Around here, some of the local garden centers offer free design service, as long as you buy the plant material from them. I don't have any experience with landscapers, so can't give you guidance on the price of the design. Just how large is the lot that they're planning on re-landscaping?

Suja

Hadn't thought about the garden centers. Will suggest that to him. Their lot is... I'm really bad at guessing but I'd say maybe a quarter acre and its totally flat. Honestly IMHO there's no way I'd pay $500.00 but this is my little bro and I'm keeping my trap shut.

I have almost an acre, but really only a 1/2 acre that could be landscaped. I know a lady who does designs professionally, and she said she'd charge me $300-400 for full design plans for my place. So, that price sounds like it could be right.

I know the Meadow's Farms nursery in our area will do the planning for free provided you get the plants from them.

That's in the ballpark these days, and even if the designer is working with CAD, there's a lot of work involved. I have read recently that the prices and popularity of landscape design professionals are both going up, along with the house prices!

I'm not over-fond of Meadows, but what you might do is scout the nurseries looking both at the variety and quality of plants, and at their policies on design work and pricing. If I found a nursery that had the sort of plants I liked, and took good care of them, then I'd consider having their people do the planning.

In some ways, the fact that the lot is totally flat makes design harder rather than easier, as you haven't any terrain to help make your decisions for you!

Thats what we were charged last year. I thought it was a waste. We only ended up paying $250 because the guy totally screwed up the promised timing and so they only billed us for the deposit and never the remainder. This was with Simonds. They don't require that you buy their plants or have them do the work. If our yard needed a complete design I would say it would be worth it, but we just needed a "freshening up". Alternatively, get a good book on landscape design and read that instead. That is my new approach. I got a Landscaping book by Rita Buchanan which is excellent.

Scott

$500 is extremely reasonable. Yes, nurseries will do it for free if you buy their plants. But are you getting a designer good enough to have their own firm? Sometimes, but often not. I've seen very mixed results from the nurseries' designers, including some awful yards that just look cheap.

In our neighborhood, the fabulous garden designer who is on the board of a very well-known local garden, might charge $6,000 to $16,000 for a design. His yards look like something out of Horticulture or Fine Gardening, only better -- fabulous. In fact, his work has been featured in numerous magazines. Another garden designer, who has only been doing it for a year, charges more in the several-hundered-dollars range. That's about $500 or $600 per yard: $1000 for both front and back. Considering the amount of time spent making a design, that's in fact quite reasonable. It can take 30 or 40 hours to develop and draw a gorgeous design that works for a yard's sun/shade, moisture levels, and soil composition. Plus, there's time involved in writing up the plant list, deciding how many perennials in each part of the bed (based on height and spread of each), selecting stone, redrawing based on any comments from the homeowner... if you're not careful, the designer gets paid less than minimum wage, on an hourly basis.

Then the installation cost thousands of dollars, no matter what. The installer has to pay for laborers' time, dirt, mulch, trees, shrubs, perennials, stone or brick, etc. It's quite a big undertaking.

I agree with some of the others that you should use an independent designer rather than "free" design service associated with a nursery. I used a nursery designer for my initial installation (5 1/2 years ago), and she was probably one of the better ones in the area, but I think she made some mistakes. The garden area is small, side and back of an end townhouse. We put in two small trees, a number of small shrubs, and many perennials.

The tree and shrub choices were mostly good, but the perennials were too many / too close together (this became apparent after 3-4 years), several perennial varieties were too "spready" for a small garden, and perennial "color range" was poor, too many white and yellow. I insisted on using mostly regional native species and cultivars, which did limit her choice. But the point is, if I had used an independent designer who really knew native perennials, and wasn't limited to one supplier, we would have had a much wider choice of plants and would probably have avoided those mistakes.

My next comment is that, if you are interested in native plants, a bird & butterfly friendly garden, or similar "theme", you might want to check the landscape designers who are members of the Maryland Native Plant Society (MNPS). When I started my garden 5.5 years ago, very few designers were listed as MNPS members, but now there are more. I will post the web page that lists "organizational members" of the MNPS at the end of this message.

Landscapers listed as members of MNPS who are in, or might serve, the Baltimore area:
Cityscapes Landscaping, Inc., Silver Spring;
Dreamscape Associates, Inc., Montpelier (next to Laurel); Enviro-Art Horticultural Services, Inc., Baltimore;
Gardens That Work!, Columbia;
Landscapes by Design, Baltimore;
Watershed Landscapes, Inc., Silver Spring.

And, if you are not familiar with native plants and want to preview some of the choices you might make when working with a designer who belongs to the MNPS, here is your starting point: landscaping with native plants of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, courtesy of the National Park Service:

http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/chesapeake/toc.htm

Let's say hello to a Monarch: http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/chesapeake/plant/1354.htm

Now, here is that MNPS "organizational member" page:

http://www.mdflora.org/orgmembers.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Landscape designers (& other org. members) in Maryland Native Plant Society

We lost our home to Hurricane Isabel in September, 2003.

Last spring I had a beautiful landscaping design done by a young mom who does this part time now that she is a new mother.

She provided so much information - it was done in a most professional manner. In addition to the plan, I have a binder filled with color pictures of the flowers, shrubs.... complete with all the information about each one selected... How to take care of them etc.

She charged us $300. She's in the Severa Park area - but did travel to us in Baltimore County.... I thought it was well worth the $300. (In Severna Park - she works with a landscaper who will deducted the $300 from his estimate if he is referred by Lisa)

Does anyone have any suggestions for finding a landscape designer who is experienced with edibles?

