The same can be true when you're hungry for a great landscape. The journey from blank slate of a yard to lush personal oasis can be fraught with as much danger as a trip down the potato chip and pop aisle.
JOE - DIY (Do It Yourself) MEANS PATIENCE
Some homeowners opt to do it themselves. These dedicated DIYers must be prepared to have plenty of patience and be willing to learn along the way, while suffering the occasional failure, if they start without a plan.
One of these daring folks is Julie Comfort, an avid DIY gardener and gardening guru to her friends. This green thumber started out with no skills, little plant knowledge, and definitely no plan 29 years ago, when her young family purchased their first home.
"We bought a house with a yard that was yuck," she said with a laugh.
Wishing to make this a place where she could entertain and where her young children could play, Comfort set out to learn all she could, devouring gardening magazines and consuming books recommended in their reading lists.
With her children grown, she moved out of that home 25 years later. Its front yard was a grass-free homage to colour and the backyard a lush landscape surrounded by large trees, featuring a small pond.
"If you don't know a lot about plants, then read, read, read. You also must have patience because it's all trial and error," said Comfort. She estimates that she lost one in four plants over the years. "Walk your garden regularly to see what's struggling and what's thriving. That tells you a lot about your choices."
PRO - SAVING TIME AND MONEY
Howard and Marie* did just the opposite. After living in their home for five years, it was time to redo the deck and spruce up the backyard.
"For any type of renovation, we would hire a professional. We just don't have those kinds of skills," said Howard.
From the three quotes they received, the couple chose Grant Harrison and his company Escapes Outdoor Living Designs. A professionally rendered plan is one of the benefits of dealing with a professional. The homeowners worked with Harrison and his landscape designer Michelle Schinkel to come up with a design that worked. "We had an idea of what we wanted and he came back with a plan. We massaged it and came up with one we loved," Howard says.
According to Howard, Harrison and his crew were able to make recommendations and offer ideas that the couple wouldn't have thought of on their own. For instance, there was an existing cedar shed that the couple was concerned about matching. Harrison's research revealed that using a special type of stained pressure-treated wood would answer all of their concerns: colour matching and colour retention (natural cedar goes grey with age), as well as durability.
Privacy and soundproofing were also an issue, as the couple was looking for a more secluded environment after a neighbour installed a pool.
"Grant came up with the idea of planting cedars," said Howard. Placed along part of the side and rear fences, these trees will grow into a hedge that ensures privacy and offers some sound buffering. Schinkel designed planting beds that would work under the shade of the existing trees and the cedars, and others that could deal with the almost full-sun areas surrounding the deck. Harrison and Schinkel included extra seating in the plans for the deck by adding bench seats along the rails.
"We would have never thought of that, but it makes it much more usable," Howard enthuses.
This is in stark contrast to the experience that some homeowners have had when they've discovered that the landscape they wanted doesn't really work. Mike Pascoe, with Kernow Gardens, has been called in to rescue yards gone wrong – those that started without a plan and ended in the wrong place. "They've futzed around with it for a long time and I've had to go in and cut it down anyway. Sometimes there are 30-year-old trees that are just wrong for the landscape."
Pascoe estimated that homeowners should spend 10% of the house's value on landscaping their outdoor spaces for maximum resale value. This cost will be recouped when selling your home.
"A lot of people balk at hiring a professional, but I can almost guarantee that you'll save money because you'll avoid a lot of foolish mistakes," said Pascoe.
Before
In the Process
Finished
Drawing
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