Industry Insights

4 steps to lovely landscaping -

Written by Staff Writer | Sep 6, 2013 11:16:00 AM

Creating a gorgeous garden is no mean feat, but the value of beautiful and functional landscaping spurs many Australians to redesign their yards. Here’s a quick and easy guide on what is involved in getting top-quality landscaping.

Team up with a landscaping expert

You can gain several benefits if you consult with a professional for your landscape design. A landscaping pro takes your needs, budget, and space into account to help you design the most suitable garden.

Landscapers offer a great range of services, from choosing plant species and paving materials to creating a detailed plan of your garden layout. They can even help you out with all the necessary permits and approvals. If you’re planning a major landscaping project, the expertise of a professional landscaper is a must.

Designing your landscape

Creating a beautiful garden that will continue to look good for years to come is not easy. Even if you invest in regular garden maintenance, your garden still won’t hold up if you’ve chosen the wrong plants and materials for your environment. It’s good to have a rough idea of which plants you’d like in your garden. Even if they won’t thrive in your environment, your landscaper can still suggest similar-looking plants that are suitable for your climate.

If you’re having some hardscaping done as well, your landscaper can also suggest materials and designs that will fit in with the look of your home. Whether you want a pergola or a deck, brick or stone pavers, your landscaper can help you create the look that you want within budget.

You’re probably going to spend quite some time with your landscaping artist to finalise the plans. Once you have the final layout of your garden printed in detailed plans, you can now see how much you’re going to spend for the entire process.

Breaking down the costs

Your final plans should also list all the types and quantities of materials that will be needed for the landscaping process. This includes how many bags of soil, plants or seedlings, pavers, grass, and everything else included in your garden. Don’t forget that you’ll be paying for the labour too, so make sure that your budget breakdown includes the number of contractors needed for the job.

The total cost of a big landscaping job can be overwhelming at first, but remember that you don’t have to shell out the total amount in one go. In most cases, it’s best to build your landscaping one step at a time so your finances won’t take a huge dip.

Building your landscape

If you’re handy with garden tools, you can choose to do the planting yourself. Some DIY pros even lay down the pavers for their garden paths themselves. However, there are still some landscaping jobs that are best left to the experts. Construction of wide or elevated decks, retaining walls, and pergolas can be too complicated for the average DIYer. So while it’s all good to save up on labour costs by doing some of the work yourself, remember to know your limits.

Hire a landscaping expert right now, and get started on creating your dream garden right now.