Anna Aquino designed a man-made waterfall, with several pools along the way, for a West End home on the river. (Photo by Anna Aquino)
Whether you need help keeping your lawn green, planting a perennial garden, or building the ultimate outdoor oasis, there’s a landscape professional who can help you get the job done right. This primer breaks down the difference between a landscape architect and designer; explains whom you should hire for your job and why some tasks are best left to professionals; and gives you an idea of how much it might cost.
1. What’s the difference between a landscape designer, landscape architect and “landscaper?”
There are varying degrees of education and expertise among those who work with outdoor spaces. Some have undergraduate or graduate degrees; some have private or state certification; others have years of experience but no official licensure.
Landscape architects are licensed by the state, notes Walter Cole, president of the Virginia Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Requirements include a degree in landscape architecture and/or a related field, three years of experience, and passing a “grueling” three-day exam.
“One of the issues is that we’re such a broad profession in terms of the scale of projects,” Cole says, adding that his day job, director of planning for Clark Nexsen Architecture and Engineering in Virginia Beach, is centered on commercial and governmental projects. Other landscape architects focus on residential settings, helping homeowners with drainage and grading issues, retaining walls, and physical structures such as pergolas or swimming pools.
“You need people who have training.” —Anna Aquino
Landscape designers have no certification requirements. However, the Virginia Society of Landscape Designers (VSLD) offers an assessment process through which an applicant can be granted the title of Certified Landscape Designer (CLD).
“When you hire a CLD, you’re hiring experience in the field,” says Denise Greene, VSLD public relations chair. CLDs must attend classes and networking events to maintain their certification. “If you’re changing a grade or adding walls over 2 feet tall, you may want a landscape architect to come in, because you’re getting into the engineering side,” Greene says. “But if you’re just dealing with plants, we’re horticulturalists first and foremost.”
Once the plan is in place, a “landscaper” may be where to turn for installation and maintenance such as pruning, mulching and edging. Ike Carter, president of John Richmond Landscaping Inc., has an ongoing relationship with several landscape designers and architects. “They want someone who can execute their plan the way it’s supposed to be,” he says. “We won’t sub out another plant just because the one specified isn’t available,” he says.
Homeowners have to think about who they’re hiring, says Anna Aquino, who holds degrees in both horticulture and landscape architecture. Bottom line: “You need people who have training,” she says.
DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT
Who: Greg Koehler, owner, Outdoor Dreams
Experience: Class A Contractor, 13th year as owner and lead designer of Outdoor Dreams
Focus/specialty: Designing and constructing outdoor living spaces that emphasize comfort, style and quality craftsmanship
Favorite plant: Winter Daphne (Daphne odora)
This custom-designed patio, designed by Greg Koehler of Outdoor Dreams, features a pergola-covered dining area. (Photo by Greg Koehler)
2. Whom do you hire for your project?
Hands down, experts agree the best way to find the right person for your job is by asking other homeowners.
Greg Koehler, owner and lead designer of Outdoor Dreams, says friends and neighbors are happy to share their experiences. “Everyone takes pride in their home and yard,” he says. “When you compliment someone’s yard, that validates their purchase and the money they spent.”
Meg Turner, CLD, of M. Turner Landscapes, says exploring neighborhoods can start the process. “Take note of yards you love, then ask who did the design,” she says, adding that designers’ websites or Facebook pages are also good reference points, showing style and project types.
“It’s important to design everything at once, so the finished product is a cohesive space.” —Greg Koehler, owner, Outdoor Dreams
Landscape architect Bryan Puckett of Terra Forma Landscape Architecture & Light notes that his firm doesn’t have much of an online presence, because virtually all his business comes from word of mouth and repeat customers. “We’re so busy, we don’t need a website,” he says.
Many designers and architects are happy to meet with prospective clients for free initial consultations, and that is a good time for clients to gauge vision, personality fit and comfort level.
“When you’re hiring anybody, you have to have trust,” Koehler says. “If you don’t trust the person you hire, it’s going to be a miserable experience. If you can’t give your contractor the benefit of the doubt, you shouldn’t be hiring him.”
Turner adds that the right designer will help “breathe new life into your landscape, helping you see your property with new eyes, and tying together the various elements you want to incorporate into your yard.”
DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT
Who: Meg Turner, landscape and outdoor furniture designer, M. Turner Landscapes, thewelldressedgarden.com (blog)
Education: B.A., University of Virginia; J.D., University of Virginia School of Law; Landscape Design Certificate, George Washington University
Experience: Landscape designer for 18 years
Focus/specialty: Creating gardens with four-season interest, with the goal of seamlessly integrating each property’s architectural and ecological elements
Favorite plant: False Indigo (Baptisia Australis)
For this project, Meg Turner took advantage of a large amount of soil that was removed to install a swimming pool and terraced the landscape to create garden rooms. (Photo by Helen Horsley)
3. Why hire a professional?
People working in the landscaping industry agree on one thing: Knowledge and expertise matter.
Janet Baruch, CLD, of Greenway Gardens says she understands homeowners might want to undertake projects on their own, but they need to avoid being penny-wise and pound-foolish. A good design, she says, involves “putting the right plant in the right place and understanding the schedule of the bloom time as well as the balance of evergreens and herbaceous plants so you have structure in the garden.”
