There is no time like the present to work on creating a fantastic garden space. When you want the best design and efficient planting for your yard, a landscape architect can help flesh out your ideas and offer some professional insight. ‘Why hire a landscape architect,’ you may ask. Greenscape Geeks provides five reasons to let a landscape architect manage the flow of your garden phases to save you time, headache, and a sore back!
Plan, then plant
The best reason to hire a landscape architect is for the planning of your vision. Any wise planner may tell you about the 5 “P” s of any goal: proper preparation prevents poor performance. The same can be said about any type of landscaping management. A holistic plan with phases and itemized breakdowns makes things easier to conceptualize in the moment and the future. Landscape architects create a master plan and will go over the stages with you to make sure you are both on the same page. A professional plan will take the data from your yard (available space, drainage, etc.) and look at it as an ecological system with moving parts. This big picture view allows for more in-depth designs in the future. It narrows your interests to specific styles, textures, and colors, as well as addressing any current or future problems with your yard like erosion control.
Some of Greenscape Geeks’ landscape architects share this sentiment of creating a master plan:
“…it also allows homeowners to plan and phase projects knowing exactly what’s to happen in the finished product. [For example], not ripping out something down the road because it’s in the wrong place, or in the way. We also offer expertise on if something must be phased, [or] which things should come first to grow in, such as shade or specimen trees.” Michael Painton, Co-Owner, Landscape Architect, Greenscape Geeks
“It allows the homeowners to see their landscape as an integral part of their home and, as such, to be able to make short, medium, and long-range plans for it. Our clients don’t necessarily need to implement everything at once – even though we’re prepared to help them do that. But having a plan down on paper is the best tool you can have to achieve a beautiful landscape that works for your family.” Tami Coleman, Landscape Architect, Greenscape Geeks
Eco-friendly garden design
Blooming annuals and ornamental shrubs can be eye-catching pieces on a landscape. Still, landscape architects with ecological design principles know that sustainable landscaping utilizes native plants and water-saving methods. Besides reducing water consumption, native plants also reduce the need for chemical applications since they don’t have to work as hard to stay healthy in the region they were grown in. Low-maintenance designs should be appealing because they save you time and money. A garden that takes care of itself means you spend more time enjoying the scenery than pulling weeds. The extra money in your pocket means you stop buying insecticide and buy more compost for those beautiful blooms instead.
Rain gardens for drainage and habitat
In areas with seasonal flooding or the occasional deluge, rain gardens are an amazing tool for landscape architects. By incorporating a rain garden into your plan, you can be 
confident that stormwater runoff will be reabsorbed instead of taxing municipal storm drains. Even when the rain subsides, your rain garden is still working to provide habitat for beneficial insects and the birds that look for snacks in tall grasses. A landscape architect will lean on the ‘architect’ part of their title to shape and form the rain garden into something more attractive than a traditional French drain or storm grate system.
Energy-efficient tree placement
Established trees are beautiful, nurture ecological diversity, and can be great for tire swings! A secret advantage of trees and shrubs is the shade they can provide a house to keep cooling costs low. Hire a landscape architect to know the proper spacing to allow trees and shrubs room to flourish as well as shelter the sunny side of a house. It’s also a landscape architect’s job to anticipate how the root structure will interact with your home’s foundation, so there are no growth issues in the future. Whether you just want some additional privacy near a window or plan on bird watching from your porch, a landscape architect knows to arrange your trees and shrubs in a pleasing, structured manner.
Raise your property value
Simply put, a landscape architect will increase the value of your plot with a great design. Your yard can become one of the best investments for your home by adding as much as 10 percent to its value compared to other similar houses. Softscapes and hardscapes will not only add value but also extend your living space. Garden beds, water features, fire pits, and patios can create an area that is both inviting and environmentally sustainable through the drafting pen of a landscape architect. A recent survey from Virginia Tech stated that “results showed…relatively large landscape expenditures significantly increase perceived home value and will result in a higher selling price than homes with a minimal landscape.”
If you feel overwhelmed or are even unsure about some aspects of the designs you have in your head, trust a landscape architect and installation workers to do the heavy thinking and lifting for you! You don’t want to find out that the plant species you selected don’t play well with others, the shade from your maple tree is a bit much, or that you’ll have to rip up shrubs for an electrical line. Don’t feel defeated, hire a landscape architect to fix early mistakes, and craft the hassle-free landscape you deserve. Contact the landscape architects at Greenscape Geeks with questions about ideas you may have. As always, feel free to comment on this post or follow us on our social media channels (LINK social) for your native plant and sustainable design content.
Greenscape Geeks is a central Indiana landscape architecture and landscape design, construction, and lawn maintenance company, serving Indianapolis (including Meridian Kessler, Herron Morton, Williams Creek, and Irvington), Carmel, Noblesville, Fishers, and Zionsville.
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