I'm taking a break from our regularly scheduled programming (my Sustainability in Landscaping series) this month to write about a subject that I've encountered quite a bit recently. You know when something starts coming up so frequently it feels like maybe you should address it? I've had discussions about this topic both with colleagues and people I've just met.
It's all about your designer or landscape architect truly understanding what YOU want and need. The client. The homeowner. The one paying the bill. The one living with the result.
Every single homeowner is unique. Every single property is unique. That's what makes my job so interesting! The key is to find out exactly what my client needs in their life, what is working for them in their landscape and what is not. What problems need to be solved, what experiences do they want to have, what mood do they want to create, what is their specific style, how much energy do they have to care for their space? Sometimes this is easy to discern, sometimes it takes a while to get there.
[Side note: let your designer in your house! It helps if they can see how you've decorated indoors. I can't tell you how many clients don't want me to come inside.]
In an ideal world, your landscape will be appropriate for the style of your home and blend with the surrounding landscape. It will reflect your personality and the way you and your family live. This is easier to do if we're starting from scratch with a whole-site plan. It's a little tougher if we're doing a portion of the garden, blending it in with the rest of the existing landscape while probably incorporating some newer ideas.
But do you know what your project is not about? It's not about what I would do in your space. How I would live in your space, or even which plants I think should be planted there. Your space has to work for YOU. It's my job to guide you, advise you on design decisions, teach you what you want to know, and then design a landscape that works best for you and your family.
Yes, sometimes that means homeowners make bad design decisions. They do things I think they shouldn't. And once in a while I end up designing something I don't want to share on the ‘gram or put in my portfolio. But it's not my property. I'm never going to force my own design aesthetic or plant palette on anyone. But I'll be honest, one of my goals for this year is going to be a little more resolute about calling out those poor design choices.
If you are feeling a disconnect with your designer or landscape architect, like they aren't listening to you or understanding what you want, you have to tell them. If they bite back, don't understand, or continue to push their own way, they are not a good fit and you need to end the relationship. Perhaps you hired them because their company represents the same goals and values you hold, but they also have a very defined and rigid aesthetic that just doesn't fit with your own situation. For instance, you may want a carefully organized and tidy garden, but your landscaper wants to install something prairie-inspired instead. That probably won’t work for you. It can be hard to end the connection, especially if you have already invested time and funds with them, but better to do it as soon as possible rather than continue to waste everyone's time or worse, end up with a landscape installation that doesn't work for you.
Make sure your designer is listening, and you feel comfortable with them. Make sure you are getting what you need so you end up with a personalized landscape just for you. Your designer needs to feel comfortable with you as well for your project to turn out as beautifully as it possibly can be. You also need to be responsive, and for goodness' sake, actually read your contract before you sign it. Thanks in advance.
On another note...
I'll be frank, last year was a tough one for me. I learned a lot of lessons that I'm sure will serve me well in the future but were sure hard to take at the time. I had to fire a client for the first time. I had to sever a business relationship that should have been more thoroughly vetted and discussed up front. I was given advice twice early in the year to "keep doing installations and learning from your mistakes" -- to which I completely revolted (I'm not making mistakes on my clients' dime!) and decided I was going to make as many mistakes as possible in my own garden, installing 4 separate projects here at headquarters.
Little did I know several mistakes were already in the pipeline waiting to be discovered and a few more were heading my way. Mistakes in design and in business. All I can do is take complete responsibility for issues that are actually mine, remedy them as quickly and best I can, and move on down the road with procedures in place to prevent them from happening again. Unfortunately, some of these issues have taken a toll and I have seriously considered closing my doors. At the moment I'm only willing to slowly dip my toe back in the water, with partners I trust and well-thought-out contracts in place. It's probably yet another a mistake to even write this paragraph for all to see. I take solace in knowing almost no one reads these posts, so it doesn't really matter anyway. Hi mom!
Thankfully, new opportunities and collaborations do seem to be coming my way. We'll see how they go. When I'm ready for them.
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