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Embarking on the design process involves further site visits, nursery visits, and an extended discussion of the  creative possibilities. Our designers continue the dialogue begun during the Initial Consultation, honing in until we have a clear idea of the potential scope and scale of your garden project, and its specific details.
We feel that our gardens are very personal to our clients -- as we design, we listen attentively to your desires. This includes logistical and ecological concerns, as well as all sensory elements: color schemes, sounds and scents, focal points (a special tree, a waterfall), congruity with existing architecture, and other issues of form and motif. At the end of a project we often hear "I can’t believe it, this is my dream garden!" We believe it, since we strive to simply listen to and elaborate on a client's wishes.
Depending on what’s involved, the design process can be intricate or fairly simple. We generally draft a Design Contract before fully entering the process. For clients who don’t already possess a base map of their property, we measure the site for a precise blueprint.
As we proceed, we engage in an interactive communication with you, obtaining your approval of our Design Proposal before finalizing our conceptual drawings. Your visits to the nursery to select plants help us determine the style of the garden (see below for more on plant design). The final drawings are not construction plans, but depict our ideas and comprise a master plan of your new garden. All relevant elements are considered therein: structural work, grading, drainage, water features and other special features, low-voltage lighting, irrigation, and planting beds. Our planting plans are not detailed down to individual plant indicators because we ultimately prefer to compose our plant designs on the spot, in "3-D."
Following the design process, we move into the Installation Contract, providing the terms and estimates of the work to be executed, materials involved, and permits required. |
