The previous owners of our home did a lot in the way of retaining walls and rock mulch, but very little in the way of plantings. And it's high time that I get some done. But I'm a bit design challenged. I found out my neighbor used Gertens for her lovely landscape and I'm considering using them also. They'll do up a planting scheme for $65-85/hour, and then I'll do all the planting. That means, I'll have a scheme to start working with this fall that will only cost me around $200. Has anyone ever used them before? If not, can you point me to someplace where I could get a planting scheme done for a similar price?

What they sell is fine. The labor to install anything is a crapshoot as to the quality of the workman. And they are usually much higher priced than an actual quality tile installer would be. I work at a box store, and I personally wouldn't use any of the tile installers that this store has. There is one in the whole market that I would use, but he's been so busy he's hiring additional guys to work under him. And I would only want him. That's part of the crapshoot bit mentioned.

busybee, makes a really good point. I consulted with a designer for my front living room, which we use to watch the large TV. Furniture placement is limited due to a large triple window, corner fireplace and large opening into the foyer. We had placed our old full size sofas into the room when we first moved in and the corner fireplace was a problem. Never was a fan of sectionals, but it looked like that would be the best fit for this room and the way we were using it. That designer kept insisting I should go with a sofa, loveseat and floating swivel chairs in front of the TV. In the end I followed my gut feelings and ordered a custom sized sectional (9' x 13') that fit the space exactly how I measured it out, with enough room for a side table at one end and making sure it did not crowd the fireplace at the other end. We have growing teen boys (one is 6ft) and the sectional allows 4 adults to sit very comfortably for TV watching. It can fit 7 ladies when I'm hosting something. The few things I dislike/hate are the ones I let a designer talk me into buying ... A friend let her designer take control of measuring and sizing and she ended up with an 8-person table that only seats 6 comfortably and not enough knee space at the ends for my tall friend. Their sectional also doesn't fit their family of 4.

Our IKEA store has a $99 design service where a local designer will sit with you and do the design - it was well worth it for us - even though we're continuing to tweak the plans and layout - but it's a good solid start!