Preparing your landscape plans

Embrace the landscape plans and process and it will all work out, because backyard reno’s can be daunting and if you’re fully prepared, you have more chance of succeeding and enjoy it too.

Discuss your landscape preferences

The best way to produce an accurate picture of your individual requirements for your garden is to talk openly and honestly with an expert, in this case a garden designer. You will be able to eliminate the impractical and choose a realistic, personal approach that will suit you, and only you.

Pick a budget and stick to it

Pretty pictures and smooth words have a way of enticing you to spend more than you planned. Be prepared to change your mind when choosing materials and tradespeople, but don’t go beyond your budget. Allow for no more than 15 per cent leeway to cater for unexpected delays in the process.

Be patient and thorough with your landscape plans

Landscape designers will be happy to be a part of the process if they feel confident that you are putting your heart and soul into it. Consult widely, do your homework, and remember it’s better to landscape your garden once the way you like, than several times over until you get just what you want.

What plants do you really want?

There’s no point planting thirsty tree ferns if you live somewhere really dry. Choose plants that please you aesthetically, as well as being practical for the environment in which you live. Do some research, and don’t be afraid to ask the experts.

Choose the right landscape designer

Ask people you know who have had good work done for recommendations, and check the portfolios of those tradespeople you see. Make sure the landscape designer or gardener has had experience working within your budget constraints.

Embrace the process

You are turning your garden into somewhere you will spend a great deal of quality time. It’s an important process, but the more enthusiastic and passionate you are about getting it right, and the more fun you have with it, the more chance you have of getting it how you want it.

Contact a landscape designer to find out how you can prepare your landscape plans to perfection: