“The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men, gang aft a-gley. An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, for promis'd joy!”

— Robert Burns, Scottish poet

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If you are planning to invest in that special outdoor space, the landscaped paradise that you’ve always wanted—generally a pretty significant investment: $25,000 or more—you may be surprised to learn that some of the most important skills of your landscape contractor are not easy to see and even harder to evaluate. I’m talking about project management skills.

Project management skills are the skills needed to organize and coordinate the labour and materials to transfer the design drawings into a finished solution that meets key criteria such as completing on time, on budget, and at the quality specified and expected by you. In short, delivering exactly what you expected.

These skills are critically important because problems always arise.

Projects are unique, and each one is different than all others that have preceded it. That uniqueness requires a unique approach that continually adapts as new characteristics of the project emerge. These characteristics can and do emerge anywhere along the project life cycle. Being ready for them and adjusting as needed means that we must be always attentive to doing what makes the most sense given the circumstances. Hence, project management is nothing more than organized common sense.*

But, you know what they say about common sense: sometimes it’s not all that common.

Landscape designers, and even some contractors, don’t always understand, or plan for, some of the complexities involved in the construction phase. Designers have designed what they’ve designed and its the contractors job to work out the complexities. Inexperienced contractors sometimes charge ahead without a careful plan or without anticipating the project’s potential challenges. No problem, except, the cost of these complexities usually get passed on to you.

Now consider an alternative situation. The designer and project manager and builder of the project are one and the same. In this scenario, the complexities are anticipated during the design phase; their impact on the project’s costs are discussed as are workarounds or alternatives to avoid any potential impact on your costs.

With over twenty-five years of experience, we know that things change during a project. In fact, we expect it. We have learned that in the process of building your landscape solution you may find that what you thought you needed or wanted is different from what you actually need or want once you see it coming together. The project management approach has to accommodate not only changes that you may make but changes caused by unforeseeable circumstances. It has to be flexible and adaptable and accommodate these changes because they may have an effect on completion dates and the scope of the project.

Having the design skills and project management skills reside in the same company is beneficial for a number of reasons.

• You get to deal with one contact from start to finish so you are never in the he said, she said situation.
• There is never a problem of misinterpretation of the plans. The people interpreting the plans are the same ones that listened to your needs and presented the design plans to you in the first place.
• Not everything can be written down or easily captured by the drawings. The je ne sais quoi—that intangible quality that makes something distinctive or attractive—that is understood between you and the designer will more likely be realized.

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* Robert K. Wysocki. Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme. (Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2009) p. xlvii

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I love designing poolscapes for my clients. It’s just plain fun. It’s fun because I can really get my creative juices flowing. Today, the landscape designer’s palette includes more elements and more choices than ever before. Remember that old saying: If you can conceive it, you can achieve it? That pretty much sums it up when it comes to designing poolscapes. If you have an idea—we can probably create it for you. 

Here are just some of the things that you might want to consider in dreaming up the ideal poolscape for your family.

Raised walls

A raised wall adds a creative element to your poolscape. In the examples shown below the wall  is likely reinforced concrete with a stone facade. Water elements have been added and the garden adds a beautiful backdrop to the pool setting.

Instead of being able to walk all around the pool consider having a raised area that can be used as a planter, spa, or sitting area. This can add variety and dimension to your yard and act as a privacy barrier from your neighbours.
 
Waterfalls, cascades and water features
Not only does a waterfall add a certain magic to your poolscape, its sound can serve to mask traffic or neighborhood noise. A variety of sizes and styles are available as is the option to custom design a special setting that will work perfectly in your back yard.

If a waterfall adds a soft watery rumble to the sensory experience of your poolscape, streams add more of a gentle trickle sound. Streams are installed along the tile line of your pool and are adjustable so you can change their directional flow for the perfect appearance.

Add the mystery of a vanishing edge
When you add a vanishing edge the water cascades over the back creating a wonderful illusory effect—as if the water is flowing out into the horizon. The water drops over the wall into a catch basin from which it is recirculated into the pool.

Lighting creates mood and romance
Enjoy a magical poolscape at night by adding lighting. Lighting can truly be transformative. Not only is it practical so you can use your pool at night, It creates mood and intimacy.

