The secret to taking a good landscape photograph is to spend a lot of time scouting out the scene you hope to capture.  When I was young and spending my weekends photographing farms, I would spend several hours just wandering around the farm trying to decide where the best vantage spot would be for the picture I wanted to take. 

Another key component is the time of day you are taking your photo, as sunlight and shadows play a huge role in landscape photography.