 |
|||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|||||||
|
 |
||||||||
 |
||||
|
|
|
| Home | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
By this point, you should now have a landscape plan that achieves all of the goals that you set out from the beginning, a plan that you can call your own, one that is artistic, creative and functional. If you are not at this point yet, by all means, go back over the principles and processes and rework the plan until you are perfectly happy. You must only approach the installation with a finished plan, such that the only task of the installation phase is to bring the plan from paper into the real world. This is the very worst time for unexpected surprises! The plan itself is really not finished until it has a bill of materials (BOM). This is simply a listing of each and every element that you will be introducing into your landscape. It includes plants, hard elements and structures, surfacing materials, soil; anything that has a cost associated with it. You will need this BOM for two reasons; it saves you the trouble of writing the details of each element onto your plan and cluttering it up; and, you will use it to calculate the cost of the project materials, by obtaining prices or quotes on each line item entry and tallying them up at the end. It is also a requirement for the contractors if you plan to subcontract some or all of the work.
Virtually all landscape installations are implemented over a period of time rather than all at once. This is done for a number of reasons. Most obviously, things need to be done in a sequence, with certain things being completed before others. Some features can only be installed at certain times of the year, while others may be done any time between frosts. Some features naturally come before others; there is little point in installing your lawn, then gouging ruts into it when a truck has to drive in to plant a machine-dug tree. Good planning will ensure that the installation proceeds smoothly and at minimal cost. This is why we will develop a staging plan for your landscape. This plan takes the major tasks required to install the landscape and puts them in a logical sequence. To accomplish this, you will need to break your plan down into specific tasks based on the installation. These will most often correspond to the individual features or functions of your landscape; building a shed, installing night lighting, putting in a garden, etc. Make a list of all these tasks that will be required to implement your plan, and organize the list by a logical progression of the installation. Here is a basic guideline for sequencing the implementation schedule by major tasks;
This list of sequenced installation tasks then becomes your design phasing schedule. You must now look objectively at each task in the sequence, and plan for when it will be implemented. As a rule of thumb, a completely finished landscape from scratch will take at least 2 years to complete with maximum effort applied. If you are on a budget, or have limited time to devote to the project, then 4 or 5 years is typical. Take into account the time required for each task, and leave some breaks in the plan as a buffer; landscapes are installed outdoors, and we all know that the weather doesn’t always cooperate with our wishes. Your implementation schedule has to be right for you. If you assign approximate prices for each discrete task (based on the BOM and estimates for labor or contracting), then you can compare this to your annual budget. This will establish quite clearly what you can achieve each year, and will ultimately tell you how many years you will need to complete the entire project. Don’t be discouraged if it will require a few years to complete; you will see your landscape evolve over this time before your eyes, and you will very much feel a part of it and look forward to the changes that will come with the progressing years, continuing long after the installation is complete. I hope that through this guide, I have convinced you that designing a successful landscape is really within the power of each of us; it’s just a matter of having the knowledge and tools to accomplish this. However, I can’t say in all honesty that installing a landscape is for everyone. It requires a great deal of time, physical effort and skill, and not everyone will have enough of these to actually complete a landscape. This is especially true for a major undertaking such as a new landscape; it is more realistic for you to take on a small renovation project yourself. If you are a diehard do-it-yourselfer, and you approach new tasks as opportunities to learn a new skill, then by all means, go for it! Just be sure you have been honest with yourself about having enough time, skills (or the time to learn new skills), and physical strength to actually complete the required work. If, like many of us, you like doing things yourself, but recognize that you have limitations, be they physical, skills or time, then you need to do one more assessment of your objectives. Take the task list that you have generated, and, going task by task, evaluate it for whether you can take this on yourself, whether you will prefer to contract it out, or possibly a mix of both, if the task allows. If the task is best subcontracted, then take note of how much extra cost this is likely to add to the project as a whole. Whether to subcontract or do it yourself is a decision that you will have to make for yourself. In general, contracting will cost you more, but will take less time, and definitely less of your time. Many people are very satisfied with handling the tasks in this manner, and still feel very proud of their efforts, because the design is truly their own. Many of the tasks seem natural to undertake yourself. Most people assume that they will plant their own trees and shrubs, plant their gardens, maybe even put in the lawn themselves. On the other hand, highly specialized skills such as deck construction, driveway construction or installing a swimming pool are obviously best left to those who have experience with such matters, the professionals. In the end, the decision will be yours. This section is intended to help where you decide that you can take on some of these tasks yourself.
