Landscape design is much more than the tidying up of the spaces left by development, yet that is how it is often treated. I like to take a different approach, looking at the whole environment and working wherever possible, with architects, planners, civil engineers etc to help create whole environments which are sustainable, ecologically benign, psychologically nourishing and which therefore upgrade our experience of living in the built environment.

There are pressures on our resources, the like of which have never before been seen. Within the next few years, designers of our environments will have to provide answers to difficult questions - How do we live better lives, in a sustainable way? How do we cut pollution and save resources, without compromising the quality of our individual lives? The design of landscape has a part to play in answering some of these issues and is the underlying discipline which unites all others - architecture, urban design, civil engineering, transportation, housing. All these things take place within our landscape. Landscape design ties them all together and to find the future answers that we need today, all these sectors must learn to work together.

What other discipline can take elements as diverse as art, ecology and rainwater drainage and tie them together into a coherent whole? The visionary designer can take the aspirations of the artist and the practical concerns of the engineer and produce something that works for both, to the betterment and the delight of many.

Lets look at residential landscape design in terms of practical solutions for a property's beautification. Landscape design is producing outdoor spaces into functional and beautiful outdoor retreats and viewing areas, by using plant material and hard-scape materials to delineate these spaces. This is in contrast to the blank square grassy areas surrounded by either a chain link fence or a 6-foot wood privacy fence so often found in the average suburban neighborhood. Many people overlook the idea that a property should be developed and accessorized outside the home as much as it is inside the home. Plants and accessories do not have to be expensive, just well thought out and well placed.
There's a statistic that was published several years ago that stated that for each dollar spent in landscaping, a three dollar return was not uncommon in the resale of that home.

This fact says a lot about the positive perception that a well landscaped home gives to potential buyers and visitors and should be factored into the property and house's ongoing improvement.





We at Paradise Plants will work with you to come up with the best ideas and solutions to fit your needs!

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