Landscape plan & finished pictures reference?
Sue54321 ABC
3 years ago
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 years agoSue54321 ABC
3 years agoRelated Discussions
paying for landscape plan?
Comments (19)Louisianagal, 5 years ago we paid $500 for a comprehensive plan for our suburban lot, which is 90 x120. The plan encompassed the plantings, patio design, a fence, some retaining walls and a pond. Estimated cost for installation was $50k. I paid for the design and don't regret it for a second. To me it was worth it to have a design for the shape and placement of the beds and some ideas about where to put large structural plants like big trees. However, I will say that the planting suggestions given by the landscape architect were dull and uninspired. For example, a row of Miss Kim lilacs, fronted by yellow daylilies and purple salvia. YAWN. Her plant design was also unrealistic. Around the "pond" she had hosta and ferns. Gorgeous sure but in a new development with no trees in a south facing yard the plants would have died in no time and we would have been out that money. I haven't planted anything she suggested but that's o.k. I've enjoyed picking things myself. The design of the patio was unique and we did have that put in. We ended up not doing a pond because of safety concerns because she had it in an unfenced part of the yard. As for the professional installation, again my DH and I have done almost all of the work ourselves, with the exception of one bed and the patio and retaining walls. The one bed we had the landscape company do the crew was so inexperienced they didn't even know how to operate the sod cutter and my DH had to show them. They were supposed to put in 9 yards of compost/soil in the new bed. When they dumped the load it was obvious it was not 9 yards but they tried to insist it was. We had already done several beds with 9 yards of dirt and believe me we knew how big a pile it made in the driveway. When they finished the "bed" the depth of the new amended soil barely came up to the knuckle where my index finger meets my hand. Moral of my story - payment for the plan was worth it but I wouldn't hire that company to do any bed building or use their plant choices. P.S. to the landscape architect who posted about being professional and people not wanting to pay fees - I agree with you that LAs should be paid and I happily paid for my design. Unfortunately landscaping is not the only profession where some people do not want to pay for professional advice. (Louisianagal not included since she said she has no problem paying only wanted to know if it's worth it) I'm an attorney and get hit up for "free" advice all the time. Doctors get it too at parties, from friends, etc. My aunt who is a hairdresser gets family members asking for a haircut at family functions!...See MoreLooking for references for local nursery that does landscaping
Comments (3)Rosie, I've already considered it. Two problems I see are I don't want to do it too soon because I don't want big holes all over the yard too long prior to begining work on the renovation and they're all old mature plants that will be quite a chalenge to dig up and separate. They're all close together and I'm sure their roots are entertwined badly....See Morewhew! finished! (except for the landscaping, furniture, etc.)
Comments (12)*blushes* Thanks! I AM feeling rather pleased with myself--and I DID have my morning coffee out there. And my afternoon tea, and a beer yesterday evening...it's rather like being a new mom--in a weird way. All I want to do is gaze lovingly at "my" handiwork...except it doesn't need feeding and changing(!). Perry--glad you think I did an OK job documenting. I really worked at it...the only thing I would do differently is I would take MORE "before" pictures. The New Dawn will be going in at either the left end of the bed (if you are looking OVER the rail with the driveway at your back) or the center...I bought it on reccommendation of the person at the nursery--who said it got to be 10-12 feet. THEN I looked it up on GW--goodness. "Rank grower--upwards of 20ft+..." I think I'll be whacking it back! Given that growth habit it'll probably go up AND over the fence! DH fell in love with Westerland--but the bush they had at the nursery was expensive and somewhat puny...am going to see if I can find something similar at another rose nursery--otherwise I'll go back and get the Westerland we saw. (Or perhaps order one from Ashdown.) I don't spray--so I need roses that are disease resistant. Black Spot and (to a lesser degree) powdery mildew are real problems down here. I have a buff beauty pillar that has done really well...am hoping New Dawn lives up to it's reputation for disease resistance. I'll post a picture once the roses are in! melanie...See MoreIdeas and suggestions for landscape plan!
Comments (13)It is difficult from these photos of smaller areas for me to figure out how it all fits together and get a feel for your yard. It would be most useful if you chose one part of the yard such as the front and took one set of photos of that part from something of a distance that spans the whole width of the yard from the neighbors' homes on the side and includes your house. The easiest way to do this is to take one photo from across the street and then stand about 20 feet from the house, opposite the center of the house and pivot your body to take a set of photos that go from one property line to the other. You have to include the house since it's a big part of the overall property. I can assume from what shows of your neighbors' homes that yours is two story with a second story deck on the back, but I can't really tell where the photos are on the property and how they relate to the building. As an example, here is a thread with a set of photos that are really helpful. [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/need-design-help-replacing-rock-mulch-and-plants-dsvw-vd~4574536?n=33[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/need-design-help-replacing-rock-mulch-and-plants-dsvw-vd~4574536?n=33) In the first photo, there is a good overview from a distance, and in the original poster's first follow up comment there is a good set of photos all taken from the same spot. They overlap a bit more than needed, so you could do the same in fewer photos, but they give a great idea of what is there now, location of trees, beds, etc, and how they relate to the building, walkway, etc. If you aren't comfortable posting photos of the house, add a photo of a measured drawing. The plot plan would be a good start, bit then you need to add the location of anything not on the plan such as your front yard tree, any pavement not shown, etc. I would definitely remove the rocks around the tree and the grass immediately around the trunk and a few feet out and put down a shallow donut of mulch, being careful not to let the mulch go against the tree trunk....See MoreEmbothrium
3 years agoSue54321 ABC
3 years agoEmbothrium
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoSue54321 ABC
3 years agoEmbothrium
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoSarah
3 years agoEmbothrium
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRevolutionary Gardens
3 years agoSue54321 ABC
3 years ago
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