Shoots are popping up from the soil and buds are emerging on the trees – spring has begun in Central Indiana! This time of year brings dreams of a lovely home landscape. But how do you go about figuring out what that means for your yard? We’ve put together a landscape design starter guide to help you through the big-picture decisions necessary to create your perfect outdoor oasis.
Set Your Landscape Design Goals
When we first meet with a client our goal is to figure out their goal – what do they want to accomplish with the space they want to tackle? Having an idea of what you want for your whole yard is helpful for design cohesion, but that does not mean you have to undertake the whole project at once. We often create a master plan that we implement in many phases, ensuring that anything we do in one spot does not prohibit the plan for another later on.
If you are sharing the design decisions with another person, it’s important to set mutual goals. We often find at our first meetings that many couples have different expectations and visions for their landscape. We suggest finding a mutual vocabulary through pictures. Check out websites like Houzz, landscaping sites like EaglesonLandscape.com (of course) or design magazines to find examples of what is in your mind’s eye. Knowing what you don’t like is just as important as understanding what you do like, so look out for both situations.
This research not only helps set a common understanding between you and your partner, but it also helps you communicate what you want to your landscape designer.
Consider Your Landscaping Investment
Once you understand your vision, consider how long you plan to stay in your home. The answer could affect the final plan. For us, short-term stays mean installing larger plants so our clients can enjoy them while they are there. We might also suggest limiting hardscape installation to ensure they get the most out of their investment. If our clients plan to stay for a while, we can save some money by buying smaller plants that will take a bit longer to grow in. And we can go all out with patios, firepits, water features etc. since they will have a long time to recoup their investment.
Being smart with their money is important to many homeowners, so we also consider the value of the home vs the landscape design. Our goal is to ensure our clients end up with an excellent value for their investment. Though we will build anything they desire, we do not want them to have buyer’s remorse afterward.
Plan for Installation
Once you have a design set, it’s time to start gearing up for installation. Undertaking any landscape project takes a lot of planning and management. Often, how soon you can start and how quickly it can be completed depends upon the weather. If you need to use equipment to install patio materials, boulders or large trees, you do not want your yard to be wet! Also, materials often have to be ordered ahead of time and are subject to availability (especially during our current home improvement boom). Finally, remember that you are working with living things that take time to grow. We are experiencing plant and tree shortages right now due to the 2008 recession. At that time, many growers pulled back on planting. 2020 saw a huge demand spike, so we are expecting some specimen shortages this year. Landscape design in 2021 may require a bit of patience and flexibility!
Understand Maintenance Needs
We create all of our landscape designs based on our clients’ desires – for atmosphere, look, functionality, and for the amount of time and money they want to invest in maintaining their yard. If a homeowner has no interest in spending March – October working on their landscape, we suggest more in-organic elements like boulders and water features. We also install easy-going plants like evergreens and hearty flowering shrubs. If they love to garden, we are happy to explore interesting plants and advise on how to maintain them. Our advice is to understand the needs of the elements you choose to ensure you aren’t taking on more than you bargained for.
We hope our landscape design starter guide has helped you along your path to a fantastic outdoor space. Reach out to us with any questions, or if you are interested in learning more about how we can help you achieve your backyard dreams. Send us an email or give us a call at (317) 997-4803.