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All of the ideas mentioned above are captured below in the same order. Have a look at the pictures to get even more ideas. And, when you're ready, contact us and we'll be happy to answer any of your questions.

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One of the decisions that you have to make in the landscaping re-design of your outdoor space is the style you want.

But, if you are like most people, you don’t really know the vast number of alternatives available to you. One consideration is to match the style of the landscaping with your home. This makes a lot of sense in some ways but often leads to an outdoor space that ends up being very close to the neighborhood standard since most architectural styles in a neighborhood tend to be similar.

Others want to create a get-away experience that allows them to distance them from the stresses of their day-to-day life. Others still want to create an outdoor oasis that uniquely reflects their personality. 

There are a lot of great styles that, although they may not match your architectural style, can complement it in a beautiful way and create a welcoming and unique space.

Have you ever considered any of these styles?*:

• Mediterranean
• Spanish
• Tuscan
• French Country
• English Garden
• Modern
• Southwestern
• Asian

Each style can be augmented with furniture choices (style, design) , colours (of furniture, decking, painted areas etc.) decorative elements (clay pots, urns, water features etc.) plant choices, fabric patterns, patio stone choice etc.

Below I have included some pictures to give you the general look and feel of some different styles which I hope will inspire some new ideas about what would help you create the perfect outdoor space. Look at the palettes of each style. Look at the furniture choices and colour choices. What accents have they used? What could you add or take away? Be creative! Get inspired! The sky is the limit!

Enjoy!

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Unless you've just won the lottery the truth for most of us is that the private landscape oasis of our dreams just doesn’t match our budget.

Why settle for second best?
There is an approach that can get you closer to your dreams, albeit, not all at once: a multi-phase landscaping design and build implementation. In this approach you get the design done up front but you implement the project over two or three years.

Be sure to discuss your interest in having a multi-phased approach with your designer because the designer will need to take into account a number of key considerations in the phasing of the project. For example,

• You don't want to bring in heavy equipment multiple times because that would greatly increase the cost.
• Logistically and practically, some things just have to be done in a certain order.
• You want to consolidate major purchases (e.g., wood for decking and fencing, patio stones, or brick).
• You want to make sure that each phase builds on the last one and what’s completed already will not have a negative impact on or be damaged by the continuation of the project.
• You want to consider what is most important to you and your lifestyle because sometimes life happens (e.g., job lay-off, pregnancy, etc.,) and the project needs to be postponed. You should end up, if possible, with what is most important to you.
• You want to make sure that each phase of the project is a logical breaking point and won't make your landscaping look half finished. Done well, nobody will be able to tell that what’s already completed is part of an ongoing landscaping project.

If there are new trees and shrubs in the plan that aren’t going to interfere with or be disturbed by subsequent phases of the project you may want to have them put in the first year so they have time to grow and fill out throughout the implementation period.

So, let’s look at a sample implementation plan. In the pictures below you can see two logical phases. Let’s assume that they wanted to have their front yard done as well. So, the implementation could look like*:

Year 1. The deck and privacy fence. Because more than anything they want to enjoy entertaining in their back yard. Behind their deck, until phase three is done, is sod, a few existing shrubs and bushes, and whatever new ones that are decided on.

Year 2. They do their front yard, driveway and entrance.

Year 3. They add the stone patio and water feature to the back of the yard. But, there are some bigger bushes at the very back. These were be put in the first year as mentioned above.

Not every project is is suitable for a multi-phased approach so be sure to talk to your designer. For example, a project based primarily around one material and task (e.g., building a deck and fence) or laying a stone driveway, patio, and walkway) may suffer because you lose volume discounts and operational efficiencies.

You should also discuss your budget with the designer to make sure that each phase of the implementation matches what you can afford.

Breaking a project up over several years may allow you to opt to do certain tasks yourself—saving the larger or more technical parts of the construction for your design and build team. But, keep in mind, it still has to be worthwhile for your design and build a team to add you back into their schedule so you should definitely discuss this with them. You also want to make sure that you are using a reputable company because you don’t want to find out that they are not in business next year. Don't pre-pay for next year's work and be sure to get a copy of the plans for your own files just in case. Make this a deal breaker.

