On Sat, 20 Nov 2010 09:53:59 -0800 (PST), gardengal
wrote:

On Nov 18, 2:16*pm, lannerman
wrote:


Just a comment, I was a landscape gardener down here in Cornwall for 30
yrs, we as a service to our customers, did all the designing of the jobs
ourselves and unless they wanted plans drawn, for which we charged a
very nominal sum, we never ever charged for the design. We saw this part
of the job as the reason people employed us, for our expertise!! Its
always amazed me how much people will pay just for the design alone??
often ,nearly as much as having the actual work done itself.
We have a college locally churning out all these so called
'garden designers', who think all they have to do to is swan around in a
straw hat, gesticulate and wax lyrical to earn a fortune.

--
lannerman

Well, I guess that's one way of looking at it :-) OTOH, a great many
landscapers/gardeners know nothing about design........which involves
a great deal more than just plant selection and placement. Why not pay
for trained expertise? Kind of the entire purpose behind a landscape
architecture/design degree and the apprenticing and licensing
requirements that follow. Would you do the same for your home? Hire
Joe the Builder and assume he knows what he's doing when he designs
your house or hire someone - an architect - who has the proper
education and training and the certification to support it?

As to "waxing lyrical to earn a fortune".....if only it were quite
that easy! As a degreed landscape designer myself (in private
practice for 15+ years), let me tell you that there is no "fortune" to
be earned in this business. LOL!! In fact, the design portion of a
planned landscape is by far the least expensive part. Folks pay for a
design because they have no idea how to proceed on their own and they
want a landscape that is site-appropriate, serviceable, addresses
their outdoor living needs and fulfills their aesthetic
considerations. And adds to resale value. Whether they choose to
implement the design on their own and save considerable labor expense
or hire out a portion or the entire project to a professional
landscape contractor is their choice. But don't underestimate the
value a properly trained, experienced and skilled designer will bring
to the table. It's huge.

FWIW, here in the states, the cost of a design (drafted plan,
construction specs, plant list) alone will vary according to the
location, the size of the site, any attendant difficulties (slopes,
drainage, etc.), the complexity of the project and to a small extent,
the reknown of the designer. But for the average residential property,
the cost seldom exceeds a couple of grand........if that. Hard to see
how that would come anywhere close to the expense involved in site
prep (clearing, grading, installation of drainage), the cost of
materials (soils, plants, hardscape) and the biggie --- labor --- if
hiring a professional landscape contractor. It just doesn't compute.

As with hiring any home improvement professional, you want to check
out credentials, licensing/bonding and check references and view
previously completed work before you choose. And because it is a very
closely interactive exchange between designer and client, you want to
make sure you have good rapport and clear communication.

Many large nurserys/growers employ and/or are owned by degreed
designers/horticulturists who will when you purchase their plantings
and/or have them do the planting services offer the designing gratis.
This is an excellent arrangement that has served me well, and turns
out to be the least costly approach, in the immediacy and in the long
haul. But if all someone wants is to get ideas but is not yet ready
to actually proceed with the project there are many software programs
out there that one can experiment with, and only spend a few bucks...
even public libraries will loan design software and/or permit free use
on their computers. It's really quite silly to hire a self proclaimed
landscape designer who is free lance, has no place of business other
than out of their home, and pay them big bucks for advice you may or
may not use or be of any value whatsoever... I wouldn't spend $5 for a
watch to someone selling out of a suitcase on a street corner, I'm
certainly not going to pay thouSand$ for landscape design to anyone
who operates out of the back seat of their automobile.

Actually the property owner is their own best landscape designer...
one needs to actually live on a property on a daily basis for a
minimum of two full years before attempting any major landscaping...
no one who spends an hour in your yard can offer you much more than
the kind of BS you can't even compost.

Unless you have more dollars than brain cells do your own landscape
design, take your time, do only a small project at a time and be sure
you're happy with it before moving on to the next one. This way it
will take a few years but you will have something that really works
for you, not the landscaper's bank account. And landscaping is a
forever ongoing project, it never ends, it never takes a vacation.
Nowadays everyone who goes about mowing lawns and spreading manure
calls themself landscaper.