The cold months at the end and beginning of the year are the perfect time to start planning your next landscaping project. The earlier you begin planning, the better – don’t wait until the summer to begin! Landscapers usually schedule ahead 6 – 8 weeks in advance. Begin planning with a landscaping company before it starts to warm up so you can enjoy your property in the warm weather. Landscapers are busy year-round, and a good company will be willing to plan ahead with you.
Budgeting for Your Next Project
The first and most important for planning your landscape for next year is to figure out your budget. Whether your looking to build a new outdoor structure, plant new shrubberies, or just do simple maintenance, it’s important to know what needs to get done and what you can afford before planning out anything else. Don’t just look at the budget from last year, either – your property’s needs can change yearly, so it’s important to talk to a professional about what you want and what your property needs. Talk to a local landscaping company and submitting a request for proposal (RFP) will help you better understand what your budget is.
Plant What’s In Season
All plants are unique, from appearance to planting time to hardiness. All plants have an ideal planting time and an ideal environment in which to grow, and talking to your landscaper or nursery will help you to keep your plants healthy and get the most out of them.
Plan With Your Landscaper
Planning ahead is very helpful and saves both time and money, both for yourself and the landscaper. Plotting out what you want to be done with your landscaper ahead of time ensures you’re getting exactly what you want and they know exactly what to do. It can save a lot of money in the long run – deciding what you want as you go will be timely, not to mention expensive, and the landscapers won’t have a clear vision of what they’re supposed to do. Planning ahead cuts down on mishaps, and ensures that the landscaping company knows exactly what to do.
Hire the Right Landscaper
Make sure the company you use the right fit for your budget and timeline. Getting a professional design can be expensive – around $500 expensive – not including water features and detailed hardscape installations, which is why planning out what you want ahead of time is so important. A design is the company’s interpretation of what you want, and changing designs on paper is a lot less expensive than changing it on the fly in the middle of a project.