While you might find knowledgeable employees at home improvement stores, she notes, that approach won’t support the whole job. “When you get started on a project, things change in the field,” she notes. “I’m happy to oversee a project; I hire subcontractors who know what they’re doing.”
Some nurseries have design professionals ready to assist. Tim Krueger, who holds a master’s degree in landscape architecture, manages the design staff at Sneed’s Nursery and Garden Center and oversees the whole process. “The nice thing about us is we do everything,” he says. “When you’re working with plant material, you’re working with living, breathing organisms. You want to make the design last with color and texture.”
Anna Aquino, who holds degrees in environmental sciences, horticulture and landscape architecture, says that a common joke in the field is, “If you have a truck and a chain saw, then you are a landscaper.
“With any profession, you look for formal training,” she adds. “We are trained to think spatially — to think of the ground plain, the canopy, vertical elements — and to consider walking, driving, privacy, views, even pets.”
The bottom line? “A lot of these small landscaping firms are here today and gone tomorrow,” Baruch says. “It’s good to go with a company that’s been in business for a while.”
DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT
Who: Jeff Cartwright, owner, Cartwright Landscaping
Education: B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; J.D., University of Maryland
Experience: 20-plus years working in the landscape design/installation/maintenance industry
Focus/specialty: Working with homeowners to create exceptional outdoor living spaces
Favorite plant: Fragrant Olive (Osmanthus fragrans)
This Windsor Farms house underwent an extensive exterior renovation that included the removal of large trees to make the house more visible from the street. Cartwright Landscaping did the work, replacing the foundation plantings and cultivating a lush lawn. (Photo by Kip Dawkins)
4. What can a landscape professional do for you?
Homeowners don’t need to know exactly what they want, but they need to be able to articulate preferences and goals. Landscape designer Meg Turner says she asks prospective clients about their general thoughts, how they plan to use the space, what elements they might want (patio, water feature, entertainment or game area, etc.), plant preferences and time available for maintenance. Additionally, she usually orders a topographic map of the property before she drafts a plan and plant list. She recommends contractors and can even order furniture, containers or garden ornaments for a client.
Jeff Cartwright, a certified horticulturalist and owner of Cartwright Landscaping, says every job starts with a consultation and site visit that consider both the present and the future: “Show me what you don’t like and what you want to do with your property,” he says. “You really have to look at everything comprehensively.”
Planning is vital, says Greg Koehler of Outdoor Dreams. “It’s important to design everything at once, so the finished project is a cohesive space,” he says. “It’s always good to plan for the future today. If you plan it correctly, then you can design it to be built in phases.”
After the first conversation, Cartwright may provide a sketch of his ideas or bring a client to another job, to show what he has in mind. He also encourages homeowners to review plant and tree images or visit a nursery, to see what he’s suggesting up close. Eventually, he and his crew will stage the landscape with actual plants in containers. “It takes a little more time, but it makes for a happier outcome,” he says, noting that changes are inevitable: “A plant has to change; it can’t be static.”
Anna Aquino regards each project as “a composition” and works out her plans formally on tracing paper, eventually creating detailed and artistic designs. “We love people, and we want to work with what they need as best we can,” she says.
DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT
Who: Tim Krueger, landscape designer, Sneed’s Nursery
Education: Master of landscape architecture, Virginia Tech; coursework in ornamental horticulture and bachelor’s in biology, University of Delaware
Experience: 14-plus years as a residential landscape designer, two years with Garden Design Group, Hockessin, Delaware
Focus/specialty: Outdoor living, hardscape and planting design
Favorite plant: Lenten Rose (Helleborus x hybridus)
For this project, Tim Krueger of Sneed’s Nursery designed an elegant hedgerow of daylilies and hollies. (Photo by Tim Krueger)
5. What’s it going to cost?
As do other professionals, landscape architects and designers will charge for their time and design services in addition to expenses relating to materials and installation. While the initial consultation may be free (one landscape architect we talked to charges consultation fees to ensure a serious commitment), expect an hourly rate of $100 and up for the development of the plan alone.
Anna Aquino, who charges $110 per hour, says a client recently didn’t understand that he would have to pay in order to receive a plan. “I told him the process would ensure he’d be happy with the design,” she says, noting that it doesn’t make any sense for her, as a business owner, to create a product with no payment to follow.
“You want to make the design last with color and texture.” —Tim Krueger, landscape designer, Sneed’s Nursery
Sneed’s Tim Krueger says working with customers from the beginning can help keep costs down because he knows materials and can make cost-effective suggestions. Clients also can avoid unpleasant surprises, such as the situation he recently encountered where a customer came to him with a costly design plan that couldn’t be implemented because the site survey was incorrect.
Denise Greene of the VSLD says that, in general, landscape designers will be less expensive than landscape architects. Walter Cole agrees that landscape architects’ engineering expertise often costs more. “Part of the reason is public safety, health and welfare,” he says.
It’s also important to consider the scope of the project. While Krueger says he’s happy to take jobs in the $5,000 range, Greg Koehler of Outdoor Dreams says his firm just isn’t competitive, price-wise, at projects of less than $10,000. “We compete well on full-scale projects,” he says. “We like to get the money out of the way; we don’t want everybody to waste time on a design process that people can’t afford.”
