Rudyard Kipling’s poem “The Glory of the Garden” offers landscaping advice. “Gardens aren’t made by singing “How beautiful!” and relaxing in the shade,” he writes. A modern reader might tell Kipling that he can spend the afternoon singing the garden’s praises and yet make progress if he hires a landscaping firm.
Choosing a landscaper requires care. Design affects every phase of landscaping. Follow these steps to locate the ideal landscape designer for your backyard artificial grass project or timber decking.
STEP 1: Plan your landscape.
Before contacting landscape designers, organise your own ideas. What will you grow? Need a walkway or water feature? Or do you want to grow fresh vegetables and medicinal herbs? Collect magazine/book/neighborhood photos to show your landscape designer your vision.
Draw your garden’s layout. Having defined goals will help you choose the ideal landscaper. You can even describe what you want to make it easier to compare contractors’ garden solutions. More communication improves outcomes.
STEP 2: List landscaping contractors.
Once you know what you want, make a list of local landscaping providers. Get recommendations from neighbours and friends. If a neighbor’s yard looks great, you may question who performed the landscaping. Next, ask two or three landscapers for formal bids.
STEP 3: Hire a landscaper
Many factors determine who should do your landscaping or lawn care. Consider these things while choosing a Portland landscaper:
Collaboration. Designers and contractors frequently work best as a team. It might be various people or the same one. Either way, obtain input from both parties to guarantee the ultimate outcome looks beautiful, is functional, and won’t break the bank. Don’t expect the landscape designer to know about construction processes.
Education, experience. Request references from your final contractors. See if their design style suits yours in their portfolios. Check their websites for landscaping credentials and experience.
Memberships and credentials. Landscape designers need continuing education. Check landscapers’ affiliations and credentials.
Licenses, bonds. Make sure potential bidders have a licence and bond from the Oregon Landscape Contractors Board. Different levels of licence may not work for your project. Unlicensed or unbonded contractors aren’t worth your time.
Indemnity. Avoid employing uninsured landscapers. Your landscaping business should be insured for your home’s value. Landscaping blunders may be costly, like cutting a gas line or having a tree fall on your house.
Cost. Choose a budget-friendly landscape designer.
Trust. Landscaping may be expensive. Make sure your contractor meets your standards. If not, you may face costly repairs in a few years.
Organic gardening. If you’re an environmentally conscious Oregonian, you’ll want to make sure your landscaping business uses green methods and natural lawn care. Green landscaping experts in Portland propose soil preparation. Choose a provider that employs compost and natural soil additions.
Replanting. Green landscaping uses local, drought-resistant species.
Conservation. Find a firm that installs and maintains water-efficient, weather-based irrigation systems.
Chemical-free. Chemicals should be a last resort for a green landscaping company. Chemicals ruin waterways.
Grasscycling. Lawn care doesn’t require many chemicals. Portland landscaping businesses promote grasscycling, or leaving grass clippings on the lawn to release nitrogen slowly.
Some can pot begonias and some can bud a rose, but some aren’t suitable to trust with anything that grows. Follow the guidelines above to prevent hiring bad landscapers.
