Well-planned landscaping does more than offer enjoyment, it can boost your property value. As with any process, good planning gives a much better chance of good results. Landscape plans can range from beginning with a barren lot, i.e. new construction area all the way up through a redesign of a previously landscaped lot. If you’ve ever watched home improvement and house ‘flipping’ shows on TV, you probably have noticed that the latter is ‘all the rage’ right now. If you are a novice or are starting from scratch at a new home or ‘clean slate’ landscape, you may want to plan your design with professional landscaping contractors or designers. There are several steps to planning a landscape, so he or she will, most likely, ask you to consider a few questions before you get together to discuss your needs and desires.

To save time, find your most recent property survey (even a mortgage survey will do) and make a few copies of it. Use one copy to pencil in the elements currently on your lot, i.e. shrubs, garden beds, deck, pond, trees, etc. If you have colored pencils, even better. While you are doing this, think about how you want to utilize your outdoor space; rough pencil lines can be used to denote different outdoor living areas, such as “outdoor dining,” “active or play space,” “relaxing,” etc.  Outline areas that are predominantly sunny and those that receive more shade. Note your desires on the amounts of sun and shade you want in different areas of your yard and its activity areas. Make notes as to existing features you want to remove and those you wish to retain. Wherever possible, take measurements of your yard and the dimensions of the elements in it. Add them to your survey in pencil. Add notes about what is lacking in your garden plans that you would like to implement or move. Jot down your available landscaping budget while prioritizing your wish-list; your landscaping professional can help you make the most of your funds. He or she can also suggest certain project phases based on your priorities and current budget. If you are to meet your designer off-site, take a series of photos of your yard, from different angles. With the above in hand, along with a spare copy or two of your plot survey, you and your designer will be able to come up with a well-organized preliminary plan.

When your designer comes for a site visit, he or she will most likely take more pictures. With your wish-list and plot plan in hand, you can walk around your lot together. The designer will make additional notes, recommend plantings and hardscape features that will best suit your yard, ask about your lifestyle, family needs, and intended usage for certain areas, and discuss different landscaping and garden design themes. While doing so, he or she will check measurements and make additional notes about your site’s layout, such as its soil types, drainage, slope, irrigation needs, property setbacks, etc. Another consideration commonly overlooked is the predominant wind direction that affects your landscape. Whether your site is coastal, hillside, lakefront, field, or desert, wind direction throughout the seasons will affect your landscaping as well as your outdoor living area choices. Discuss this with your expert. Next, all of the above will be put together to create an initial design plan that will outline your yard’s desired functional areas, plantings, buildings, and hardscape features. When you receive this initial plan, check it to see if it includes all the facets and features you want. You may find, once you have an overview, that certain features are less desired than you initially thought; conversely, you might notice something you’d like that you’d overlooked when making your preliminary list. Take a few days to make notes. When you meet with your designer again, your initial plan can be amended.  

Once you and your designer have decided on the best possible conceptual plan, a blueprint or actual-size drawing of your desired landscape will be drawn up. It will show the intended layout of your yard-to-be, including hardscape features, plantings, walkways, water features, etc. Now that computer programs are so advanced, you may receive digital landscaping pictures of what your yard will look like when it is complete, during different phases of the project, and even during different seasons. A landscaping professional will also recommend the best sequence of steps for implementing your new yard design. By their very nature, certain features will need to be installed before others. The usual rule of thumb is larger features before smaller ones. A corollary to that is taller before shorter. Another consideration, especially if you are on a budget, is how to make your yard both functional and pleasing during all of the necessary implementation phases. Once you have chosen a final plan, you can begin to create your new landscape yourself or in tandem with hired landscaping professionals. We’ll discuss the elements of the design process in greater detail in a series of shorter articles. Meanwhile, suffice to say that a well-organized plan yields the most enjoyment in the least amount of time while maximizing your budget.

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