PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPE DESIGN - WHY AND HOW IT WORKS

Stepping into a landscaping project can be both exciting and overwhelming.  If you envision a garden that will stand the test of time and bloom with beauty, then working with a skilled team is a must to support you through the endless array of garden ideas, design options and decisions that need to be made.  The right team will expertly guide you, help you visualise the potential of your space, and step you through the journey to installation with minimal fuss.

   A skilled landscape designer will provide you with

 a fresh vision which makes the most of your space.

In this blog, we will explore the significance of starting your landscaping journey with the guidance of a knowledgeable landscape designer, and why this investment can save you money in the long term, make the best use of your space and deliver you the garden of your dreams. 

The garden design process - From Concept to Reality

Step 1: You! The first step in the landscape design process should always be to understand YOU, your unique style, your wish list, lifestyle, and garden aspirations.  This will be achieved through a thorough landscape design consultation.  This information will form the basis of your Design Brief, and will guide your design toward capturing the ideal vision for your landscaped garden.

Step 2 The Site Assessment - profiling the technical aspects of the garden you are reinventing.  Drawing on your designer’s experience will allow you to take advantage of hidden opportunities that you may not have yet discovered, as well as develop creative solutions for those ever-present site constraints.

The design that skilfully incorporates all of the criteria in your design brief will result in a finished garden that you love, and works seamlessly with your lifestyle.  Your resulting garden plan will act as a blueprint to a great garden, a cost saving project planning tool, and ultimately a wonderful lifestyle change.

STEP 3: The Landscaping Mudmap … What goes where?

The overall layout of the garden is what creates the framework of your design.  While the options may seem endless, it is your designer’s role to make this process a little easier for you with their expertise. A well considered design will always put functionality first so that the end result is a liveable space that works for your lifestyle.  The very best landscape designs will achieve this whilst making the beautiful aesthetic of the design seemingly, the Hero.

STEP 4: Styling and materials

What is my style? This is a question many people don’t know how to answer.  So it is the role of the designer to help you unlock this and discover what it is that attracts you to certain spaces and not others.  Everyone is unique in this regard, and we have seen it all!  The important thing to us is that we design a garden that works for you, and reflects what you love, not solely a reflection of our fabulous design skills!

Materials: Having access to a designer also gives you access to their lived experience with a broad range of materials available locally.  Cost, quality, styling, longevity are all factors that will be considered, along with the overall aesthetic, balance and feel of the space.

 STEP 5: Selecting the right plants

We believe it is the plants that make a garden truly inviting and liveable.  

However, creating a breath taking garden goes beyond selecting a few plants and placing them haphazardly. It requires a keen eye for design, an understanding of plant characteristics, and an ability to visualise how the garden will evolve over time.  

Plants should be selected and positioned not only for their look (though we also love squeezing in those spontaneous buys from our local garden store) but also according to their growth speed, water needs, soil type, maintenance, shape and size, colour, leaf texture, flowering season, root size and shape, and so on.  

The foresight and knowledge of a qualified, experienced garden designer with horticultural knowledge will take all of this into consideration for you, helping to prevent your garden from becoming overcrowded and high maintenance. 

A quality planting plan will reduce the effort and cost required to keep your garden healthy and beautiful long term.  It will also help to avoid mistakes such as invasive roots or oversized plants that can cause damage or costly removal years down the track… ensuring that your garden flourishes with elegance and charm for years to come.

Kylies deep passion for plants is what sets Garden Insight apart. With technical and experiential understanding of plant species, Kylies garden design team thoughtfully design plant combinations to individually suit each project they work with. From the choice of colours and shapes to the interplay of textures, every detail in Garden Insight planting plans is meticulously crafted, whether using local plants from Perth or Western Australia or climate appropriate plants curated carefully from further afield in Australia or abroad.

STEP 6: The Planting plan

Creating a visually appealing, dreamy garden is achieved by invoking a range of design techniques that build toward the broader aesthetic – balanced and transformative.   One of the most important aspects to a beautiful garden, is the plants and a well designed planting guide is crucial to ensure everything works together in the long term as well as the short term.   

So, what is it that makes a planting plan successful?

Smart Plant selection - Selecting plants that are going to be successful in their local climate is paramount to their health and success. This will also reduce the amount of maintenance needed to keep them looking great.

Optimal Plant Spacing:   A garden is a living entity that evolves with time. Without proper foresight, a garden can quickly become overcrowded as plants grow and mature. A skilled landscape designer, sees the garden in its future state, allowing ample space for each plant to grow, thrive and breathe. This ensures that your garden maintains its allure and avoids the hassle and cost of excessive pruning or transplanting in the future. 

Harmonizing Colours and Textures: Well considered planting design will produce a balanced blend of colours and textures that complement and enhance their broader landscape setting – important in creating a cohesive, inviting space.  

Grouping like with like:  A skilled garden designer will also understand the technical aspect of the plants being selected to ensure that under and overwatering doesn’t occur, plants with similar watering needs are grouped together, plants are positioned with the optimal sun, shade and soil for healthy growth.

Planting and soil preparation:  Your planting plan will also provide you or your installer with guidance on soil preparation, planting and reticulation needs – all critical to a successful and healthy garden.  These details will be specific to your garden site and soil type.

The essential role of a good irrigation system:  An efficient and well-planned irrigation system is essential to the success of your new garden.  It will ensure that your new garden receives the right amount of water, promoting optimal plant growth and longevity.  When designed by skilled irrigation specialist, a well-designed irrigation system will deliver water precisely where and when it is needed, reducing water wastage and conserving this precious resource.  Proper irrigation also fosters healthy root development and supports robust plant growth, ensuring that your garden flourishes.

Now where to start?

Get in touch with Kylie for a chat! and for more advice on getting your project started, read our blog Embarking on a New Landscaping Project

Lets work together

The expertise of a skilled landscape designer is a lifestyle investment and the key to unlocking the true potential of your garden.  If you would like to see where we could take your outdoor space, you can book in a call here to start our journey together .. we would love to share our design insight with you!