DO YOU NEED A LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL?

The answer is probably yes, if you want to improve the value of your home or get more pleasure from the beauty of your lawn and garden.
In today’s sluggish home sales market, the good news is that a well-landscaped home sells more quickly and at a higher price than a comparable home with poorly placed trees and shrubs or badly designed gardens.
According to Money magazine research, landscaping is one of the best home improvements you can make.
But a more important reason for having your property professionally landscaped is the pleasure you will derive in watching its beauty develop, season to season, year after year.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Ability to solve specific landscape and garden design problems.
Landscape professionals study design and horticulture, take ongoing courses and understand the aesthetics of gardening. When they confer with you, expect them to analyze your soil and consider your property’s drainage problems before making recommendations for the appropriate flowers, shrubs and trees.
Ability to set priorities, schedule your work in phases, adjust to your budget. Landscape professionals will work with you to find the best plantings. They will design a plan that fits your aspirations and stays within your budget.
WHO ARE THEY?
Landscape contractors. They install plantings and trees, and do some construction.
Landscape designers. Developing new landscapes or improving existing ones, they usually combine designer savvy with plant-care know-how learned through training and experience. Certification is not required.
Nursery staffs. More generalists than specialists, this group of horticultural professionals has a wide range of practical expertise, and they understand plant care. Expect them to be growers of greenhouse plants, nursery and garden center operators, master gardeners and landscape designers.
Aborists. Arborists will identify and correct tree problems, essential for larger trees. They can trim and prune, and are equipped to remove trees and stumps or move mature trees.
Landscape architects. Generally must pass a licensing exam to practice and use the title “landscape architect”. After analyzing your property, they draft plans of the site and confer with you on plant choices and placement.
Check your yellow pages, local nurseries or retail garden centers to find candidates who meet your requirements. Look for people certified by state associations who are members of the American Nursery and Landscape Association or other national or state landscape associations.