10 Questions to Ask a Landscape Designer
Discover how to choose the best designer for your garden and avoid surprises down the line
Lauren Dunec Hoang July 7, 2018
Houzz Contributor. Landscape designer, a former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and in-house designer for Sunset’s Editorial Test Garden. Her garden designs have been featured in the Sunset Western Garden Book of Landscaping, Sunset Western Garden Book of Easy-Care Plantings (cover), Inhabitat, and POPSUGAR.
If you’re considering working with a landscape designer, finding the right fit — and avoiding surprises midway through the project — is largely about knowing which questions to ask upfront and being familiar with the range of services these professionals provide.
We contacted four seasoned landscape professionals — Peter Reader of Peter Reader Landscapes in London, Beth Mullins of Growsgreen Landscape Design in San Francisco, John Algozzini of K&D Landscape Management in Chicago and June Scott of June Scott Design in Southern California — to get the inside scoop on the range of services available and the 10 essential questions potential clients should ask before hiring a professional for the job.
First, get your ducks in a row. Before reaching out to a professional, write a wish list for your garden remodel, establish your priorities and budget, and decide which parts of the process you’d like to hire a pro for help. With this on paper, you’ll have a clear sense of what you’re looking for in a designer before you begin to contact professionals.
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A question we would add: What grows best at high altitude?