We've all seen professional landscapers that seem to take a quick glance around and ask a few questions of the home owner and 'PRESTO' they have a completed garden landscape design. This seemingly effortless analysis and solution to garden landscapes comes from experience, study and that most elusive quality - natural talent.

The design concept that everyone is familiar with, whether they know it or not, is that they have to 'like' the design; it has to reflect what they want in a garden landscape. This is why garden landscaping isn't a cookie cutter endevour. The input from the home owner is the key to a successful design. If the home owner likes informal design with native foliage this is where you start, with a general idea of the persons likes and dislikes.

The next thing to deal with is what you have to work with, is it a small lot or several acres? Is it a lush green wet environment or very dry with sparse vegetation. Taking into account the wants of the person and marrying it to reality is the creative aspect of design; on one hand you know that designing a landscape to suit the environment will make for the most natural look and feel, but if someone wants a lush green lawn in the middle of the desert it 'can' be done with enough money. Fortunately there are suitable substitutes that could give the same feel at the fraction of the cost. An example is to use native grasses such as scrubgrass and succulents, plant forms that do well in that environment. There are numerous garden landscaping ideas that could provide a solution for these problems.

Almost as crucial as the above is how much the homeowner is capable of maintaining or willing to maintain. This might seem like a silly question, because who wouldn't want a beautifully done landscape. This will impact your garden landscape design, having to take into account the ability of the person taking care of the landscape. You may have to scale down your ideas and go with very low maintenance plantings or go as big as your imagination will allow - so long as the homeowner can handle it.  

Cost can be the overriding concern that determines the extent of the design. For example, if money allows, mature foliage will be used to give the landscape a more finished look or, if the budget is tighter, smaller specimens will be used and allowed to grow in. That specimen tree or plant that was to be purchased for the focal point might have to be rethought and an existing tree or other fixture in the landscape will have to be considered.

These are generally the first four stages that occur: determining likes and dislikes, looking at and assessing the grounds, finding out how much landscaping is enough landscaping and discussing the amount of money that will be available for the project. Once these things have been established then the Process/Art of landscape design can commence.