The longer I am in this business, the more I determine that every landscape designer runs their business a bit differently. Certainly the way I conduct my business is not the same as all other designers in my area but then my business is a little unique, as likely most are to some degree. But there should be some consistencies throughout the process that a 'professional' designer should adhere to.

Generally, the process should be as follows:
1. Initial meeting and site tour. This a meet-and-greet sort of contact, to determine on both sides if this is a project both parties wish to pursue. On the homeowner/client's end, it's a chance to talk with the designer and get a feel for them personally, see if there is an ease of communication or rapport present and if the designer actually listens or does all the talking. On the designer's end there is much of the same evaluation going on but also a determination if the scope of the project is compatable with their skill level or even their interest (project maybe too large or too small or not able to fit into their schedule). Often there is a questionnaire left with the client for completion outlining their desires/needs for their landscape and there should be at least an intitial discussion about budget as well.

2.If both parties are agreeable in moving forward, this is where the contract comes into play. It should outline the scope of what is to be done, the steps to complete, the time line and the fees involved. Although initiated by the designer, the client has every right to request for any changes or clarifications that makes them comfortable. This when $$ start to change hands. Every designer has their own way of charging - hourly rate or flat rate based on estimated time involved and any subsequent project management, oversight or plant brokerage fees, etc. Many designers will charge a deposit towards projected total fees at this time and there may be some interim billings structured into the contract depending on scope, but as with any sort of contract for services, never pay for the entire project until the work is done to your satisfaction.

3. In my practice, there should be at least 3 meetings after this point, usually several more, with progressively more detailed drawings provided at each. At the very least, a conceptual plan, a revised conceptual plan with plant suggestions and then a final plan with all associated documentation (plant schedule, construction drawings, installation specifications, irrigation and lighting plans if applicable). In my experience there are typically mutiple revision meetings that fine-tune things to the client's requirements before the final presentation but that depends a lot on the scope of the project - sometimes smaller jobs just don't require that much massaging.

As far as I am concerned, my job as a designer is not complete until the client is satisfied with the results. And sometimes that doesn't happen with the turning over of the final plan.....just as often it isn't until the actual installation and planting that changes get requested and are made. Depending on designer, that could (usually does) involve additional fees for time spent/work done.

Then how do you know someone's qualified? One doesn't necessarily need credentials to be a "good" designer.....that's why they tend not get asked about often. But IT is where the portfolio or past work comes in. And you don't have to be a design expert to look at a portfolio and determine if you like the designer's work or not. You just want to see if they have done something like you are looking for - projects of similar scope, layouts, hardscaping features, creative plant combinations, how they handle screening or entertainment areas or utility areas. And then follow that up with asking to speak with one or two of their former clients.

Landscape architects are licensed and registered with the state so it is relatively easy to research their work and abilities. Anyone can call themselves a landscape/garden designer and there is no registration or oversight on these businesses. There is however a national association of designers (APLD) that does monitor for skill level and experience and grants certification and that is a great source for finding a highly qualified and experienced designer.

Here is a link that might be useful: APLD

Gardengal just wrote a GREAT outline. I agree with all of it.

The one thing that I'll add is that in that initial site walk through where you both walk through the project the prospective designer should be facilitating discussion that gets to a lot of answers if you are not already doing so. A good designer, in my opinion, will not only give you thoughts on what they might do, but WHY they might do them. You need to know how they think, whether or not you fully understand what they are talking about.

You hire a designer for ONE thing. It is to remove doubt from the outcome of the project. You should not hire a designer who does not leave you with a feeling of a lot less doubt about the outcome of the project after your first meeting. They don't have to draw you sketches to do that.

A portfolio of built work shows you what they have done for others, but what is more important is how well they are going to respond to you. They should be able to relate things in their portfolio to YOUR needs or circumstances that will let you know they are not just designing beautiful STUFF, but designing to achieve particular experiences for particular clients.

The right designer for you is going to be the person who leaves you with a feeling that they not only know what you want in your landscape, but the feeling you want within those spaces.

This is something that is not taught to designers and it takes many of them a long time to realize that this is how they need to think to be successful in this business. Too many focus on STUFF rather than focusing on adopting the experience that the client is looking for and adapting to it.

Keep looking until you get that person that just gives you no doubt that they understand you as well as having the knowledge to put it together for you.

Thanks for the nice comment, Andrew. Good to see you still lurking about :-)

Thank you both so much for your comments. As you describe the process it sounds great, and exactly what I am looking for. I did/do have good rapport with the firm I hired. We also have a similar aesthetic in terms of the types of plants used. I think the problem was me being misled by pretty plants when I should have been looking at the underlying structure, and, as you say gardengal, how they address particular types of issues.

Laag, you said:
"in that initial site walk through where you both walk through the project the prospective designer should be facilitating discussion that gets to a lot of answers"
This is also good to know and something I should have been more insistent on. I didn't get a lot of ideas from them on the design direction at that stage, which in retrospect should have been a red flag. If I do try again, I think I'll know a lot better what to look for. Maybe this thread will help other people too.

The question I have to answer now is, should I just keep going with this plan, making my own modifications where I think they're needed, maybe consulting someone else for tricky spots, and see what I end up with? (I'm worried I'll be disappointed with the end result.) Or should I try to find someone to do a new design? Would someone even want to take on a job that is a partial redesign? These are questions I need to answer, but if you have thoughts on how to proceed, please do let me know! Thanks again for your wonderful replies.

Would someone even want to take on a job that is a partial redesign?

