Landscape Design

[totoro]

I've been struggling with our landscaping.  We bought a place that we renovated and now we are onto the front and back yard.  We are basically starting fresh.  I've drawn up some plans but felt a bit overwhelmed at all the choices.  I thought about hiring a designer to help but they are super expensive through the garden centre and hard to find someone good. 

What I really wanted was my own course centred on the home gardener that ended up with a finished plan, but there is nothing available locally. 

So, today I took a chance and posted on a local garden website and it turned out others were interested and I got pointed to an ideal course which was well recommended about an hour away at a local university.  I contacted the instructor directly and was able arrange to have her run the course out of my house for $250 over two three-hour sessions.  The end result will be that two of us will get our landscape plans done with professional input and advice on all sorts of local stuff.

I've been agonizing over this for months.  I should have asked for help sooner.

[mahina]

congrats on finding expert help at a bargain. may i also suggest that you prepare by considering all the ways you will use the outdoor area. having a few good discussions with family members will reveal what others may be hoping for, too--or what they may be fearing. perhaps someone wants a place to cook outside and entertain, and someone else wants a naturalistic view with a hammock. or you might be thinking of a playhouse for a child who feels too old for one. do you want to spend more time outside? or is caring for the yard a chore? honesty about all this will save you time and money!

also, landscape planning may focus more on hardscape and drainage than on plants. these are expensive, permanent projects. i've had friends who were unable to move their project forward because the first steps were dreadfully costly. while you're conversing with the family about their vision, it's essential to also hammer out a budget. is everyone on board for this being a major line item this year? maybe replacing a vacation? if the newly renovated yard is something everyone looks forward to, and helps with, it will be a great success.

[totoro]

Thanks Mahina.  Yes, the hard-scaping is expensive. 

We have saved $15,000 for landscaping so we'll be able to get a fair bit done but I'm not sure that when you add the hard-scaping plus irrigation plus lighting plus fencing plus plants what we will be at.  I will try to save along the way. 

The biggest thing is I'd like is to make sure it is done right from the start so this is the part that keeps me a bit stuck.

As far as the landscape design goes, yes this approach will save money from hiring a designer but it is about the same cost as taking the course.  The thing is we get to have a smaller class with it held on-site by doing it this way.  And we know the person is able to do this well.  So transportation cost and time is limited and we organize it on a schedule that suits us (Sundays for a longer block of time) instead of many weekday evenings.

I expect a home-based class could be organized for all sorts of subjects if you have a group of like-minded folks who are willing to contact instructors and ask them about this.  The instructors will earn more than a college pays.  It would work for things like website design, permaculture, auto mechanics, plumbing, watercolour painting, cross-fit....  As long as you have the space and don't need credentials this approach is very good and affordable imo.

[mahina]

your work group sounds like a good template for a variety of projects--i've seen these work well for writing groups, too.

may i just add another preliminary step? may sound old-fashioned, but will save you time and money and headaches later: get a bunch of dwelling magazines that focus on landscape design, go through them with your family, everyone freely commenting and cutting out the photos that appeal to them. doesn't have to be your climate or budget or region, but get all the pictures you each like into a pile.

then go through the pile together , on what catches the eye, or calls to your esthetic sense about each one. make notes on a sticky to attach to the back of the photo. no negative comments or money issues on this first round, and let everyone's comments be treated equally. next split the pile randomly into groups of 4 or 5 pictures, and have everyone vote, one group of pictures at a time, rating them favorite to least favorite. take all the favorites and discuss them freely. what aspects are viable and adaptable to your project? do the same with the other piles.

if someone feels very strongly about a certain detail, make a note of that. gardens tap into deep places we cannot always understand or explain. we have found these one-off ideas can reveal an organizing principle for a project, that ultimately brings peace to the whole process.

chances are, someone in the group will be happy to put all this into a notebook--let the most enthusiastic handle it, no matter how young. this will be an important reference for you as you proceed. when you're working with the professional, their vision and esthetic will necessarily creep into the planning. you want to end up with a yard and garden your family can feel is their own, so be sure that the key aspects of the favorite photos are retained as the project progresses.

these ideas come from our own garden design projects. currently, we have 2/3 acre of ornamental plants, with paths, berms, stone walls, vegetables, trees, and on and on. my husband was eager to wield the shovel, but i insisted on this thought process, and we've been enjoying the benefits for many years.

