when to plant in [your location]” and discover expert recommendations. With Collections, you can save planting schedules, tips, and advice so they’re always at your fingertips.

Plus, by syncing your planting plan across devices with your Microsoft account, you can access your research and notes anywhere—whether you're on your phone while shopping for seeds or on your laptop while plotting out your garden layout. Stay on top of your planting schedule and make sure your garden is planted at the right time for the best results.

Let’s get growing this spring

Ready to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty? With Edge and Copilot, planning and planting your spring garden has never been easier—or more fun! From finding the best planting ideas to organizing your layout and syncing your plans, you’ve got all the tools you need to grow your garden. So, why wait? Start your garden planning today in Edge. Happy planting.