What It Means To Me To Be A Landscape Designer

What It Means To Me To Be A Landscape Designer
By Joanne A Shaw

I have written before on the topic of Landscape Design and why I think it's important to get one as well as how beneficial I think it is to work with a Landscape Designer. Today I thought I would touch on why I personally like being a Landscape Designer.

It comes down to the fact that I really like helping people. And for those of you like me, if you like helping people it is easy to help them with something you know and love. The people that are good with numbers help others with their taxes, those naturally organized people like helping their friends get organized and I like helping people with their gardens. Over the years I truly enjoyed figuring out what's wrong with that plant or coming up with a suggestion for "that spot" in your garden where nothing grows! I also love proving those that say they have a black thumb and cannot grow anything, wrong.

But I also like thinking bigger! As in the whole yard. I love looking at a space as a blank canvas and reimagining it in a whole new way. Sometimes it is not easy when looking at 25 year old shrubs and a sunken walkway to see how to transform it. For me the designing starts in my head. Even before I ring your doorbell, I'm thinking about the space. I really enjoy standing at your kitchen sink and creating a new view for you to enjoy throughout the seasons. And I continue to think about it before putting pen to paper or turning on my computer. Whether you need a few tweaks to your garden, a whole new garden or a complete new front yard, I truly enjoy working with you on it.

I have to admit that I get attached to the gardens I help create, even more than my own, I think. I love driving by when I am in the neighborhood and seeing how the front garden is doing or staring wistfully at the backyard gate, wondering how that backyard is doing! I love it when my customers send me pictures or emails about their gardens (hint hint).

In addition to loving what I do, I really believe I can save you money and time. We know we never have enough of either. Planting the right plants in the right spot saves you time and money. Creating a Master Plan that helps you stage the install over a couple of years, saves you money and time in the end.

The devil is in the details, especially with a landscape installation. From choosing the brick type and colour to picking the rocks and the plants, it's a lot of work and I believe homeowners need help or need this to be handled for them. I attend many seminars and tradeshows to learn about new trends in the industry from stone to plants and I collaborate with other designers and contractors to make sure I get it right and I do all of it because I really like helping people. My radio show is another way I help others - from sharing timely tips to exploring informative topics - it is a blast!

I hope you enjoy my help!

Joanne Shaw is the owner and operator of Down2Earth Garden Design. A graduate of Ryerson University in Landscape Design, Joanne has over 15 years experience in designing gardens and more than a decade in landscape and related business, both for her own clientele and established local nurseries. Sign up here http://www.down2earth.ca/ to receive Joanne's free report "Seasonal Landscaping Tips" and as an added bonus you'll receive her monthly newsletter, "Down the Garden Path", providing useful tips and tricks for keeping your garden as low maintenance as possible.

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