It is not within the scope of this guide to go into great detail about how to install various parts of your landscape, so you will only find some helpful pointers in this section. I will strongly recommend to you that if you intend to install all or parts of the landscape yourself, that you invest the appropriate amount of time and money into learning the required skills before starting. There are numerous books, videos and magazines that are of great value in helping you accomplish each landscaping task, so make sure that you use them. One of the toughest decisions you will make is whether to seed or sod your lawn, so I will go into a small discussion about that to give you a perspective. Most people want instant results, and there is no doubt that laying sod is the instant way to have a lawn. But don’t count seed out as an option; seeding your lawn is approximately one quarter of the cost of sod. Oddly enough, they both require about the same amount of time and effort to install. The one drawback with seeding is that it typically requires 2 to 3 years to reach its full potential, while sod will usually settle in over a year. Plants are something that many people feel comfortable installing themselves, so here are a few important pointers. It is critically important that you know how to choose the right plants at the nursery. Maybe I’ve got ahead of myself there; first be sure that you get your plants from a nursery, not from a nearby field or ditch. Nursery plants are well cared-for from birth, watched for disease, properly watered and fertilized and pruned for best future form; wild plants are extremely variable as to their growth habits and ornamental characteristics, and you really have no way of telling their past life story. Furthermore, transplanting is very hard on trees and shrubs, and special techniques are used at the nursery such as container growing, root pruning and machine digging to ensure a successful transplant. Nurseries also offer hybrids and cultivars which are specially bred for certain ornamental or performance characteristics, and do not naturally occur in the wild. For all these reasons, you really should consider a nursery or garden center for your plant purchases. Now back to choosing plants at the nursery. You should know the various ways that plants are available at the nursery, and where each applies. Plants are typically available as container grown, potted, bare root, balled and burlapped, or machine dug. Here is a brief discussion on each; Container Grown - These plants are the most flexible for planting. Because they have been grown in the same containers they are moved in, their root systems are well established and have not been disturbed by the transplanting process. They thus will transplant the most readily. These are the only type of plant that can be planted spring, summer or fall. Potted - These plants are dug from a growing field and placed in pots, usually the season before they are shipped to the nurseries. They look very much like container grown plants at the nursery, but they can be more fickle, because their root systems have been damaged by the field digging process. These are best planted in spring or fall, but they can be successfully transplanted in summer with proper care and attention. Bare Root - Some plants can actually be dug from the soil when they are dormant (in winter), have all the soil removed from the roots, and be replanted in another location without major suffering. There are very important things to remember for such plants; they must only be transplanted while still dormant (while their branches are still bare, before the leaves emerge), or they will suffer greatly. Thus, they are only available in early spring. These plants often take one or two years to get up to speed once planted, as they have suffered significant root loss and must regenerate these roots in their new home. Some plants cannot be bare-root planted, but a good nursery will know which can and which can’t. As a rule, however, this is the cheapest way to buy plants at the nursery. Balled and Burlapped - This is the way that most of the larger plants are available from nurseries. These plants are also transplanted from a growing field, but because of their size, their root balls are wrapped in burlap and placed in a wire mesh basket for support, rather than putting them in a container for transport. Burlap is used because it is biodegradable, therefore you don’t have to remove the burlap when planting; within a year, it decomposes. The idea with this technique is to take a great deal of the field soil with the plants, so that they don’t even know they have been moved. However, inevitably it is impossible to take all of their fine roots, so there is always some root loss. For this reason, balled and burlapped plants should only be planted in spring or fall, away from the hot summer sun. Machine Dug - For the very largest of plants, a truck can be brought into the growing field and, using a special tool, digs the plant out from the ground. The truck then carries it directly to the planting location. It uses a mechanized digging attachment to dig the final planting hole and automatically puts the tree right into the ground. It is essentially a large-scale version of the balled and burlapped technique described above, so it should only be undertaken in spring or fall. It is a fast process and quite successful because so much original soil can be moved with the plant. However, because the truck has to drive right up to the planting spot, it can damage or even destroy parts of a lawn, and so this should only be done prior to installing your lawn.
