"I want a garden that my kids can enjoy." (Said the client before the garden was transformed into a formal, colourless, lifeless CHILDPROOF courtyard - well, the kids can stick their hand in the designer waterwall I guess)
"I don't want any bamboo. None. No, not even the Himalayan Blue Weeping bamboo. I DON'T LIKE BAMBOO." (Really? Are you sure? Because this variety is much more beautiful than the ordinary green bamboo. Why don't you just look at the some photos?? I saw it at a spa retreat in Japan and it looked FABULOUS...)
These may seem like simple requests. A landscaper's primary purpose is to satisfy the client (or customer if you will) and at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how many visions of grandeur, elaborate, extravagant ideas or 'inspiration' the landscaper has, it all means a steaming pile of Jack Shoe IF IT'S NOT WHAT THE CLIENT WANTS...
If the client doesn't want a tropical garden, don't even bother trying to convince them that the newest Cordyline cv. is the 'must-have' plant of the month. (Advisable even if they DO want a tropical garden)
A landscape designer is not worth their weight in axonometric drawings if they cannot create a garden that meets the criteria. Sure, they are good designers and that's why you hire them in the first place. However; they should be able to take into account what you want - when you say you don't want a severed Buddha's head as a garden feature, you should know damn well at the end of the day your place isn't going to look like the Oriental Tower of London.
An important thing to do is to ask for a maintenance schedule. This will outline what YOU need to do immediately after work is completed and during the following months and years. Most landscapers will guarantee the plants for three months, but after that if they die it is YOUR fault. Don't hold it against them if they told you to water them and you didn't.
So, here are a few simple tips when picking a landscaper:
1. Look at their work! Not just the overall look, but the details. Is everything planted correctly, at the right depth? Did the plants survive past three months? Are the pavers laid straight? Did it stick to the budget? Seems obvious but worth observing. A recommendation is always welcome..
2. Enthusiasm, people! If your tradie of choice shows up late, moaning about this and that and how they are tired of the game, time to send them out the door. Complacency has no place when making a garden.
3. Maintenance, schmaintenance? Hell no! Landscapers with a background in garden maintenance have a good feel for what works and what doesn't, what grows quickly and what grows like a three-toed sloth. Having a narrow strip of grass running between three kinds of river stones may be 'aesthetically pleasing', but it is as sure as shit going to be a bastard in its upkeep. Planting a small leaf hedge or spiky plants around a pool is, well, just stupid.. Get it?
4. You can drag a whore to culture.....
Yes, the old adage is true.. A lot of landscaping companies are superb at construction, but have limited to no plant knowledge. That's why the Murraya, Photinia, Cycad, Cordyline and Buxus industries have survived the recession of late and why so many gardens look the bloody same. There is no point spending thousands on a great crazy-paved entertaining area when the surrounding plants look like something Marrickville Council dreamt up on a bad day. So research their plant selection and knowledge..
5. "I know what I like, but what do you like..?" "Whatever you like..."
Ugh. Pathetic. If your budget is $X, don't be talked into blowing it out to $X,XXX,XXX. A good landscaper should be able to work within limits.
If you don't want a giant Noughts & Crosses board on one wall of your courtyard, just say no! I don't care how fun and trendy the landscaper says it is. (You know who you are....)
It is your garden and you have to live with it. If you do not ask the right questions about design and especially maintenance, you may end up with THIS:
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| Photo credit: bushnellhouse.com |
Oh god! GOD NOOOOOOO!!!!!!