Sure, and if you are happy with the overall layout and the bulk of the design, that's probably all you need. No sense in going to the effort and expense of a full redesign when you may only need some fine tuning. Find a designer that will come in on a consultation basis and point out the areas that you feel you need help with or are not up to your expectations. And it never hurts to ask if there are any other glaring issues they see that might come back to bite you down the road.

And keep those insights you've gained from whatever we may have contributed and ask whatever questions you need to feel comfortble with and assured of what you get.

I do a lot of consultations. Usually they are rather quick and mostly verbal but I often supplement with quick sketches and written plant suggestions and placements.

Consultations are a very economical way to proceed in this sort of situation and well worth the investment.

I agree with Gardengal's advice that a consultation with another designer might be all you need, thus tweaking the design to your satisfaction. It would probably be much more helpful if you could pin down the specifics of the current design that you don't like. Is it the layout of the design itself, specific needs that weren't addressed, problems that weren't resolved, specific planting layouts you don't like, etc. The more you can identify specifics that displease you, and be able to say "why" they displease you, the better enabled another designer will feel to tweak the current design to your satisfaction.

It does sound like there was a stage missing in the previous design process, and that it occurred at the presentation of the first proposed design. If you can't fully comprehend the design, ask enough questions to resolve your doubts, or take the time to lay it out prior to building it; you may need to have the designer provide more sketches, elevations, sections, trips to the nursery to see actual plants, etc, as required. Of course these may all entail more money for time to do them, so balance your requests for more clarification with your design fee budget. In any case, it's cheaper to resolve your doubts prior to construction than afterwards.

The advice to get second opinions on the overall design might be productive in getting a final design that really pleases you. But also realize that criticisms of a prior design by another designer aren't privy to all the initial design process input and conversations, and can't really know all the "why's" of how the process evolved, how they may have been in response to budget issues, etc. An outside critique can and should be able to evaluate how responsive the design was to solving site issues, emphasizing the positives, minimizing the problems, and providing the spatial layout and functions you've requested within the budget you've got to work with. Matters of style, particular plant selections are matters of individual style, but can still be evaluated on the basis of good fit with your climate, soils, exposure, maintenance budget, ultimate sizes as they affect ongoing maintenance, etc. I'd also suggest you give consideration to how the design will work/not work at 5 years/10 years/20 years out if you intend to stay in this house. A design can look great for a 2 year old garden, and be a disaster to maintain later on, if ongoing maintenance budgets/needs weren't a properly discussed issue prior to design starting. This is an issue I see all too often from designers who are still inexperienced, or those who don't also assist with ongoing care of their garden designs. Designers who maintain 10/20 year relationships with design clients will tend to take maintenance issues to heart, and be able to alert a design client to potential problems down the road, which a less experienced or less concerned designer wouldn't.

I would point out brilliant architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright as an example of a designer of beautiful designs, while also often absolutely unconcerned with long term maintenance issues or staying within budgets. You need to identify your own priorities in a successful design, they aren't always the same for different clients!

It is important to identify the issues you don't like and why you don't like them and communicate that clearly to whoever is assisting you. Ideally, the initial designer :-)

I have had a couple of occasions crop up as consultation referrals from a nursery I am associated with where I went to visit the site and talk with the homeowner and then made suggestions based on what they were asking for and appropriateness to the situation. They seemed perfectly satsifed at that time with no other questions or complaints, only to find out later via the nursery grapevine that they weren't entirely happy with the outcome. So why didn't they say something at the time? I could have made any number of changes to my suggestions had I known that specific plant selections were not their exact cup of tea.

Don't be afraid to speak up. It is a service you are paying for and you deserve to get what you want, provided that IS the best solution, based on all those provisios David outlined above. There may be very valid reasons the designer spec'd those particular plants so ask why those rather than another preferred choice.

And it just creates an uncomfortable situation and can even affect reputations if one waits until well after the fact to express disatisfaction. As I stated previously, my job is not done until my client is satisfied but I won't know that unless they tell me that we are not there yet!

Gardengal, thank you, I'm glad to hear a consultation could be helpful in this situation and that designers would be willing to do it. Yes, you're right that what I really need is some fine tuning. I will probably try to get one at some point. Bahia, you also made a great point that I should know exactly what I'm looking for, and gave me a lot of food for thought with all the issues you raised, some of which I have answers to, but others I hadn't considered yet. At least since I probably won't do anything until the spring, I have the whole winter to think it over! I will definitely be well armed with all I've learned here.

I hear what you are both saying about needing to communicate clearly to the designer, including letting them know if I'm not satisfied. I can definitely see how being on the other side and not having the client tell you directly if there's a problem would be unfair as well. I will try to keep it in mind and be better about saying so when I have questions or concerns.

Since my goal all along was to have a plan that I can implement in stages, doing a lot of the work myself, I haven't yet installed something that was not what I wanted. Doing it this way can be slow, but at least I still have time to make changes. And anyway a landscape is always evolving, right?

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and experience!

"They seemed perfectly satisifed at that time with no other questions or complaints, only to find out later via the nursery grapevine that they weren't entirely happy with the outcome." One problem along these lines is that clients tend to base their sole opinions of a plant from the representation that they see growing in a pot at the nursery/garden center. Rarely does what's growing in the container give a full and fair representation of what the plant will become. Clients tend to obsess over leaf shape and flowers and give little thought to plant habit, form, size, etc. ... all of which are generally more important to the landscape scheme.

What an incredibly helpful thread! I am nearing completion of a new house build and needed this information as I'm about to begin interviewing designers. Thanks for the excellent insight!