My yard looks like a jungle, now what?
Often when I am called on remodel jobs, either the homeowner is disenchanted with so few plants or how overgrown it looks. It would be easy to Monday morning quarterback the circumstance by asking the homeowner to show me what their game plan was, but in the end, it won’t change the situation. There are three primary issues that create jungle looking yards. First the homeowner did not hire a design professional to capture their vision. Second, the professional hired did not list, did not ask or did not share pertinent information. Third, budget and actual cost did not match.
1. The Homeowner Did Not Hire a Design Professional
Before starting a project, make sure you get a referral or check the references of the individual you are considering. Just because they drive a truck, dig a hole and install irrigation, does not mean you will end up with what you hoped for. An educated or certified landscape designer is someone who took the time to learn his/her craft. They most likely have a degree in Landscape Architecture, earned certification through a named and reliable source or have a horticulture background. Any educated professional that plans to create a design will bring resources on plants, material and design, examples of their work, will bubble diagram concepts while you discuss ideas and take clean notes of the highlights discussed.
2. The professional hired did not list, did not ask or did not share pertinent information
Another reason the yard can look like a jungle is, the person hired did not discuss how large a plant or tree will grow at maturity. When creating a design, a professional should be showing scaled plants and trees at maturity so you as the homeowner is able to determine if it is too much, not enough or just right. There are those customers who are minimalist and the wrong plant, or too many can take an enjoyable space and make someone a weekend maintenance man.
Some plantings cannot take direct or intense sunlight and some plantings need more. Proper location is essential to properly succeed. In the desert, it is extremely important to set up the irrigation system appropriately. Doing this right helps the plants so they do not grow too fast, too large or too quick. Finally, professionals should provide helpful hints on how to properly care for this new oasis. You would not sell a car without an owner’s manual, neither should you purchase plants without some guidelines.
3. Budget and actual cost did not match
How does cost come into play? I have customers that believe dotting every open space is necessary. Absolutely not! It’s not about spending a homeowner’s hard-earned money frivolously. A professional’s job is to find out what the plan is and what the budget is. Sometimes the what someone wants to spend does not match their insatiable appetite for what they want. For those, I create designs for them to go out and get apple to apple quotes, very important not to chance price over project. What do I mean by that? How cheap you get the project for will not equate to the quality of the professional, professionalism and skill of the installer and integrity standing behind the work with actual warranties.
What does a phone call and hour cost you? A little bit of time. Let me show you how I can take what you have and make it more of what you want and, in the end, avoid the pitfalls and rag tag jungle you never wanted. Contact me today to learn more!