How a Landscape Designer Can Create Your Ideal Landscape
Knowing what you want from a landscape in a broad sense might be easy for some, perhaps its flowers, or lots of shade trees, or an outdoor kitchen and entertainment space. But many others don’t even know where to start and just have a blank slate needing inspiration. Hiring a landscape designer in Sonoma County is the first step in the process to create outdoor spaces that you’ll love.
How Will You Use Your Outdoor Spaces?
Once you’ve selected your landscape designer you’ll want to discuss ideas about how you might use your outdoor space. Do you want to have dinner parties under a pergola? BBQ next to your pool? Do you prefer sitting quietly surrounded by lots of lush plants and flowers? Have kids and need an area to play in? All of these are considerations that will greatly impact the decisions your designer will make. Discussing them early in the process with a landscape designer near you will ensure your needs and expectations are met and the landscape design reflects how you will actually use the landscape.
What Kinds of Plants Do You Like?
Many clients have very little knowledge of plant names, but often have a general sense of the types of landscapes they enjoy. Other clients have extensive knowledge of plants but aren’t quite sure how to put it all together in the space they have to work with. Regardless of which category you fall into, putting together a mood board or collection of photos to help your landscape design consultant in Sonoma County get a sense of your style. This could be as simple as taking pictures in your neighborhood, or looking up photos online. Providing as much information to your designer as possible will help them understand your preferences and can provide suggestions of plants that are appropriate for your property and also match your aesthetic preferences.
How Much Maintenance Are You Willing to Take On?
Some homeowners plan to hire landscape maintenance services in Sonoma County after installing the landscape and are concerned about ongoing costs. Others plan to do it all themselves and don’t want to have to spend all their free time maintaining their landscape. Understanding how you plan to maintain your investment long term is an important topic to discuss with your landscape designer. If you want to limit the maintenance costs you will consider more evergreen plants, and spacing plants so that they can grow to their full mature size before needing pruning. Landscapes that are overly crowded require constant upkeep to keep plants from overtaking each other so hiring a landscape designer who has a thorough knowledge of every plant they are putting in your design is incredibly important. If a shrub that wants to grow to be 10 ft is placed right next to a gate or pathway you’ll always be fighting to keep it away and it becomes a nuisance rather than a source of enjoyment.
Being upfront with your goals and expectations helps streamline your design process. Hiring a reputable landscape design contractor in Sonoma County that you trust has a wide range of expertise and experience will ensure you end up with a beautiful and functional landscape.
