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Message
Updating landscaping - Design
Posted on 5/23/23 at 4:35 pm
Posted on 5/23/23 at 4:35 pm
Anyone have any recommendations for some resources on DIY landscape design?
Seems like landscaping prices are as crazy high as everything else right now. I don't mind removing the grass, putting in the beds, buying and planting the plants and whatnot myself but I don't really have an eye or vision on what will look good and fit well in my yard.
Any websites where you can take a few pictures of your yard and then tell them what feel or look you're going for and they do a quick render or something for a reasonable price?
Seems like landscaping prices are as crazy high as everything else right now. I don't mind removing the grass, putting in the beds, buying and planting the plants and whatnot myself but I don't really have an eye or vision on what will look good and fit well in my yard.
Any websites where you can take a few pictures of your yard and then tell them what feel or look you're going for and they do a quick render or something for a reasonable price?
5
Posted on 5/23/23 at 8:27 pm to DukeSilver
Following
Posted on 5/23/23 at 8:31 pm to DukeSilver
My suggestion to you, is to do what I did, and get it right the first time - hire a landscape architect to develop a plan for you, and you do all DYI of building the beds/re-building beds and planting the greenscape.
Posted on 5/23/23 at 8:37 pm to CrawDude
quote:
My suggestion to you, is to do what I did, and get it right the first time - hire a landscape architect to develop a plan for you,
Cost?
Posted on 5/23/23 at 9:15 pm to shoelessjoe
quote:
Cost?
Well I did mine 10 years ago, so any cost I give you won’t be applicable - but the plan was about $500 back then. But there are a couple landscape architects that post on this board so I’m sure they can possibly give you an idea.
If you are in the BR area several posters have stated they’ve used the landscape architect at Plant Tech on Jefferson Hwy so you might want to make an inquiry on cost there - I was there this morning to buy some garden soil.
Posted on 5/24/23 at 12:14 am to DukeSilver
Just finished updating my landscaping that was 20 years old. I brought in a couple of friends who are landscape architects to give me some suggestions - this is the kicker. You need the correct plants for a specific location (sunlight, soil, drainage, etc.) Bought the plants based on their suggestions at wholesale, placed them in the spots where I wanted them planted, and hired a crew to pull dead plants and install the plants that I bought. They pulled up several dead plants, and planted 50 plants. I followed up and planted 25 plants the next weekend - trust me - landscaping is a young man's game.
End result is excellent, but I had to coordinate everything from the beginning to the end. I tracked my material and labor costs, and it was more than half of what the cost would've been if I'd let a landscaping company do the entire job.
If you don't have the resources, hire it out.
And do it late winter or very early spring. If you plant now, you'll be watering all summer and might lose some of your plants.
End result is excellent, but I had to coordinate everything from the beginning to the end. I tracked my material and labor costs, and it was more than half of what the cost would've been if I'd let a landscaping company do the entire job.
If you don't have the resources, hire it out.
And do it late winter or very early spring. If you plant now, you'll be watering all summer and might lose some of your plants.
Posted on 5/24/23 at 5:48 am to Bill Parker?
BIll Parker? nailed it. Get professional help, or educate yourself, upfront. Let muscle do the heavy work and closely monitor plant placement and irrigation, if you go that route. I love landscaping and the satisfaction of seeing the right plants grow and flourish in the right environment, but I still make the occasional mistake despite 40 plus years of study, planning and planting.
Posted on 5/24/23 at 7:24 am to runningdog
if you want “formal gardens” or absolute symmetry, sure. I’ve landscaped my place randomly with various shrubs/trees/plants/flowers that I’ve either:
-seen at a nursery and liked
-dug up out of the wild
-split or propagated from friends or elsewhere
-sown from seed
-allowed to grow as a volunteer
it’s fun, it changes every year, it’s easy (don’t do it all at once) and best of all it’s damn near free...and it looks good
my advice would be to do one bed/area at a time, focus first on building hood healthy soil, swear off herbicides and pesticides, promote natural biological processes and strive for biodiversity. Look at pictures, research native plants, and be ok with some trial and error
YMMV
-seen at a nursery and liked
-dug up out of the wild
-split or propagated from friends or elsewhere
-sown from seed
-allowed to grow as a volunteer
it’s fun, it changes every year, it’s easy (don’t do it all at once) and best of all it’s damn near free...and it looks good
my advice would be to do one bed/area at a time, focus first on building hood healthy soil, swear off herbicides and pesticides, promote natural biological processes and strive for biodiversity. Look at pictures, research native plants, and be ok with some trial and error
YMMV
Posted on 5/24/23 at 7:35 am to DukeSilver
If you're buying shrubs and what not in bulk, i would suggest you head up near Toledo Bend and buy all of your plants up there.
