If you are thinking about hiring a garden designer, try this guy, he did a great job on a friend of mine's place. He's done some fantastic garden designs, check out The Landscape Architect - Bespoke Garden Design, London, UK. Tel:07875 203901 a href="http://www.thelandscapearchitect.net" target="_blank"garden designs/a

arlon wrote:
If you are thinking about hiring a garden designer, try this guy, he
did a great job on a friend of mine's place. He's done some fantastic
garden designs, check out 'The Landscape Architect - Bespoke Garden
Design, London, UK. Tel:07875 203901'
(http://www.thelandscapearchitect.net) a
href="http://www.thelandscapearchitect.net" target="_blank"garden
designs/a

FOAD

On Oct 21, 3:16*pm, "David Hare-Scott" wrote:
arlon wrote:
If you are thinking about hiring a garden designer, try this guy, he
did a great job on a friend of mine's place. He's done some fantastic
garden designs, check out 'The Landscape Architect - Bespoke Garden
Design, London, UK. Tel:07875 203901'
(http://www.thelandscapearchitect.net) a
href="http://www.thelandscapearchitect.net" target="_blank"garden
designs/a

FOAD

These on-line acronyms are enchanting!! So much said in so small a
space.

Higgs Boson wrote:
On Oct 21, 3:16 pm, "David Hare-Scott" wrote:
arlon wrote:
If you are thinking about hiring a garden designer, try this guy, he
did a great job on a friend of mine's place. He's done some
fantastic garden designs, check out 'The Landscape Architect -
Bespoke Garden Design, London, UK. Tel:07875 203901'
(http://www.thelandscapearchitect.net) a
href="http://www.thelandscapearchitect.net" target="_blank"garden
designs/a

FOAD

These on-line acronyms are enchanting!! So much said in so small a
space.

Is "fall over and die" too strong?

D

Aw wow! How amazing! those pictures look wonderful, so picturesque. I wanna be there!

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.

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.

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.

On Nov 20, 12:11*pm, Brooklyn1 Gravesend1 wrote:
On Sat, 20 Nov 2010 09:53:59 -0800 (PST), gardengal

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
- Show quoted text -

And that is an excellent dissertation from someone who apparently has
no idea what is involved with "design". Landscape 'design' - as
opposed to digging out planting beds and plopping in some plants - is
both an art and a science. Most homeowner are not landscapers.....many
are barely even gardeners. And even less have the knowledge supporting
basic design skills: composition, a sense of balance and scale,
spatial analysis, site planning, how to combine textures, shapes and
colors, how to create a sense of unity and repetition. Let alone the
ability to analyze soils and drainage. And then there is basic plant
knowledge - required cultural conditions, mature size, behavior and
habit - not to mention the dozens of assorted technical skills
involved in actually implementing a design, should they be ambitious
enough to create one of their own.

Sure, a lot of that can be learned but not everyone has the luxury of
the time involved OR the desire to begin with. Or is interested in
going through the trial and error (and associated expense) involved
when you learn as you go. FWIW, landscape software is only a tool,
just as a drafting table or CAD system is to the landscape architect
or designer. It DOES NOT replace design knowledge - garbage in,
garbage out. To hire a professional to provide a service you are
unable or unwilling to do yourself is considered by most to be an
investment......why should landscape design be any different? And the
relevence of where this professional has their "office" is totally
unimportant. Unless employed by a large company or the owner of one,
most of the trade professionals operate from a home base and
freelance.

Not very many nurseries or garden centers provide 'free' design
services. It is expensive to have a qualified designer on the payroll
(nursery owners are waaayyy too busy to be hands-on in this type of
activity) and the time involved in developing a landscape design is
not insignificant. It is simply not cost effective. And those that do
offer this free service tend to use rookie or newly hatched designers
(read 'cheap') who have not yet developed a skill set or the customer
base to be out on their own. And why be restricted to only the plants
that nursery happens to have available or have in overstock that they
are trying to clear out, which is typically the case in "free"
designs? Why settle for cookie cutter when something of distinction
and class can be had relatively inexpensively? Remember, you get what
you pay for -- if you don't pay anything for the design, chances are
you are not getting a design worth paying anything for. IOW, you are
settling for the lowest common denominator.

There are a lot of fly-by-night outfits and individuals out there and
that includes a lot of larger companies as well. As I stated in the
last paragraph of my previous post, do your homework before hiring any
professional. But to consider hiring any professional "silly"
indicates an enormous lack of knowledge of the activity involved. It
might be something you can do yourself with varying degrees of success
but personally, I'm not inclined to re-do my own plumbing or rewire my
house - I'd rather hire someone who KNOWS what the heck they are about
and can do it properly the first time.

But I guess that's just me being "silly".

e 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

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[/quote]

On Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:17:04 +0000, cocolove
wrote:


e 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

Hmm, you didn't finish, so I will:
HOW MANY $$$$ CAN BE EXTRACTED FROM AN UNWARY HOMEOWNER.

Large commercial properties need professional landscapers because time
is of the essence (typically includes a maintenance contract) but the
average residence is best DIY as an ongoing project. If someone
doesn't know enough to design a landscape themself they will not know
how to maintain it, it'll be doomed.

Friday at Lowe's end of season bulbs were on sale at 75% off, I bought
150 deer resistant types, planted all yesterday... an auger with a
1/2" drill motor made it easy. Planting my creek is an ongoing
project... don't need any stinkin' rip-off landscape designer.

Haha, I had to look up FOAD on Google...

define:FOAD - Google Search

Little bit strong!