It is very important to get only the healthiest and highest quality plants for your landscape to ensure a good transplant and the fastest results. When you go to the nursery to select your plants, here are some things to look for. Check to see that the plant has no obvious damage; nicks, cuts in the bark, broken or dead branches. Look for good form and even branching. It should be growing happily, with normal-sized leaves and healthy new shoots. Make sure that roots aren’t poking out of the holes at the bottom of containers. You should become familiar with how nurseries categorize the sizes of their stock. Annuals and perennials are usually sold by the unit, or by the size of their growing pots (for example, a 3” pot). Since most shrubs and very small trees are sold in containers, they are typically sold by the size of their container, which is approximately proportional to the size or age of the plant. Larger shrubs and medium sized trees are sold by actual height. Finally, the larger trees are typically sold by caliper, which is the measure of the diameter of the trunk 6” from the ground. These all help when planning your purchases, but ultimately your decisions will be based mostly on price differences between the various types and sizes. Always try and get the largest plant for the money you can afford to spend. For some parts of your landscape installation, it will be most appropriate to have professionals come in and do the work. They are generally faster, more experienced and more efficient than the average home do-it-yourselfer. In the end, you may be more satisfied with the result, although they will cost you more than doing it yourself.
Regardless of what or how much of the work you intend to have contracted out, working with contractors is pretty well the same. You will need to have a detailed plan for them, including an itemized bill of materials, drawings and material specifications. Remember, as a rule, contractors will not calculate quantities for you; you will be expected to provide them with a specification, and they will work to that. For significant landscape endeavors, you may wish to hire the services of a draftsman. He or she can help you turn the visions you have for a deck, shed or driveway into a formal plan that can be shopped to contractors to get the best price. All you have to have is your ideas ready in your mind for the draftsman, and he or she will be able to do a professional job translating them into plans, because draftsmen understand the industry standards for construction or design drawings. Certain components of your landscape may require the services of a specialized technician or engineer. For example, major changes to drainage or earth moving are best handled by civil engineers or landscape architects. These professionals know how to go about making major changes to the earth foundation of your property to minimize erosion and maximize drainage. Large structures such as garages or gazebos are best designed by engineers or professionals who have significant knowledge and experience in designing buildings to the various building codes, and will ensure that they don’t come tumbling down in a particularly heavy snowfall. Concrete, asphalt and brickwork structures are also best designed and installed by professionals who are skilled in these trades. For larger landscape projects, where you do not have the time to get deeply involved in the planning process, you may consider employing the services of a project manager of general contractor. These skilled tradespersons can take your basic design and turn it into a work plan, scheduling the various tasks, hiring specialized subcontractors and verifying their work at the various stages of completion. They will have connections with various local electricians, earth movers, soil suppliers, etc. to help you get the best price and highest quality materials, and can really be worth the investment.
In consideration of all of the above, you may wish to have landscape professionals take your landscape plans and ideas and finalize them into an implementation plan. They are experienced in working with contractors, and know exactly the documentation to prepare for them. When working with a landscaping professional, you should understand that they are basically approaching the design process in a manner similar to that described in this guide, only adding their training and experience to the mix, which can open up a broader spectrum of possibilities or tricks that you may not be familiar with. In the end, however, they will appreciate the exercise you have gone through with this guide, as it will help you communicate with them on a design level, and you will be better able to express your thoughts and ideas, better prepared to make the most of their knowledge and experience, and able to understand their process as they develop a design. ******************************************* Your landscape is now well on its way to becoming a reality. If you have actually made it to this point in reality, and are starting to see the stuff of your dreams take shape, then do take the time to step back and appreciate just how far you have come. And you thought you couldn’t do it! If you have just read this guide, and are now ready to start the whole process, all I can say is to trust in yourself, and just do it. You will be amazed when you realize just how much creativity you have within yourself, and you will relish that special feeling of pride you will get from developing your own landscape. If necessary, read this guide one or two more times, until you are comfortable that you understand the basic design principles. And, don’t skimp on doing the exercises, because they are invaluable to the process. Finally, make sure you enjoy yourself, because that was one of the conditions we set out at the very start. Now, go and make your landscape dreams happen! |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