Posted on 5/24/23 at 9:37 am to CrawDude
quote:
but the plan was about $500 back then. But there are a couple landscape architects that post on this board so I’m sure they can possibly give you an idea.
Yeah this is what I had in mind. Pay someone for a detailed plan on what to plant and where, how to construct the beds in the correct shapes and all of that. Then at my own pace either do a section at a time on my own her hire out my own crews to do the manual labor once I've bought and staged the plants.
Posted on 5/24/23 at 10:44 am to TeddyPadillac
quote:
If you're buying shrubs and what not in bulk, i would suggest you head up near Toledo Bend and buy all of your plants up there
Forest Hill?
Posted on 5/24/23 at 10:50 am to CrawDude
quote:
If you are in the BR area several posters have stated they’ve used the landscape architect at Plant Tech on Jefferson Hwy so you might want to make an inquiry on cost there - I was there this morning to buy some garden soil
My nephew uses them for his plants and supplies, I’ve used them. I use to use CNI, but it’s been years since I’ve been there. Everything I do now, is small jobs. I just tell my nephew what I want and make the pickup at Plant Tech.
If you want my nephews number, let me know. He maintains a number of business in BTR.
Posted on 5/24/23 at 11:29 am to LSUDad
I am on the north side of Houston.
Posted on 5/24/23 at 1:47 pm to DukeSilver
This just popped up as an ad for me Shrubhub, which is kind of what I had in mind.
But if a local landscape architect is in the same price range, $300-500, and can actually visit my property and do detailed plans that's probably what I would do.
But if a local landscape architect is in the same price range, $300-500, and can actually visit my property and do detailed plans that's probably what I would do.
This post was edited on 5/24/23 at 1:51 pm
Posted on 5/24/23 at 2:42 pm to DukeSilver
quote:
I am on the north side of Houston
Same here, Cypress. I can give you a few pointers.
I’m from S. La. So I live off Boudreaux. Lol
Posted on 5/24/23 at 6:10 pm to DukeSilver
quote:
Yeah this is what I had in mind. Pay someone for a detailed plan on what to plant and where, how to construct the beds in the correct shapes and all of that. Then at my own pace either do a section at a time on my own her hire out my own crews to do the manual labor once I've bought and staged the plants.
This exactly what I did, probably over a year, and it was renovation of existing beds. I bought the greenscape (shrubs & trees) at wholesale nursery’s in Forest Hill.
I got lot a compliments from neighbors when it was completed, even my wife (LOL), but it was only because I had a good architectural plan to follow. My attitude is the front yard landscape is for the neighbors - they see it more than I do, but the backyard is for me.
I saved thousands doing the work myself, but I DYI’d it as much b/c I enjoy doing that type of outdoor activity, nor was I in a rush to get it done quickly.
I do agree with one of the other comments - try to plan most of the work, at least the planting phase for shrubbery and trees for fall, winter, and spring, if possible.
This post was edited on 6/2/23 at 4:47 pm
Posted on 5/25/23 at 12:20 pm to LSUDad
quote:I'm all ears.
Same here, Cypress. I can give you a few pointers.
Posted on 5/25/23 at 5:20 pm to DukeSilver
quote:
I'm all ears
Let me know, ever eat a Captain Brads? Lunch or Dinner on me.
The owner and I are good friends.
Posted on 6/2/23 at 2:57 pm to LSUDad
quote:Nope but I'd be down to meet
Let me know, ever eat a Captain Brads? Lunch or Dinner on me.
The owner and I are good friends.
Posted on 6/2/23 at 3:04 pm to DukeSilver
quote:
Nope but I'd be down to meet
You can shoot me at
This post was edited on 6/2/23 at 3:29 pm
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