[Capsu78]

Many great comments above- Let me add mine:
Take a visit to a couple of local garden centers and say "What do I need to know about putting in a hardscape in "village/township of...?"   Listen to them to find out if you are "free to please your artistic self" or some pin headed building code administrator looking to capturing as many local fees as possible.  EIther way, you will need to comply, but much better on the budget to know in advance the mood of your community/ local tax collector.   
For example, when I "moved to the country" or so it seemed to me when we bought, who would have known I need paid for approval to take out a garbage tree that came up from sprout... I counter the village by saying "... tell you what- I will keep the tree, but when can you get your guys out here to rake the leaves."
Anyway, after you find out what local contractors think of doing business in your municipality, go down to the building code folks and say you are planning on designing some hardscape projects- what do I need to know?   I just had this conversation with my village guy and he told me at least 5 things I had not considered that impacted my budget for a refresh I am thinking about.   Suggest you do this before your class starts, and the designer/instructor can help you design efficiently.

[soccerluvof4]

I have alot of experience in landscaping and I will just add this. Most hardscaping is not necessary to be approved by local community's unless you are in need of tapping in below the freeze line usually 4'. Also , in cases of lakes, rivers, anything with water there usually are requirements you have to meet. If you live in a subdivision too , the only problems usually there are with fencing type situations.  The biggest thing people make mistakes in is with plants. Making sure the soil is prepared properly for planting and planting the right plants for the area. It takes on ave 3 years for planting to really become something and hardy.  You can do pavers, walls, walkways, sprinklers all cheap as landscaping is mostly labor, much more so than other trades.  And dont buy from the garden centers. Find a wholesaler that the landscaping guys buy there plants from and give a guy 20$ to pull plants for you. You will save at least 30% and i use to do it all the time for people because the more volume i did the better i was taken care of.  In alot of cases you can just walk into a wholesaler and just act like you belong there and they wont even check your id. Good luck on your projects. Its a form of Art really that i love doing as well. Wish I was as handy indoors as i am outdoors.

[totoro]

Thanks for all the advice. 

I have collected photos and ideas.  I've been taking photos of landscape magazines/book photos with my phone and transferring them to my computer.  I'm the only one in the family who is interested in the process but maybe I can get them more involved... I could print out and cut the photos out and get everyone to take a look.

I know the rules - really only about fencing where I am.  Pavers, walkways and irrigation don't seem that cheap to me?  I will look into plant wholesalers, I had not thought about that.

We have the bobcat scheduled for April so at least there is a deadline for all the decisions...

[horsepoor]

Great solution!

You mention irrigation, so I have to ask if you're doing the Mustachian thing and looking at native plant/low water options for your area?

We're in a 12" precip zone here, and have started xeriscaping our front yard.  It will save us up-front cost due to less need for in-ground irrigation, and also save tons of water annually.  We'll also be putting in low-water, low-mow grass where we need to have grass in the front yard, so that means less fuel and pollution related to mowing. The xeriscape by definition grows more slowly, so there is less pruning once everything is mature, and it's also good for the local wildlife and resistant to pests.

Local botanical gardens can be a good source for native plants and information on what will do well in your area with minimal irrigation.

If you're anywhere towards the western side of North America, check out www.highcountrygardens.com for some ideas.

Good luck!

[totoro]

We'll have some low water plants but I'm not as concerned about this in our west coast climate where we get 26.2 inches per year - it is really only July and August that need it because there is often no rain then.  That, and until the plants get established I guess.

I'm planting vegetable gardens/fruit trees and I travel so some automatic watering system will be necessary.  We'll have gravel pathways and areas with flagstone so the overall water use should be reasonable.

[soccerluvof4]

Depending on how long your walkways are , you can do the same thing and go to the wholesalers for block and pavers or even on craigslist and get them cheap. A lot of times the run out of a die lot and will have a couple of pallet they want to unload. But there is nothing wrong with gravel but i would use a border if its in an area were you have to cut grass and stuff. Nothing worse than when all that  gets into the lawn.  Anyhow sounds like fun. I have some scheduled to do this spring as well around my house.

[totoro]

No grass in the plan!  It will be all walkways, gardens, three seating areas and a trampoline area.  That makes it sound big - it isn't, just includes the front and back.