So, you want to have some landscaping done! It is absolutely worthwhile and sometimes necessary to have an actual working plan –a Landscape Design –done for your property.

If you need to have a DES (Department of Environmental Services) permit because of your property being within their jurisdiction, then it may be necessary to have a Landscape Design plan done. They require a plan be submitted for approval. But, let’s say that your property doesn’t fall under DES jurisdiction, it may still be a great idea to have a Landscape Design drawn up.

We suggest that you start the design process as early as possible. In the case of permitting needs, it’s not unusual for the process of planning and permitting to take an entire summer to come to fruition and installation. In the case of non-permitted properties, the landscape design process is much quicker. In either case, start your landscape design process early on. These things can take time. There’s the initial consultation, and an onsite meeting with a permitting person. Then, site measurements will need to be done. For permits, you may need to wait for a survey plan to be done, and DES is given allotted amounts of time to put your plans up for review. You may also want to have revisions done to the plan.

So, as you can see, it’s more of a process than an event! If you do not require permitting, the entire planning process can be days or weeks, whereas the permitting process can take months if you include things such as waiting for a survey map to be done.

There are some obvious benefits to having a formal landscape design done. First, it is a great communication tool between the landscape company and the customer. There is no question as to what is being proposed and where it will be located. Secondly, it helps the contractor put an accurate proposal together.

Don’t wait until the last minute and call a landscaper a week before you want to start the job. It’s wise to get a plan going right away. It will help you to visualize and budget and be sure you’re getting what you want for an end product. Start your design early.