Spring has arrived and appears to be here to stay. This marks a season of renewal and inspiration. A time when homeowners have visions of barbeques and Fourth of July parties nestled amidst a serene backdrop of lush foliage and ever blooming flowers.
How do you transition from your current state of gardening affairs to the vision you have of your backyard paradise? If you are like many you don’t know where to begin. This piece will give you 5 reasons to hire a landscape designer to enable your garden dreams to blossom.
1. Success always begins with a plan!
Action without planning is the cause of all failure. Action with
planning is the cause of all success.
- Brian Tracy
At its roots a landscape design is a really just a good plan. It serves as a beautiful illustration of how to maximize your property’s potential and value. The process of creating the landscape design will enable you the homeowner to consider your lifestyle, tastes, and interests. A good landscape design will complement your way of life, bring beauty and function to your outdoor living, and give you a way and means to begin the installation and actualization of your landscape dreams.
2. It takes longer than you think and you don’t have that much time.
A well executed landscape installation begins with good design. A landscape design is much more than an interesting sketch or digital illustration. It represents a well thought out plan of attack. A good designer draws on experience and understanding of the industry and the process of implementing a landscape. The designer’s familiarity with plants, materials, styles, methods, costs, and local vendors and contractors can save you precious time and money. Since we all have competing priorities the landscape designer can give you a moment to relax and have you well prepared to realize your backyard ambitions.
3. A landscape designer knows what you are thinking… even if you do not.
“I want a low maintenance landscape, but not paving over the whole place of course, lots of seasonal interests and flowers, … but low maintenance, and not cost too much either.” If I have heard that proclamation once, I have heard it a million times. Landscape designers are problem solvers, masters of enabling a time crunched home owner the opportunity to have their cake and eat it to. Maybe even a minute to stop and smell the roses. A landscape designer is well practiced in the art of interpreting gardening visions and working with their client to make aspirations blossom.
4. Clear direction can save you money!
We all know money does not grow on trees, and in fact those trees, shrubs, and perennials and everything else that is part of a successful (or unsuccessful) landscape can be expensive. Going to a nursery or garden center to pick out plants without a plan or design is like going to the grocery store hungry, a big mistake. Everything that is currently blooming ends up in your wagon. Sound familiar? It’s like walking down that ice cream aisle with a case of the munchies. Working with a landscape designer will enable you to manage your landscape project budget, prioritize tasks and expenses, and the designer can share with you tips and wisdom accrued from years of experience.
5. The landscape designer has done this before.
Sociologist and best selling author Malcolm Gladwell has made the case that it takes 10,000 hours or 10 years to claim expertise in any one subject. The landscape designer you are contemplating hiring has most likely logged the necessary hours, or at the very least has many more than you. This is not to say that you are incapable of creating a masterpiece. But in tandem with an expert you have the opportunity to create a space for you to enjoy for the duration of the time spent in your home. And when it is time to sell, a well maintained landscape can add 15% to the value of your home. Leaning on the know how of a seasoned landscape designer can allow you to maximize your property’s potential.
5 Reasons to Hire a Landscape Designer
Patrick Hughes
Portland, Oregon
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