why should I hire a landscape designer

Why Should You Hire a Landscape Designer?

What are the benefits of hiring a landscape designer?  Why should you hire a landscape designer?

There are at least three situations where you should hire a landscape designer:

  1. The most obvious reason, you don’t know about garden design.  A good landscape designer can help you get the results that best meet your needs.
  2. You know about gardening but have a limited knowledge of plants or design.  There’s a world of plants out there that you are not familiar with.  A landscape designer can introduce you to those plants and show you how to make the best use of them in your landscape.
  3. You don’t know about gardening but you do have an idea of what you want. If you call me and say, “I want a patio” there are some questions I’ll ask you are, “What is the patio for?  Do you want a quiet place to relax?  A stimulating place to entertain?  A place where young children can play? Are you looking to combine different design needs?”  A landscape designer can hone your ideas into a beautiful landscape.

Make sure your landscape designer puts your needs first.  Your landscape design is about meeting your needs.  If you suspect a landscape designer isn’t looking out for your best interests trust your gut.

When I design a landscape I act as a filter translating my clients needs into a finished landscape design.

Comments

20 responses to “Why Should You Hire a Landscape Designer?”

  1. Deanna R. Jones Avatar

    These seem like good reasons to hire a landscape designer. Number 2 is probably the main reason why I would hire a landscaper. I don’t know anything about plants or design, so it seems like leaving the design of my yard to a professional would make it look a lot nicer.

    1. John Holden Avatar

      Deanna there certainly are a lot of plants to know. While you can learn them if you do the research most of my clients don’t have the time.

  2. Jen Pack Avatar

    My husband and I just moved into a home that has a pretty bleak landscape design and we are wanting to do something different. We thought about doing it ourselves for a while, but after reading this I think it is definite that we need to hire someone. I like how you point out that they simply just have more knowledge about it than we ever will and will do a better job. The way I see it, the yard is going to be there for years to come, so it is worth it to make sure it is done correctly by a professional. Thanks for sharing this!

    1. John Holden Avatar

      A good landscape designer certainly knows more about plants than most. The key is to make sure you have a good one.

  3. Lillian Schaeffer Avatar

    This is some great information, and I appreciate your point that a professional landscape designer knows a lot of things you’re unfamiliar with. I have a general idea of what I would like to make my garden look like, but I also don’t have a huge knowledge of the different plants and what their needs are. I want my landscape to look beautiful, so I’ll definitely look into hiring a professional designer o help me achieve that. Thanks for the great post!

    1. John Holden Avatar

      Glad the post helped Lilian. If you visit a garden center, not a box store, during a slow times you can learn a lot about plants too. In the end a good landscape designer will save you time if that’s what you’re looking to do.

  4. Wade Joel Avatar

    My wife and I are trying to get a basic understanding of landscape design. Your article has really helped us see how important landscaping design actually is. I really have no idea how all the landscaping elements work together because I know next to nothing about landscape design. Your last reason is really good because I know what I want but I don’t exactly the right type it should be. Thank you for the great article about landscape designers.

    1. John Holden Avatar

      I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I hope you can find a good landscape designer in your town.

  5. Lauren Woodley Avatar

    I really liked the idea to hire a landscape designer because of their knowledge! As you say, I might know a lot of about plants, but my knowledge is limited. So, hiring a professional who works with landscaping and plants all day everyday, you’ll be ensured to get the best design possible for your home. Plus, it would make the whole process a lot easier, and seeing as I would be doing landscaping along with home renovation, hiring a professional would take a whole load off of my shoulders. Thank you for sharing.

    1. John Holden Avatar

      The secret is to find a landscape designer who listens to your needs. Like any other profession there are honest landscape designers and those looking to sell a landscape for the nursery they represent. Look for a landscape designer with a style you like. I post a lot of pictures, and videos, of my work so people can get a feel for what my finished product looks like.

  6. Luke Yancey Avatar

    Thanks for mentioning that landscapers can introduce their clients to plants and tactics they are unfamiliar with! My brother is a landscaper and so often he is put in a situation where people don’t want to hire him because they feel like he will take over all the work. This is partly true, but people can still have influence over their landscape. It’s just sad how much information they miss out on by not hiring him!

    1. John Holden Avatar

      It takes a gentle touch when meeting a prospective client. I see a lot of TV shows where the designers are heavy handed and perhaps some people like to be treated that way. I know I don’t and I refuse to treat people that way. When talking with clients I seek first to understand and then be understood. Put your listening ears on for the first 10-15 minutes of a meeting and you’ll have much better results gaining peoples trust.

  7. Lillian Schaeffer Avatar

    This is some great information, and I appreciate your point that a landscape designer can help you refine your ideas and bring them to life. My husband and I just moved into a new house, and I have some thoughts about how I want to change the landscape, but my lack of experience with this is making it hard to make a concrete plan. I’ll definitely look into hiring a professional designer so I can bounce ideas off them and make it into a working plan. Thanks for the great post!

    1. John Holden Avatar

      That’s a great idea Lillian.

  8. judy wilson Avatar

    I liked the reasons you gave for hiring a landscape designer. I’m a homeowner that knows how my landscape should look, but I don’t know very much about gardening. I think you’re right about how a landscaper would know the right questions to ask before planting anything on my property. I’ve always wanted shrubs surrounding my house, so I would need professional help to know how far they should be from my home, and how far apart they need to be spaced.

  9. Lauren Woodley Avatar

    I like that you pointed out that I have limited knowledge of plants and design. Hiring a landscaper who has dedicated their lives to knowing plants and knowing how to design plants and yards will make the landscaping process so much easier. Plus, it will give me the peace of mind knowing that my yard will turn out looking beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

  10. Braden Bills Avatar

    I’m trying to come up with a good way to get my landscape designed. It makes sense that hiring a professional could help me out! I’m kind of clueless when it comes to designing things, after all.

  11. Olivia Nelson Avatar

    I like your idea of how you would want to hire a landscape designer if you don’t know much about gardening. I would imagine that instead of trying to figure things out yourself it would be good to have someone who you can trust help you. I’m looking to get some landscaping work done so I’ll have to find someone to help me with it.

  12. Jade Brunet Avatar

    Thank you for informing me that a good landscape designer can help you get results that best meet your needs. Working with people who know what they are doing would be highly beneficial. Meeting with the contractor before starting the project would be a good idea to get an accurate bid.

  13. Gloria Durst Avatar

    I agree that you want to find a landscaper designer when you know what you want but don’t really know how to get it. It would make sense to hire someone when you have a rough plan like this because they would be experienced enough to do a good job. My husband and I want to spruce up our yard, so we’ll have to find a landscape designer to help us with that project.