Any multi-phased landscaping design and build approach will usually cost a little more but may allow you to complete the project without financing. On the other hand, you may want to have a conversation with your bank about financing. Saving yourself from the interruption to your home and family life multiple times may be worth getting it all done at once.

Ultimately, you will have to weigh all of the factors: the inconvenience of the interruption, the extra cost of a phased approach, financing costs, the ability to pay for it in phases without financing, etc., to see what works for you. If there are parts that you can do yourself, it may be a great approach. The key, however, is to start with a great design that matches, as close as possible, the private landscape oasis of your dreams. 

*This project wasn't actually done in a phased aproach and is used here for illustration purposes only.

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There's an old carpenter's adage: measure twice, cut once. This applies to planning your garden too. It is hard to make changes once the plants are in the ground.

So, my recommendation this winter is to get out your coloured pencils and get creative by creating your very own Garden Planting Plan. It's fun and it may save you some money, time and effort by helping you to avoid some mistakes. And, it doesn't have to be sophisticated to teach you a ton. Here is a very crude sample. I've included some steps below. You can also do the same thing for individual flower beds.

As a landscape designer it is critical that the design drawings I do are accurate and to scale because the drawings are used to determine the amount of materials needed, where post holes are placed, etc., and as a guide to building. For you it is for learning, getting organized and getting a head start on next year's planting so accuracy isn't as important. It's to help you get some ideas and work out the kinks.

Long before you see a final computer-generated design drawing I have already played around with many ideas and possibilities. For this I use much looser idea-generating sketches. This is what I am suggesting for you. You don’t have to have the detail and accuracy of a designer but the process of working out what you want in your garden and where you think it will best go will help you rule out a lot of things ahead of time and teach you a ton about what you like, what you don’t like and what you want your overall garden to look like.

By working out these ideas on paper you can test your thinking and get other’s opinions. You can check at the local nursery if you have made good choices based on the type of soil in your area, the climate and precipitation and the shade and sun patterns on your property. It is not unlike the feedback an industrial designer might look for when doing a very crude mock-up prototype before exploring the idea further. They do this to get feedback and identify problems before they invest a lot of time going down a certain path.

Although some imagination may be required, you can test out things like:
• colour and colour contrasts
• textures and texture variety and contrasts
• plant shapes and sizes
• space usability
• balance: is one plant overpowering?
• focus: do you have a focal point?

And so forth. Each of us have our own aesthetic. This process can help you learn more about yours. It is much better to work it out in your mind’s eye beforehand than change your mind once the plants are purchased and planted. You will probably discover some options you haven’t thought of along the way as well.

To do your rough garden planting plan follow these basic steps. You can do one for your yard as well as more detailed ones for individual flower beds. I have used the back yard as an example above.

1. Measure the yard, flower beds and the basic size and shapes of the existing trees and shrubs and plot on a simple drawing. Remember, you’re not trying to be a draftsman/woman, you’re doing this to test some ideas.

2. Identify where the shade and sun areas are so you can use this when planning your planting.

3. Clip pictures from nursery brochures, the internet or used books and attach them to your drawing at the edges. Check out: http://www.flowerspictures.org. Or, you can do it on computer.

4. Roughly draw in the flowers and plants you are interested in and draw a line from them to their corresponding pictures to identify them.

This will allow you to start to envision your garden and see how the plants will look in place and side-by-side. You’ll be able to have placed the sun-loving plants in the sun and the shade-loving plants in the shade

You don’t have to be great at drawing—just look at how rough I made my sample—to get some great input into planning your garden. That said, I did my sample very quickly just to give you the idea. You can tweak yours all winter and even add some colour. The more you can imagine the finished result the more you will learn. 

At the end of the day, you’re not going to have a perfect plan. But, you are going to have a much better idea about what you like and what you think will work. Who knows, maybe you’ll even discover some new ideas. 

And maybe the best part, you get to think of the great colours and lush greenery you're looking forward to working with as you look outside and see the greyness of winter—biding your time until you can get outside once again and get into your garden. So, go ahead, get creative and plan your next year’s garden with a rough garden plan.

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If you haven't started thinking about a landscaping project for 2012 then it's probably too late. Most of the best landscape design and build companies are probably booked until the end of the season.

