Is it time to change your landscape?

This cold and rainy weather may keep us indoors, but it also provides an opportunity for reflection. Perhaps it is time to think about making changes to your landscape design. Imagine yourself outside in your yard last year. How did you use the space? How would you like to use it in the future? Did you spend too much time taking care of your yard and not enough time enjoying it? Could it be it easier to care for and more enjoyable?

We can help. Our skilled landscape designers and professional installation crews can help you create a landscape that will bring you pleasure for many years to come. Take a look at our portfolio to help you think about what your landscape could be.

Set landscape design goals

The first step in creating a new landscape is to set landscape design goals. Having concrete goals will help you communicate with the designer and make the design process more efficient. It will help ensure that your new landscape meets your needs, now and in the future.

Before starting the design process, you need to know why certain elements belong in the landscape. In other words, what problems are you are trying to solve? How can the landscape design help solve these problems?

Here are some examples of good and not-so-good landscape design goals from Garden Design for Living.

• “Make my yard beautiful” NOT SO GOOD
• “De-stress my life by creating a relaxing retreat on my property” GOOD
• “Put in an outdoor dining area” NOT SO GOOD
• “Entertain more by creating a place to entertain in my yard” GOOD
• “Put in a fire pit” NOT SO GOOD
• “Make my yard the place where my kids’ friends gather, so I don’t have to drive them everywhere” GOOD

Ask questions 

Ask yourself some key questions. Like a journalist researching a story, you will want to ask Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? related to your landscape. Your answers will help you refine your landscape design goals and objectives.

Who will use the landscape? You and your family? Small groups of friends? Large gatherings? Adults? Children?

What do you want or need in the landscape that you don’t currently have? Imagine yourself in your new landscape. What is different in your life? How would you use the landscape?

Where do you want to focus the design? The entire property? The backyard? The front yard? A neglected area? If you don’t have the budget this year for a complete makeover, consider where you would most like to enjoy the landscape and focus on that one.

When will you use the property? Will you sit outside on warm summer evenings after work? Will your kids use the yard every day after school? Would you like to enjoy it from your windows on rainy winter days?

Why do you want to make changes to your yard? Why now? Is something changing in your life?

How will you use your yard? Think of all the various uses. Would you like to eat dinner outside? Would you like a quiet place where you can read a book? Would you like a play area for your children? Do you plan to grow vegetables? Would you like to grow flowers to bring indoors? Would you like to attract birds and other wildlife? How do you need to access various areas of the yard?

Consider maintenance

Consider how much time you would like to spend enjoying the landscape and how much time you would like to spend taking care of it. Some people love puttering with plants. Others prefer to spend more time relaxing with family and friends, or lounging with a cool drink and a good book. It is important to be clear about your maintenance goals.

At In Harmony, we believe in designing and installing landscapes that will look good over the long term without requiring a lot of maintenance. A sustainable landscape is a beautiful landscape that will last and thrive for many years.

Our designers will talk to you about your goals and objectives for:

• Design elements, such as decks, patios, arbors and pathways, that define the outdoor space. These elements don’t need watering and pruning.
• Materials. We believe it is worth investing in high-quality, durable materials such as cedar, stone, metal and concrete. They will look good for many years. Are there materials that appeal to you in other landscapes?
• Planting choices. What plantings are you attracted to in other landscapes? Goals for plantings should move from larger elements to smaller ones. Trees and shrubs provide structure and form to the garden. Hardy, reliable evergreens look good all year and reduce winter weeds. We will recommend perennials, shrubs and grasses to fill in spaces. Flowers and annuals should be a last consideration, as they require the most maintenance.
• Your lawn. Consider planting a smaller lawn. Lawns require regular mowing, watering, fertilizing and weed control. Lawns have a large environmental footprint.

Think about your landscape’s future

Do you have long-term goals for your landscape that you can’t afford to do this year? For example, would you like to add a greenhouse, gazebo or other structure? Make sure you leave room in the landscape for future needs.

Discover what you like 

It can be worth investing in some books and magazines about landscapes, or check them out from your local library. Sharing examples of landscapes you like with your designer can help the design process. In a recent blog post we recommended several gardening books. Some of them are about landscape design and will provide ideas and photos.

You might also search online for ideas, such as on Pinterest or Houzz. While you’re on Houzz, take a look at our portfolio.

Find out more about In Harmony landscape design

Here is a video about our approach to landscape design.

Check out our website for our landscape design portfolio.  You can also find out more about our landscape design process.

Contact us about setting up an appointment with one of our landscape designers.

What our clients say

“We couldn’t be more happy with the transformation of the back yard space. It has been a pleasure working with you, your designers and the crew.”

“In Harmony did an amazing job with our backyard! The work was well done with a high degree of craftsmanship.”

“Our backyard is an oasis—while we felt we paid a fair price, what we got was far beyond what we paid.”

“Your designer is extremely talented and gave us exactly what we told her we wanted/needed.”

“Great service, sustainable design and implementation and low maintenance … It all went so easily from first contact through installation.”

“We’ve just finished our second major landscape project with In Harmony and recommend them without hesitation.”

“Our expectations for our backyard makeover were very high, and they exceeded them. I highly recommend In Harmony if you have any landscaping needs.”