What is landscape design? It is more than just an attractive arrangement of architecture, plants, stone and water. Fundamentally, landscape design uses a problem-solving approach in a cohesive and aesthetic manner to create outdoor living areas for humans or in cases of conservation, habitats for a broad range of organisms. Here’s a little insight into my design philosophy: Plants do play a key role but sound landscape design should not only revolve around a specific palette of plants. In most cases, landscape designers create environments that link the artificial world with the natural world, even in the case of a small pocket garden in downtown Boston. There are a few exceptions but I’ll go into those in a future post.
Our design approach is anchored in effective communication with our clients. When you contact us, we begin with a visit to your site where we listen as you describe your landscape needs and dreams. Ideas are collected via your personal style, your home architecture, examples of landscapes you have seen (both created and natural) our experience and by taking cues from your unique property. This information is pulled together during the site analysis phase. Once we have the needs, wishes and ideas along with the time and budget parameters for your project, conceptual landscape plans are drawn. After we collectively review the concepts and make notes accordingly, we go back to the studio and develop the master plans or final partial plans if applicable.
The plans include proposed changes complete with softscape areas (plants, lawn) + hardscape areas (stone, brick, structures). The final plans include notes, general information, materials’ lists and supportive images of the various key elements of your future landscape. We can also include project installation estimates and a select landscape contractor list. We will usually manage all phases of the landscape installation from preliminary site work through the final perennial planting to ensure quality, accuracy and sensible substitutions when necessary. This provides you with peace of mind because we simplify a somewhat complicated process.
Here is our landscape design process distilled into three phases:
1.) Initial meeting, information gathering + organizing with culmination of the site analysis
2.) Studio development of conceptual landscape plans (with shoreland permit-needs study if necessary) and client review + input
3.) Studio development of final, master landscape plans + installation estimates, scheduling and project guidance
We look forward to working with you and your land!
Cheers, ZB