That said, it is a great time to start thinking about what you may want to do next year. A couple of posts ago I talked about how to get some great ideas using GOOGLE Images. All I can say now is…

GET STARTED!

Why?

Because now is a great time. Once the snow lands on our lawns and gardens it is harder to visualise how it might look with the changes you have in mind. Get the camera out and take some photos – come on, it's digital, take lots and lots of photos – so you can use them for reference on those cold, dark, snowy evenings when all you can do is imagine the luscious greenery you took for granted only a few short months before.

There's another great reason to start thinking about next year's landscaping project right now. For most designers winter is their low season. Get them to do the design work over the winter and you can get all the attention you need and be first on the construction schedule for 2013. And, you may even be able to save a nickel or two.

So, go ahead and get your kids back to school and ease into the fall. But, once you're settled, consider starting to think about next year's landscaping project. If you're anything like me, the spring will be here before you know it and you'll be saying: Where the heck did the time go?

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Stones, rocks and boulders can all add beauty, texture and an almost spiritual timelessness to your garden landscape. It can also offer some practical benefits in retaining walls and providing erosion protection. And, of course, the fact that it lasts for generations or longer is a pretty good benefit.
Functionally, stones, rocks and boulders can be used in your garden landscape in the following ways (and this isn't all of them):

• for retaining walls
• for erosion protection
• as a border to garden, pathway or driveway
• for pond bottoms and edges
• as part of water features and waterfalls
• to create a focal point in your garden
• as a decorative wall
• in rock gardens
• as decorative accents
• to bring beauty to a shaded area where vegetation doesn't grow easily
• as a garden seat
• for stairs
• in patios and walkways (e.g. flagstone)

Symbolically, stone represents power, foundation and that which is ageless, timeless or eternal. Maybe that is why it seems to bring a serenity to your garden.**

Stone it is a part of one of the four basic elements: earth, wind, water and fire. It also plays a very important role in Japanese gardens.***
"Japanese gardens always exist in relation to architecture and vice versa. They are people's view of the natural world and a stylized interpretation of what is beautiful in nature. The understanding of the stones is emphasized. The Japanese gardener creates a special median zone that partakes both of man, by virtue of its spatial design (about 30 percent), and of nature, by virtue of its materials -- the land, stones and plants (about 70 percent)…The drama of the stones and intensity of planting gives continuity to the Japanese garden…"***

So whether it's the natural look and feel of stone or its quasi-spiritual quality. It just seems to add something special to any outdoor space. 

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In client meetings I often try to explain an idea to a client. That's how I learned that landscaping is a visual medium. I can explain an idea until the cows come home and get a blank stare in response. But, if I show the client just one picture of what I mean they can immediately envision it in their mind's eye.  So, if you are planning on doing some landscaping on your home start getting ideas by looking at pictures. Tons of pictures! You can buy a book or two but why bother when there are probably all of the pictures you will ever need online and available to you today by searching with Google Images. 

First off, if you haven't done so already, please review my past posts and, of course, look at the Land Effects Portfolio Page. These both include some of the ideas that we have come up with to date. Our ideas are driven by the input of each customer so we are always coming up with fresh ideas—new input, new ideas. We dig deep and search far and wide for ideas, add a dash of our own creative juices, and recommend what we think will be a great solution for each client's unique situation. We don't go for a cookie-cutter solution. But, the process can be helped along if you have some ideas of your own so using Google Images to expand your own visual lexicon of landscaping ideas is a great start. And, you won't have to explain it to me, you can just show me the pictures.

With apologies to the web whizzes and Google gurus out there, here are some search tips and tricks that will help you find some great pictures from which you can garner some ideas. I've written this post because I have learned that many of my clients and prospects struggle a little bit with the computer like I do. Well, this won't make you an expert, but it might help you come up with a few fresh ideas about revamping your home landscape.

To get you excited about all of the landscaping possibilities, here are a few search tips that will help you in your search for ideas using Google Images.

