What Goes into Planning Landscape Designs
There’s a lot that goes into how we plan our landscape designs for clients’ yards. We have to take in many factors like sun and shade, water usage, function, and overall aesthetics of the yard. We work with clients to know what they would like to benefit from their space and make suggestions that we think will improve the overall outcome of the landscape. We strive to make the client happy as well as establish a successful landscape design.
We get many requests for landscape work every year. We often recommend our clients go into the landscape design process with us before they proceed further. This is for many reasons. If we create a design, our client will have a much better product in the end. As well, we will be better able to estimate the work involved. Without a design it can become a bit of a guessing game and let me tell you, there are a lot of considerations when it comes to landscape and garden design. There are a few scenarios where we may not recommend a design but for now let’s talk about what the design process is.
Where to Start
We usually start by meeting our clients on their site and conducting a thorough meeting. During this meeting we will discuss the design process and what our client’s desires are and what their budget is. It’s important to discuss the budget so we can do our best to create a design that reflects their budget. We will also cover maintenance expectations. How much time will they be spending in their garden or paying someone to maintain the gardens? This will play into the overall designed size of the garden. During this meeting, we take the opportunity to do some brainstorming with our clients. It’s great to put together thoughts and ideas and then we can get a good scope of the project. We then will take our initial information gathered and submit a design proposal.
Once approved we then return to conduct a site analysis. We take the time to come back and ensure we conduct a full client design interview. Doing this allows us to ask thought-provoking questions like how do you want to feel in your garden? It’s questions like this that help us create a theme for the garden to aid the design process. We will take many measurements as well to ensure we can capture the spaces in the design to represent.
Site Analysis
During the design site analysis, we will also take time to utilize some of the Permaculture design tools. These tools help us to better understand the local climate and any issues there may be on-site as well as the energy flows like water, wind, and sun, etc. As well we’re interested in how people move in the landscape. This is a very important consideration when deciding where to place certain elements.
With our changing climate, we will come up with effective solutions to the construction and evolution of the landscape. Every site is unique, and we’ll be there along the way. Once the design is completed, we present a printed copy of the design and discuss the project. This is often a very exciting step to see what’s possible. We will also discuss if there is a revision required. Sometimes we go back to the drawing board and make a few changes and show the second revised design. This is also the point when a construction plan is presented. We now offer a proposal for construction that includes post-installation consultations to help our clients better understand the care of such a dynamic living space, and how to get the most out of their plants.
This is a basic summary of our design process. All these steps add up to a much more thoughtful and beneficial garden for our clients and the overall ecosystem they inhabit.
Styles of Design
There are many design styles to choose from when designing a landscape. From wildlife-friendly or an edible oasis to xeriscape and native meadows. When planning a wildlife-friendly design, we consider native plants and non native plants that will attract bees and birds and other wildlife. If the client would prefer low maintenance, xeriscape is a good choice using rock and native plants that need little maintenance and water to sustain a beautiful yard.
If you are looking into a landscape reno, contact us and we would be more than happy to get started on the process of designing your layout. We are booking for summer and fall of 2022 for design consults, so don’t delay! We look forward to hearing from you.
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About Me
I am the Owner of Inherit Designs Landscaping. Since 2003, my team and I have been providing sustainable garden solutions to the Cowichan Valley and Greater Victoria. I personally hold two certifications in horticulture and permaculture and take great pride in the service I offer my clients. My family and I live on our organic flower farm called Little Bee Blooms, run by my wife. Together we are continually conducting research gardens and experimenting in many aspects of horticulture and permaculture to improve our knowledge and the operation of our businesses.