Residential Landscape Design Plan

A well-designed landscape is a pleasure to the family, enhances a community, and adds to the property’s resale value. Landscape design involves much more than placing trees, shrubs, and other plants on the property. It is an art that deals with conscious arrangement or organization of outdoor space for human satisfaction and enjoyment.

The place to start is to establish a plan:

• Creating the landscape look and feel for maximum use and pleasure.
• Achieving a visual relationship between the house and the site.
• Reducing landscape maintenance to a practical level.
• Establishing a workable budget & timetable to make it happen.

Reports tell us that Americans spend tremendous amounts of money landscaping their businesses, homes, streets, parks, schools, etc. What these same reports don’t say is that much of this money is wasted, because of insufficient planning. We know that your resources are important to you, so it is important to us to help you plan landscaping efficiently and affordably.

It is difficult to know how to landscape until you know why you are landscaping. There are several reasons why people landscape. Some think it improves the value of their property, others like to grow plants, still others just want their place to look pretty. Too often, overdone landscapes dominate rather than serve. Masses of plants or other materials in the landscape may take up a large portion of the space, leaving little room for people to use and enjoy it. So how does the designer arrange space so that people will find it useful, beautiful, meaningful and functional?

Prepare to Landscape

• Observe and analyze your habits. These may include those of children, pets, and others who will be using the space. Include their needs, desires, and activities (e.g., swimming, tennis, etc.) and how much space each of these activities requires.
• Study past methods used to landscape these areas.
• Survey available materials to solve design requirements; confirm space needed.
• Analyze the environment of the site, including the view in and around the site. The ecology of the site should be carefully analyzed, because it is an important design determinant.
• Obtain actual budget figures for each element of the proposed changes.

In most cases, landscape changes are really beautiful and do enhance the surrounding properties. However, not all landscaping improves the appearance of a building. The work of an insensitive designer can subdue a building, conceal important features, or contradict the architect’s intent. Good landscape design can significantly improve the building’s appearance by adding warmth, livability and personality. Lawn Connections understands this, and we are eager to work with you in planning your next project for a home or business.

Growth and change separate landscape design from other arts. Most works of art such as architecture, sculpture and painting look their best when new. Not so with landscaping. Landscape designs are usually at their worst when new. With care, landscapes improve with age. A well-designed landscape will seldom look the same any two months of the year. In fact, seasonal color is often the reason why so many homeowners are now using qualified services to assist them prior to new installations. Viewing something different every season, which could bring out the best in the color of your home and accessories, is always recommended. It’s the little things that bring smiles when you drive up after a long day’s work to see a beautiful yard.

The temptation to begin planting immediately is overwhelming, and this is especially true if you love plants. Whether you are landscaping a newly-built home or redesigning an existing landscape, the results will be much more satisfying if you plan before you plant. At Lawn Connections, we invite you to consult with our professional landscape architect about your best options and tips on staying within budget.

Landscaping Considerations

• Base Plan – You may have a photo of something you like or a plan of something you love.
• Needs – Special elevation, pool dimensions, or drainage situations that will require specific solutions
• Site – Take as many photos of your property to be landscaped and from many perspectives around the home. Front, back, side, height considerations, fire hydrant locations, HVAC equipment locations, etc., are all important.
• Diagram – Sketch out a basic look or find ideas in books or magazines for the design.
• Materials – Consider Texas-centric plants, grasses, flowers, trees, and bushes, with special consideration to our location in the annual weather cycles
• Plants – The things you love and want, the colors you are looking to use, and what is currently available may differ greatly. Whether or not they will grow in our region is also a consideration, which we can discuss during our initial consultation.
• Landscape Construction – Special-use items like decks, any major renovations, and new construction currently not completed will be big factors in landscaping placement and purchasing.