I think it's reasonable, but you should interview several people.

BTW, I have had some bad experiences with MNPS. Just because something is "native" doesn't mean it's not invasive, ugly, or not right for your landscape. But that doesn't mean jrobins isn't right too, just don't leap to conclusions, ok?

My sister had a garden design prepared by a local nursery. When they suggested planting a weeping crab apple (Red Jade) on a granite ledge, she thanked them and pretty well ignored their design. That area ended up as rock garden!
Unfortunately you get what you pay for.
Best piece of landscaping advice I know comes from Beverly Nichols of "Garden Open Today." He says that if you want your garden to look larger, divide it in half. That is, plant shrubbery or hedges so that looking from the house, they form a visual barrier halfway to the back of your property with a gate or arbor or pergola connecting the two 'gardens.' This works - you get a garden you canview from the house and an entirely different garden hidden from view and revealed when you walk through to the back.

I'm curious about the bad experiences that the other poster had with Maryland Native Plant Society (MNPS). Did you ask them to recommend landscape designers; were you unhappy with their recommendations?

The primary goals of native plant societies are conservation, education, and community service. But MNPS does list landscaping and gardening businesses that specialize in native plants and related areas such as habitat restoration, and have chosen to join them. When I asked MNPS for designer recommendations 5 1/2 years ago, the choice was very limited. Now they show more on their web site.

"Just because something is "native" doesn't mean it's not invasive [in your garden], ugly, or not right for your landscape."
True as far as it goes, but because there are thousands of native plant species of the Chesapeake Bay region (including large numbers in every gardening category: trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, grasses, ferns ...), most of which are practically unknown to most gardeners, it is not difficult to select native plants that are beautiful, right for your landscape, well-behaved, and further, "unique" in the sense that few other gardens in your neighorhood contain them (even though they are regional natives).

By the way, here is a link to another thread on this forum (request for "bird garden landscapers" in Washington DC). Someone (March 22 post) recommended still another landscaper/designer, Nature By Design of Alexandria VA, that works with native plants exclusively.

http://www.nature-by-design.com/index2.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to other thread (bird gardens)

I wrote before ... "Nature By Design of Alexandria VA, that works with native plants exclusively". Actually, that is not quite 100% correct, although they definitely specialize in native plants. From their website

"We offer an outstanding range of native trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals, including many unavailable elsewhere in the Washington area. We also offer a carefully chosen selection of well-behaved non-natives, including tropicals hardy enough for Washington winters."

(I like my posts to be as accurate as I can make them)

Here is a link that might be useful: Nature by Design

There are many great reasons to hire a prefessional landscape designer. Although $500.00 may sound like a lot now, you will find that it quickly pays off. For example, if the wrong tree was planted it could in a few years need to be removed because it was getting into sewer lines or breaking up concrete, etc, you will easily spend that to remove the tree and fix the problems. A good designer will be able to counsel you in choosing trees to avoid those problems. Even if you draw up the design, GET A DESIGN! Especially if you hire a landscape contractor.

A good design will create unity and flow through landscape, the designer will focus on color and interest all year long. A good designer will style the landscape to compliment the home. A professional design provides homeowners with the ability to work in phases within budget constraints (without yard looking choppy and not well thought out).

A good design will reduce irrigation expenses by choosing and grouping plants with similar water requirements, they will avoid placing plants with minimal water requuirements next to those with high water requirements. A design allows one to compare different landscape contractor prices and bids based on one plan, not what each different contractor may have in mind. A design acts in a way as a contract between the contractor and the homeowner protecting both. A good designer will not only focus on function and color but also on low maintenance. He or she will choose plants that do not create messes or become in itself a weed. Above all a design will help avoid big problems later.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Design

SPAMMER ALERT.

What do you look for in a landscape designer? You look for: someone who listens, someone who has an intriguing web site with projects you like; someone who has been in business for several years and has some experience; someone who works with a contract and someone you like. To ask "Is this reasonable?" is not fair. Have they been in business one year or ten? Or is he/she a student? Most seasoned designers can make a custom landscape to fit your needs.

When you go to a nursery for advice, expect to get what you pay for. They can't see your property; they don't know the cultural conditions. A good designer will see things that you have never imagined and share them with you.

If you want to get to know them, hire them for a consultation. Pay the $100 or whatever and be prepared with a list of questions to ask, and a pencil and paper to write down the answers and any other guidance they give you. If you like them, ask how much their plans cost. If they work by the hour, be specific about how much you can spend and if you sign paperwork, make sure that number is in the contract. This way there will be no confusion later.

By looking at their web site, you can check the plants they use. Remember each locale has a plant "palette" specific to a region. If you want some great perennials, look for a designer that has done some terrific perennial gardens.

Good luck.

That amount sounds very reasonable, of course it depends on the scope of the project and who it is they have exactly hired. Hopefully with that amount you're getting someone who has some sense. Any less of a charge than that, I wouldn't want them to design my yard. I imagine a very experienced and sought out local designer could charge three or four times this amount. Plant nurseries don't charge often, because they're making a lot of money on the plants. I've noticed some places overplanting and filling the whole yard with plants, because they have to make money somehow.

Design is very hard work, it takes a lot of knowledge and time, and extremely expensive computer programs if you're legit. You have to be a well rounded person to to the design, operate a business, and know how to work with people. Really good designers are hard to come by, and are worth it. They can save you a lot of money and time in the long run.