Introduction
Garden design is a creative and expressive trade. It demands a high degree of skill, imagination, and execution. Creating beautiful outdoor spaces requires understanding the needs of the dweller within and the environment around them. A good gardener understands these things, too. They know how to work with nature to create an authentic garden that feels at home in its setting. A good gardener will listen, take notes, and make informed design decisions. Ask anyone who’s worked in the garden industry over the years, and you’ll soon discover many sub-qualifications go into being a great landscaper – or even a great designer.
You don’t have to be an artist or a scientist to understand how plants interact with one another in the soil to create succulent green forms. Working as a landscape designer requires an analytical approach combined with sensitivity and beauty, color, texture, and form. It means you’ll be well-equipped if you ever want to consider working in this field yourself.
Garden design has become a popular profession over the past few decades, and the demand for quality, professional, and customized garden designs continues to grow. A good gardener must have an in-depth knowledge of different plants and flowers, their characteristics, as well as the proper techniques and equipment needed to successfully cultivate them. They should also know how to choose the right plants for a specific environment and the best ways to care for them.
A good garden designer is someone passionate about their work, who uses their skills responsibly, and who has a customer service philosophy that goes beyond just selling plants and DIY kits. They should not just be interested in making money, but rather in helping people transform their backyards into beautiful, functional spaces that provide them with endless opportunities for fun and relaxation.
There’s an old saying, “ Architects plan and garden decorate.” But it doesn’t work quite the way that the second half states. Architects can plan, but they are not good at gardens. Or so people think.
Gardeners, on the other hand, take pride in planning their summer entertaining and getting their homes ready for a winter of sitting under a grape arbor or out on the back porch. To be a good garden designer means combining the two, as while architects may spend their days thinking up all-new ways to design their plans, gardeners see every plant and flower as an opportunity to let their creativity shine this season. Here are some tips for becoming a good gardener and designer: hire a good designer instead of relying solely on your imagination.
What Makes a Good Garden Designer
A good garden designer has a well-rounded background in horticulture and landscaping. Garden designers are trained to combine line, symmetry, form, and function in a way that is pleasing to the eye, easy to use, and appropriate to the style of the surrounding area. They use tough landscape materials and plants to create a balance between practicality and beauty. Good garden design is truly an art form.
Perhaps it is an obvious question, but a garden designer is neither a gardener nor a builder. The experience and skills of these professionals are in the practical area, and their training does not include elements such as interior design, drafting/computer-aided design, and plant design. A trained gardener with the right gardening qualifications is invaluable in keeping a garden looking beautiful. An experienced builder can create an attractive patio, but for a major remodel, a gardener or contractor is not the best place to seek macro advice.
What is a garden designer?
Garden designers can come from different backgrounds. Some go to college and get qualifications in landscape design or landscape architecture, like our design director Paul Robinson. Other garden designers with hands-on gardening and landscaping experience and a real passion for plants are joining the role, like our founder Lee Bestall.
A good garden designer is patient and able to take direction
A professional garden designer will bring creativity and new perspectives to your space while considering your needs, wants, and budget. From planning an entire site or addressing privacy concerns to choosing the best plants for beds and borders, they can help and help you avoid costly mistakes.
Garden designers are more than just garden maintenance companies offering tips and tricks. Clients are better off avoiding overzealous maintenance companies and landscapers who believe their hands-on experience alone will give them the knowledge and skills to “design” a garden from scratch.
Final words
Choose a designer who you think best explains what you want to achieve in your garden and is willing to offer ideas and advice. You must fully understand what is on the table (preferably in 3D) before paying for them. Additionally, landscape architects, professional fabricators, lighting engineers, and water feature specialists need clear details to work as intended.