Some people want a bijou garden; others are looking to develop a complex property. Some people have a short wish list; others have more challenging requirements. But it is fair to say that, whatever your aspiration, actually creating a garden will require a measure of both time and money.
So spending time up front, expanding ideas on paper, is an investment in the future. A scale drawing often suggests a more harmonious use of space, unifying the house with the garden and the garden with the land. A careful plan is also a way to compare alternatives and avoid mistakes that lead to costly rework. And, in my personal experience, developing a design on paper unleashes the creative genie; ideas that would never surface while standing in the larger outdoors, rise spontaneously when at the drawing board.
A garden is a marriage between your personal aspirations and the opportunities of the site. Thus the starting point is for you to share your ideas with me, and also for me to assess and measure your site. I am very flexible in the ways I work with different people. However on a typical project, after sharing ideas and collecting site information, I will develop conceptual drawings, including alternatives if appropriate, for your garden-to-be, which we will review together. I will then create a finished drawing that shows the complete spatial layout, together with details of hardscape, trees and shrubs, plus a listing of the plants required, and if necessary, hardscape installation specifications.
Full design projects vary widely in scope. They may be as limited as a plan for a new patio garden or flower bed to installed this month, or as comprehensive as a master plan that may not be realized for five years or more.
You may want to employ a contractor to implement all or part of your plan. If so a scale drawing is an invaluable discussion tool. For a large undertaking, it is highly desirable to get bids from several contractors, and a full design with detailed specifications becomes the basis of the bid process.
If you like to create your own garden, then the completed plan and associated plant lists becomes your guide as you implement each step.
If you are not sure where to start with a full design, I suggest we schedule an on-site consultation. We would spend a couple of hours brainstorming about both the long- and the short-term possibilities for your garden and how to realize them.
As an independent landscape design consultant I do not provide implementation services myself. However, if you wish, I can provide plants, or arrange for the installation of both hardscape and plants. If you already work with a landscape contractor I can also work effectively with that individual, providing him or her with an overall design, plus details for stonework, bed preparation and planting plans, as appropriate. I can also set out all the plants in their allotted spots and oversee the installation process to ensure that the details of the design are fully met.
I bill my time for landscape and garden design work at $50.00 per hour. I charge for my time to drive to and from your home at $0.85 per mile.
If you wish, I can create a design for you without visiting your location by working from photographs and measurements that you provide.
The time needed to complete a design varies widely from just five hours up to twenty-five hours, depending on the scope.
