What does a Landscape gardener do ?

What does a Landscape gardener do?

Well, I don’t know what a landscape gardener does and I work in the industry. I hear this term banded around and I don’t understand it and find it confusing, mixing up different specialisms of gardening and landscaping. This got me thinking. Do people know who to contact when renovating a garden? Do they know what services the various professionals offer? There are lots of professionals that work on and in a private garden; from designing it, to building it, and on to maintaining it. Getting the right professional for you is key so that you can avoid costly mistakes.

Let’s start with a garden designer

A garden designer is a professional who is qualified in garden design. They will work directly with a client to design the garden to meet their requirements. They will be able to produce scaled drawings of the garden from presentation plans to detailed drawings that will provide enough information for the landscaper to build the garden. They will select the materials and produce specifications for the build. They will often work hand in hand with the landscaper to make sure the garden is built as designed, overseeing all the details. Garden designers are knowledgeable on many aspects of the garden from lighting to drainage and will have horticulture skills to be able to select the right plants that will both flourish and create the right garden ambience. Their role is different to that of a landscape architect, who will often work on much larger projects such as urban landscapes, whereas Garden designers tend to work with private gardens.

Landscapers get your garden built

Landscapers are the people who will deliver the built garden. Landscapers are highly skilled and will build walls, lay patios, landscape the ground, install drainage, prepare the ground for planting and much much more. Before hiring a landscaper it is really important to know what you want built and the materials you want to use.

AnnaWithPlants

Horticulturist or gardener?

We have all heard of the term gardener, but the gardeners who know what they are doing are highly trained and skilled horticulturists. They know their plants and how to look after them. They understand the difference between a weed and a plant in the right place. They can ID plants and know how to prune and train plants. These gardeners are very different to the ones who will only cut you grass or hedges and can’t tell the difference between astrantia and ajuga.

There are many other professionals that work in private gardens from lawn care professionals to Arborists; who specialise in looking after trees and maintaining good tree health. Choosing who to work with Selecting who to work with is important so you get the right level of professionalism. Personal recommendations are a good place to start, also check out trade bodies, they will often list accredited members who adhere to professional standards. It is always a good idea to see examples of work and ascertain skill levels and the service provided. Communication will also be key to a successful working relationship, are they easy to get hold of, answer your questions and keep you informed of progress?

If you are looking at a full garden transformation, then contact a garden designer in the first instance. They will not only design your garden for you, but they will often bring in skilled and knowledgeable tradespeople at the different stages of the garden development, who they have a relationship with and trust to deliver your dream garden.

So if you are ready to start your garden transformation let’s start a conversation.