How To Prepare for a Landscaping Consultation

For many people, garden projects start out exciting but quickly become exhausting when they get down to the nitty-gritty of picking plants, plots, and other features. There’s an overwhelming amount of choice, and on top of that, each plant has different care requirements. Inevitably, you find out that some of what you had in mind is impossible.

That is why many people turn to professional landscaping design firms. However, they cannot do all the work. It’s your vision, and they will need your guidance. Here are a few things you can prepare in advance of a consultation to help achieve the best possible results.

List your goals for your space: Before you book a consultation with a landscape designer, like those at inspireddesigncontracting.com, make a comprehensive list on what you want to achieve with your space. How do you plan to use it? How much effort are you willing to put into caring for it? Is there anything in your garden now that you would like to keep?

Noting these down before your consultation will ensure nothing gets overlooked and can make it easier to communicate your vision to the experts.

Acquire a site plan: This is basically an aerial map of your property as it is now, showing structures such as the house, driveway, patio, garage, etc. If your home is new you should be able to get this from the builder, otherwise your local authority should have a copy on file.

These official ones are drawn to scale, but if getting one is too difficult, you could draw your own approximate one to help in your consultation.

Find some photos: It is so much easier to communicate your ideas if you have some visual examples to show. These don’t have to be too specific, some Google or Pinterest images of the type of garden you would like will be helpful. This could be something like “English country garden” or “Japanese zen garden.” A landscape designer can then recommend some ways to achieve this aesthetic within the constraints of your climate, property, and any other unique needs you have.
Record the microclimate of your property: It can be helpful when designing a garden to know how the sun falls over different areas of your property, how windy it is, and any areas where water tends to accumulate or where it drains off.

None of these require much effort, but they can help your consultation go smoothly and get the work started quickly. Ensuring that your goals are well understood means it is more likely you will be satisfied with the outcome.