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[151949]

Our new house comes with some minimal landscape included but we would like more. Specifically, we would like to plant so that we have privacy when out on our lanai.Since we have no idea about how to do that so we get the privacy but also it looks pretty I am thinking we should have a professional do at least that area for us. To complicate it - it faces north so it is shady most of the time and will specifically need shade tolerant plants. So has anyone had this service done? Are you glad you did?It will be expensive I think so I don't want to waste our money.We aren't into gardening at all so we will need landscape that doesn't require much care. DH will trim, weed and feed but that is about all.

[151949]

I wanted to add that the HOA cuts the grass and does some minimal trimming, but weeding and feeding are totally on us. 

[Abrowneyegirl]

We hired a designer after interviewing 5. In the end it was worth it.  All of our goals were met and the front and back yards look wonderful with minimal time and maintenance.

[panda1234]

@151949

Yes I have had it done and would recommend having it done. This is a job for professionals and you are going to be looking at it for a long time......you want it done right. To cut costs you could have them do the design and put in the beds. They will tell what to put in and where it goes, you do the labor. 

[151949]

I don't think my DH wants to do the labor so it we will probably have them do it. 

[Group 5 minus 1]

We do not even have a lawn. No landscaping. It's a great life!

[Meowingkitty]

Our front and back yards are rock. Most people don’t have grass in Arizona. To darn hot to cut it and to much work. We hired a landscaper to design our yard and they did a wonderful job. We wanted very low maintenance and water conservation. Twice a year he comes out and puts down a pre-emergent for weed control. 

[Eileen in Virginia]

We did it for our front yard years ago and are happy we did. We interviewed 2 local landscaping companies as opposed to a large chain because we wanted to be sure they had lots of experience with the area’s soil (mainly clay) as well as plants suitable for our region. Since we were both working full-time, we wanted plants that didn’t require much care. Finally, we had full sun hitting about half of the lawn, but deep shade under our mature maple tree. Each landscaper charged a design fee that would be applied to the cost of the job if we selected that company. Each submitted a couple of design options with estimates. We selected the one who really listened to us. They did all of the work. The only thing we had to do afterwards was water the new plants until they settled in. If I remember correctly, they also had a warranty on their work and the plants.  We did this before home internet access was common. If we were doing it again, I’d check reviews of the landscapers under consideration (duh). I’d also research the types of plants they were proposing to install to see if there were any known problems. For example, planting Bradford pear trees was all the rage when we bought our house. Now they’re known to be very unstable and they don’t plant them in our city anymore. It’s probably time for us to think about refreshing our landscaping and we would definitely consult a landscaper again. Good luck!

[SXMGirl]

I am probably one of the few who had very back luck with landscapers.  The first one we tried was a woman who was starting her business.  When one of our plants was not doing well, I asked her to come out and take a look.  She just mailed back my check.

The second one I found through Angie's List and felt that this would work.  He came out and I showed him what I was looking for in a garden.  He left and never came back.

I am not sure if I want to try a third one.  I have some beautiful plantings in my front yard, but it needs something that I don't know how to give it.

[Mom2Dogs]

We have always had our landscape done professionally.  It makes a huge difference in how the house looks, in my opinion.

We have been in this home about 39 years and the landscaping has been done 3 different times.

If you don't want to spend so much money the company can draw up a plan naming all the plant material and hardscape....then you can do it your self.  We did that in our back yard.