| The great thing about landscape designers is that | | | | that meets your needs. And the people hired to do |
| they help expand your horizons and present you with | | | | these designs are generally not as experienced as |
| exciting possibilities. Professional designers spend | | | | someone who has invested time and training to |
| every working day solving problems most of us only | | | | become a professional landscape designer. Nothing is |
| face once or twice a lifetime - no wonder they have | | | | really free: design costs are built into the mark-up on |
| better landscape design ideas than we do! | | | | plants and materials. |
| A landscape or garden designer has knowledge and | | | | You say formal, I say casual |
| training on plants and landscape construction and can | | | | Be as clear as you can about what you want - a |
| provide you with drawings, construction details and | | | | good reason to have pictures on hand. Garden |
| lists of suppliers and plants. Landscape architects | | | | magazines are full of inspiring ideas. Be upfront too |
| have a degree and belong to a licensed professional | | | | about how much you have to spend. Professional |
| association; they generally do higher-end residential or | | | | landscaping usually costs a little more than you think it |
| larger commercial projects. Be sure to check | | | | will. |
| credentials, references and ask to see a portfolio. | | | | Think ahead, way ahead |
| Designers and landscape architects can help the | | | | Every spring, landscape madness grips every |
| process of finding a contractor, getting permits and | | | | neighborhood in the country. "Let's do that project |
| overseeing your project to completion. | | | | we've been thinking about," everybody says, all at |
| Landscape design costs | | | | the same time. |
| It's difficult to generalize about fees, as they vary | | | | Spring fever means that landscape designers and |
| quite a bit, depending on where you live, the | | | | contractors are run off their feet. If you want your |
| experience and training of the person you hire, and | | | | work done early in the season, contact landscape |
| the scope of your project. A full landscape design | | | | pros the previous fall or in early winter - they'll love |
| (drawings showing landscape features and planting | | | | you for it - and you'll have their full attention. |
| plan) can range from a couple of hundred dollars to | | | | Fall can be a much less hectic time to have a |
| over $1,000 or more, depending on the complexity of | | | | landscape project done - and it's still warm enough |
| the design and the overall budget of the project. | | | | for construction and planting in many parts of the |
| Landscape designs for free? Too good to be true? | | | | country. Of course, if you're lucky enough to live |
| Be careful when garden centers or contractors offer | | | | where winters are warm, landscape projects can be |
| "free" design services. They may be more interested | | | | spread over more months of the year, but even so, |
| in selling their plant inventory than creating a design | | | | spring is still a busy time. |