Four Stepping Stones to Creating Your Perfect Landscape

Your landscape is the first thing your friends, family and guests see when they come to visit and it creates their first impression of your home.  It should be a place of comfort and safety you can enjoy with family and friends, as well as being your own personal oasis.

Where do you begin?  How will you express yourself?  The options can be overwhelming, and you may decide you need the help of a professional. Engaging the right landscape designer or landscape architect will assure you get the answers to your questions and bring your vision to life.  Follow these steps to begin the process.

Research Landscape Designers

The first part of your landscape journey is to do your research when selecting a designer.  Find someone that really speaks to your style by looking at websites and portfolios.  Ask for referrals from friends or from neighbors with landscapes you like, and ask about their experience.  Once you have a short list, set up a meeting to see if your personalities click. Be sure to ask them how they will address the future maturity, maintenance and functionality, in addition to the aesthetic, of your outdoor space.  Remember, you’ll be spending a fair amount of time with this person, possibly for several months, and living with the results for even longer.

Determine Wants and Needs

One of the most important things you can do before meeting with your landscape designer or architect is to have a “wants and needs” list for your landscape.  Gather pictures and have them ready to start the discussion. Houzz, Pinterest, Google, books, inspiration from your travels, etc., are all great resources to help guide your design.  Consider what your outside space really means to you.   How do you plan to use it – for entertaining, relaxing, gardening or play?  Is it a place that needs to be child and/or dog friendly?  What focal elements do you want to be included? Do you want to incorporate elements of water or fire, or large annual flower displays? The opportunities are endless, so dialing in on some of these aspects beforehand is key.  Again, just do what you can; any information is better than nothing and your designer will help you expand from there.

Study Your Outdoor Space

Next you will want to prepare yourself for your meeting by thoroughly looking at your space. Spend a few minutes in different areas mentally inventorying what is around you. What is already there you can or want to change, and alternatively, what can’t be changed? Identify what you feel are positives and negatives about the space.  Are there amazing views you want to frame/maintain or undesirable views to downplay? Ask yourself what time of the day you will mostly use the space and what the light is like at that time of day.  Do you think you’ll need shade cover, lighting or privacy?  Where do you want key features? These are details you’ll want to be ready to share.

The Final Details

Lastly, and most importantly, think about how much time and money you want to invest in the landscape project and ongoing maintenance.  Make sure your garden meets your needs in the long run.  Ask yourself how long you plan to live in your home, as this will help guide your decisions.  Multiple phases spread throughout a few years to make the investment more palatable is a great choice, just start with a master plan.

Being prepared, doing your research and hiring the right landscape architect/designer for your project will save you both time and money, and being able to communicate your vision from the beginning is key. Don’t feel pressured to paint a complete picture or have all of the answers, but bring as much information to the table as you can to provide an overall direction. Following these steps will be invaluable to your designer and help them guide you through the creation of your perfect outdoor space.

Troy Shimp
Lifescape Colorado