Many people get these terms confused.
They say to themselves “Oh I want to get some landscaping work done on my garden”. So they think “better call a landscaper”.
In some cases this may be true. Especially if the project in your garden is reasonably small. Say you want to put in a couple of garden beds, or just build a rockery. Maybe you just want some new stepping stones laid to get you to the veggie garden in winter. Or maybe you want to put in a water feature or pond.
When do you need just a landscaper?
Many small, single garden projects that need the expertise and experience of a landscaper can be done simply by you just calling a landscaper direct. But you’d be surprised how many garden projects actually need the expertise and experience of a landscape designer first, before any work begins.
That’s because a lot of garden projects need planning or design before they are built. For example many retaining walls actually need engineering or working drawings before they can be constructed. Decks are another thing people don’t realise actually need a council permit. (And if you don’t get it before you ask someone to build the deck – or do it yourself – you could be faced with the annoying, and expensive, task of having to pull it all down!)
Even paths and driveways may need some planning before you put them in.
And when it comes to other constructions in your garden like pergolas, verandas, gazebos, etc, these definitely need permits.
Sometimes the landscaper can get the permit for you, but only if they are licensed to actually build these structures.Which is rare.
When do you need a landscape designer?
Once you get beyond the basics of landscaping – a path, a pond, a few rocks and a garden bed – you really need to talk to a landscape designer.
Because they have skills and experience far beyond what a landscaper has. They don’t just whip up a lovely design for your garden in a couple of hours with a computer or pen. Yes they are creative. But they understand practical things like plans and permits and engineering and working drawings etc.
They know that to rejuvenate an old tired garden or create a new garden from scratch takes a lot of work.
First they have to meet with you on site. Discuss your wish list for your garden – what features do you want? They get to meet your family, see how you live now and how you want to live. And they understand what role a new or revitalised garden could play in creating this new lifestyle for you.
They listen, ask questions, make suggestions. Then they go away for a week or 10 days and come back with an all encompassing vision for your garden. You talk about it with them, make changes and then when it’s all finally agreed, you might think that’s when the landscaper gets involved.
Usually not. There are often important steps that come between the design phase and the construction phase. These are called the preliminary steps. They involve the permits from the local council or whoever manages the easement on your property. (Did you know you had one?) The also engage engineers to assess construction of things like decks, pergolas, verandas, fences, retaining walls, etc And getting them to create working drawings which you might need to get the permits in the first place.
Once this is all done, under the guidance of the landscape designer, then you tend to bring the landscaper in.
Because now they know how to accurately quote the project and properly build it.
(At Whyte Gardens we do things a little differently. We actually have the landscape designers and landscaping team working in tandem on projects. So each can advise the other. This makes it more likely that the designers will design a garden that can be built and the landscaping team know how to build it.)
But can’t landscapers design gardens too?
Well if you call grabbing a sketch pad and drawing a quick schematic of some stones laid out in a curve towards the rear of the garden a design. Or if you think a scribble on the back of an envelope showing how the pond might look is a design, then yes landscapers do design.
But that’s not real design.
Real design – the kind landscape designers and landscape architects do – is a mix of creativity and science.
Creativity is about capturing your vision for how you would like your new garden to look, and function. The science is understanding all the practical aspects that must be in place for it to happen.
And landscape designers, most of them, actually go to university or college to do a diploma in landscape design. It is a professional discipline.
Compare this to how many landscapers get their beginning.
Anyone can pick up a few tools, throw them in the back of ute and start calling themselves “Pete’s landscaping”. But it doesn’t make them a landscape designer.
Landscape architects have to go even further. They do a 3 year degree. And they have to go through quite a process to become licensed.
So if you’ve been thinking about getting some landscaping work done in your garden, we hope this has helped you understand whether you need to call a landscaper OR a landscape designer.
The final thing to remember
When all is said and done about landscaping the simple thing to remember is this:
Landscape designers design gardens but don’t build them.
Landscapers build gardens but they don’t design them.
Hope this has cleared it all up for you.
If you’ve always wanted to know the difference between a Landscape Designer and a Landscape Architect, then please read this article on our website – https://whytegardens.com.au/blog/what-the-difference-between-landscape-designer-and-landscape-architect/
