How to hire a qualified landscaper
By Tania Moffat S
o, you’ve finally decided to take the plunge and hire a landscaper to help you create the yard of your dreams. But where do you start? Who do you hire? Do you
need to hire a landscape designer, architect or contractor, and what’s the difference between them anyway? Can you get away with a private contractor or your neighbour’s friend who has added landscaping to his lawn care port- folio? Slow down; you don’t need to get your flowers in
a bunch. The first thing you need to do is determine what you want done. Are you having a walkway or patio installed, or are you planning some serious hardscaping with retaining walls? Do you need to have grading done or a pond installed? Your needs will determine who you should call.
Is it me you’re looking for? Landscape designers have horticultural and landscap-
ing knowledge allowing them to develop creative ideas and plans as well as suggest the right plants for your proj- ect. Designers can be hired to develop a master plan for your yard which you can then work on completing over a
6 • Summer 2015
period of years, and can be involved in the entire design/ build project. This has its advantages; if designers oversee the project they can make changes if problems arise or the design needs change. Landscape architects will be able to contribute a strong
focus on the built environment – building choices, permit knowledge and hardscape design but may have less experi- ence with horticulture. Architects can sometimes oversee the entire project for you, but usually sub-contract the work. Landscape contractors are able to complete a number of
jobs and problem solve. For example, they are equipped to remove a pool, clear and grade land, install pathways, etc. They are less likely to have horticultural or extensive design experience. From there you have the option of hiring people with
“experience”, like your neighbour's friend who has been doing some of the same jobs, but with no formal training. He may have been pruning trees for years, but is he an arborist? Does he know what he is doing or has he been doing jobs incorrectly?
localgardener.net
Landscape plan courtesy Archives of Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, U.S. National Park Service.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48