The Financial Value of
Design
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The value of a good design grows with the plants that
comprise it. For example, well-placed trees can provide summer
shade, and later let warming winter light onto
the home.
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As years pass these trees accrue real monetary value in
cooling and heating costs saved. More importantly, properly-selected,
cultivated, placed and planted trees won't need replacing for decades or
even centuries. Such trees mature into heirlooms that add immeasurable
beauty to a property and the planet.
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Now consider the poorly chosen tree. Maybe it is an eight
foot Arborvitae under a ten foot eave, or a fine White pine as
centerpiece of the patio border garden. Too bad in ten years the Arb has
hit fifteen feet, and the eave. The White pine now extends 20 foot from
its trunk, and well in to the patio. In the short term, perhaps pruning
can keep the intruders in check. Inevitably, however, the monsters have
to go.
·
Ten, maybe fifteen years have been invested in a tree that
could have paid dividends for centuries. Unfortunately the homeowner and
the landscape are back at square one. The critical mistake in this sad
tale of squandered time, money and resources, was simply putting the
wrong plant in the wrong place....bad design.
There is
of course more to a good design than the skilled craft of knowing the
size of plants and the needs of their human cohabitants. Good design
should reflect a vision of what a place could be. Good design should
aspire to beauty. Good design should endure. These higher design values
are what we strive to attain in Botanica's designs and property
plans...as well as keeping the pine boughs out of the barbeque. |
Design Software
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One favorite question we hear when
people first see a design preview is "Will it really
look that good?" As you can see from the above pictures,
real landscaping looks even better than the preview
images.
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Software can't design. Without the
skill of a knowledgeable planner, it is just a picture.
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It is an exciting tool that lets you try
on a look before you buy it, and lets you visualize what
is in your designer's head.
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As you can see from the above examples,
the results will not be exact. Software images
just are not as nice as real pictures of real plants,
mostly due to the huge size of the image library having
a limiting effect on the size of each image.
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How to Get a Great Landscape
Design
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Hire a professional who wants to give you a custom design, suited to
your lifestyle and your property, not the same "free" landscape
design that every other customer gets.
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Make sure your designer
is a good match for your style.
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Have a good idea of how you want to use your
property. Check out our
Questionnaire
for an idea of the kinds of questions you should ask yourself
before you commit to a design.
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If plants are important to you, make sure your
designer knows plants. Many well-trained landscape architects
know next to nothing about horticulture.
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If you need hardscape features, find someone who
specializes in what you want. Don't ask a masonry person to do
bluestone or a paver specialist to do textured concrete. You won't
be happy with the results.
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Look at garden magazines to learn what styles you
like, what colors appeal to you, if you want a formal or informal
look, what elements you want included in your design.
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Study the views. What do you want to hide from
view? Is there a special view you would like to frame or draw
attention to?
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Be up front with your budget. If you have a
dollar amount in mind, share it with your designer.
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Make sure you understand your plan. At
Botanica, we use computer aided graphic models, so you can see a
picture of what your landscape will look like when it is finished.
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Do a little research. Check out references, or
completed jobs. Look at different websites to get a feel for
what is available and what you might get. Choose someone who
makes you feel comfortable and confident. Have fun with
the process to be satisfied with the results.
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