The winter weather is upon us, but that doesn’t mean the cold weather should stop you from preparing a garden renovation for next season. Denise Hodgins, a garden coach and designer, tells us how to get the process started. Hint, it involves hiring a landscaping design contractor to hep you with the renovation!
Wow! What a fabulous weekend weather-wise we had for Thanksgiving. I spent a good part of the weekend putting my garden to bed. I took advantage of my green week that was this past week and spent time cutting back tired perennials, including hostas, daylilies and phlox. The more I clean up the beds now, the less I have to do in the spring.
Plan for next year
One of the big things I like to do this late in the season is to plan for next year. I plan changes I want to make, whether it’s to be a total renovation to a garden, moving a few plants around or adding a few new things to update the garden and the colour scheme for my planters. I also look at my garden art and decide what has to go because it’s broken and what needs paint and how can I use things differently.
If you have thought for a while now that you might like to do a total renovation, or maybe just update a few areas within your garden, now is a great time to enlist the services of a landscape designer to help you create your dream garden.
Get a head start; landscapers are busy!
Spring is so busy for those of us who work in the horticultural industry, we often are booked several weeks or even months in advance. It’s hard to get everyone looked after in the month of May. I wish there were more folks who requested our services in the fall. I find it very refreshing to work on designs this time of year. I can see what was in the garden this past year, and work with the client to create their dream gardens.
Choosing a designer doesn’t have to be a difficult process
When choosing a designer, I suggest getting references and seeing some of their existing work. It is important to find a designer who is going to listen to you and hear what you want. It is not about what they think you should have; it is about what you want, how much time you want to spend on maintenance, and what plants you like.
This time of year, you will be asked to pay for the design, but once it is paid for it is yours to use. Many companies will give you a discount on the work if they have done the design. You may only chose to have them do part of the work such as build the deck or create the garden shapes and you can do the planting.
By having the designs done this time of year, you can budget for the expense of the installation next year. Set up an appointment with a landscaping designer, then sit back and dream of that amazing garden you will create in the spring.
About the Author: Denise Hodgins is a garden coach and designer.