1. If you put "your search phrase in quotes" you get responses that include the exact phrase.
2. If you want to omit something from your search use a minus sign immediately before it. E.g.… backyard garden landscaping ideas -pool …will get you backyard garden landscaping ideas that do not mention pools.
3. If you put a tilde (~, top left of your keyboard) in front of a term you will get its variations included in your search results. (e.g. ~landscaping ideas will get you landscaped ideas, landscape ideas etc.)
4. If you want to be sure that a word is included in your search put a plus sign immediately before it. E.g. landscaping ideas +pool will get you search results that include landscaping ideas that include pool.

Ok, so there's the basics. Each of the following phrases I have actually tested out in Google Images to make sure you will get some interesting results. 

Give it a go and try some of the tips above to narrow down or enhance your search. And, of course, now that you know a few tricks, you can make up a bunch of your own.

• landscaping ideas
• landscaping ideas pools
• landscaping styles
• landscaping pool settings
• back yard landscaping
• front yard landscaping
• backyard patios
• backyard decks
• backyard water features

Have fun and I hope you discover some great ideas.

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I often get asked about how to design for a small yard or outdoor space. Although the needs of the client always prevail, some of the basic principles I keep in mind include: 

• optimize space usage
• keep it simple
• maximize the utility of the space
• keep to a single theme
• avoid overcrowding

You get the idea. 

Here are sixteen ideas that may help!

1. Incorporate outdoor pieces—furniture, features, etc.—that fit the scale of your outdoor space. 
2. The corollary to that is to incorporate plants that also fit the scale of your space. Use climbing plants like ivies that add greenery and create great privacy but don’t take up much space. Consider using urns or flower boxes.
3. Keep the space free of clutter. Design so you have a place for everything. 
4. In small spaces there never seems be enough space for storage. This can often be solved by incorporating space-saving ideas like having built-in benches with under-seat storage.
5. Think of multiple purposes for everything. The bench mentioned above is one idea. But, what about a screen that is also a waterfall. It will provide both visual and auditory privacy and add a classy touch to your deck. 
6. Where possible, go vertical. Put things that aren’t used all of the time up high so you can designate less space for storage.
7. Use glass! Instead of a solid divider use a glass divider that will keep the space looking and feeling open.
8. Don't be afraid of color. Keep things bright and cheerful.
9. Incorporate elements that align with your most important desires for your outdoor space. You may not be able to do everything but what you do create can be spectacular and meet your most important needs.
10. Choose outdoor furniture pieces that are easy to pick up and move, and then plan to move things around to suit different purposes.
11. Don’t store anything that you don’t need.
12. Incorporate big art/wall hangings, especially in a color that recedes (like blue) to make the space look bigger. Keep things visually interesting in the space you do have.
13. Buy outdoor furniture that is expandable. That way, when you don’t have guests, you can free up more space.
14. Illuminate the space at night. This makes it feel large but cozy and may make more of the space usable. 
15. Use the wall and vertical surfaces for storage, hanging plants, adding light sconces etc. This frees up space by keeping things off of the ground/deck.
16. Think of closet organization systems and apply it to your outdoor storage.

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An often overlooked element of landscape design is the lighting plan. Creatively adding lighting to your outdoor living space and yard can make a huge difference to its look and feel. The effect can be subdued and relaxing or stunning and dramatic.

Great outdoor lighting can:

• complement the architectural features of your home
• complement your landscaping and outdoor features
• enhance your night-time use of your outdoor space
• add a dramatic effect
• improve your property's safety by illuminating paths and walkways
•  improve your property's security (burglars don't want to be seen)
• create mood and ambiance

Design Considerations
If you are using lighting fixtures which are themselves design elements then they need to be placed where, as a design element, they can be seen and where their light will create the best effect, and, as a practical safety and security element, where the light can do the most good. When the fixtures are in themselves not design elements then they are often best hidden so you see the effect of the light but not the fixtures themselves.

Not every light is there for safety and security so some can be used decoratively to light up garden structures or bring attention to a beautiful shrub, tree or flower.

Lighting design also has a style of its own. There are dramatic styles of lighting that are fitting to a contemporary home and outdoor space and there are styles that are more fitting to that of an English garden. The lighting design should complement both the architectural style of your home as well as the style of your outdoor landscaping. And, it shouldn't be ad hoc. Good outdoor lighting—lighting that complements your space and aids in safety and security— is done by design.

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