Fact is, there isn’t a shortage of landscapers. There is, however, a shortage in good character, good business practices, and trust.

– This post is in regards to the new Free Directory Of Landscapers And Landscaping Contractors that we’ve added to the site. Hopefully it will make it a lot easier to find a designer or company in your area. However, regardless of what source you use to find a contractor, I want to point out in this article that it is ultimately up to you to make sure you get quality and don’t get burned.

Evaluate A Contractors Character And Reputation

What is the most important quality to look for when hiring a contractor?

Is it he who creates the best design? No. Of course, you want to make your initial contacts based on their design styles and quality but you do not want to hire someone based solely on that. Is it the biggest most visible company? Absolutely not. Remember, these big companies started small. And to exclude a smaller unknown company may be missing the best design, quality, and company for the job.

How do you evaluate character? Of course you want to ask for references. However, you can’t trust that completely. Do you think a company is going to give you a list of their unsatisfied clients? I doubt it. So besides getting their list, you need to check with the BBB, your chamber of commerce, and the “word on the street”. A few things you need to find out about a company are:

Third Party Companies

Using the big third party companies that match you with pre-qualified and pre-screened contractors isn’t any guarantee. I recently got a call from the biggest one out there. They had project requests in my area and no one to give them to. All that was required of me was to pay $26.00 for the lead information. No background check, no screening, no questions. Just $26.00. So what does that tell you? Maybe, you really can’t trust them either.

You have to do the homework. If you don’t have a reference from a good friend or any good “word of mouth” leads, the background check is up to you. Like I said earlier, the first step is to get into contact with a designer that creates designs and quality that you like. Then, if your initial “gut feeling” is good when you meet them, check the company out.

Landscape Contractor / Landscaper Directory

We have created a free directory of landscapers portfolios that will allow you to look at individual company designs, projects, pictures, and plans, and to also directly contact design companies based on their work. The Landscapers And Landscaping Contractors Directory is open to everyone and is even free for active contractors and landscape designers to list their companies and web sites.

While it may take a while for every State in the directory to become populated with companies, I’ve also partnered with a third party company to pick up the slack until the directory fills up (no, it’s not the biggest one – just one I trust). See Find Landscaping Companies And Contractors if you can’t find anyone in the new directory.

Remember, image and visibility counts for a lot but is no guarantee of satisfaction. Some bigger companies have the logos, the trucks, the matching uniforms, and the visibility. While this is a good indication of an orgainized company, it’s not a “go ahead” to just write a check. And another thing to remember is that some of the smaller landscaping companies are the most creative and trustworthy. Some are small because they choose to stay small. And this, as in my own company, allows for more personal and dedicated attention to each landscape design, client, and project.

Proper drainage should be a priority consideration in the planning stage of all landscaping and garden design. It’s especially important when planning enclosed areas such as courtyard garden ideas.

This video of the courtyard is the first of many that will follow the creation of a large Mediterranean landscaping project that we’re working on. We’ll start with the courtyard garden because it is in the center of the entire project. In a design like this with many stages, it’s a good idea to start in the center and work your way out. That way you’re not trampling over already finished work.

As I said, drainage should be a major consideration when making your landscaping plan. With improper grading and drainage, you could possible have some major problems, damage, and other inconveniences due to water and weather.

In courtyards and courtyard gardens that are enclosed or surrounded by walls, this is especially important. In heavy rains, a lot of water with nowhere to go can cause flooding that can even back up into the home.

In this video, we go over grading and a few different ways that you can channel and drain water from courtyard gardens and other landscaping projects.

As I said before, this is just the first of several videos that will showcase a lot of useful projects and plans and ideas for landscaping that you may be able to use for your own. And, as with this video, we’ll also point out a lot of planning and structural considerations.

All videos and pages related to this project can be found at Mediterranean Garden Landscaping Ideas

Landscaping on a budget? Whether or not you meet or exceed a set budget, actually setting one will help keep the cost of your landscaping closer to what you want to spend. So first thing, pick a real (realistic) number to shoot for. Who knows, you may fit everything you want into that number.

Actually, most folks are shocked at the cost of some landscaping materials required to create their dream landscape. If at first it seems you can’t do everything you want for as cheap as you want to, don’t be too quick to change your plans. There is usually more than one way to do the same landscaping job. For instance – seed or sod, natural stone or retaining wall blocks, concrete or gravel path, etc.

This guideline assumes that you already have or know how to draw a landscaping plan and looks at the possible costs and budget considerations.

If you do plan to draw your own design, I’ll provide you with some pictures galleries and ideas generating resources at the end of this article. If not, then maybe hiring a landscaping contractor to draw your design fits into your budget.

Lawn Areas To Fit Your Budget

Compared to other elements and materials, installing lawn is initially inexpensive. It’s what a lawn requires afterward that can get expensive. Fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, mowing, water,…sprinkler system.

From an economical and budgeting point of view, lawn areas should be kept small. In times of drought or little rain, it’s practically impossible to maintain a large area of lawn without an automatic sprinkler system. So a sprinkler system would be a necessity and so would also be an added expense. Have you considered the expense of a sprinkler system into your budget. Keep it in mind when planning the size of your lawn area. If a large lawn is your thing and your budget allows, that’s probably where a chunk of your expenses should go.

Smaller lawn areas on the other hand could possibly be hand watered. Or even the cost of a small do it yourself sprinkler system could be justified in your spending allowance.

Sod vs. Seed

There’s nothing like the instant gratification of installing a sod lawn. However, compared to seed planting a lawn, the cost difference can be substantial. Most average budgets won’t allow for a large area of sod.

The preparation for both seed and sod is basically the same so that won’t influence your spending. The differences are that installing sod is more expensive and labor intensive. Planting seed is cheap but takes more time and attention to get it established. It comes down to which do you have more of. Time or money?

Inexpensive Hardscapes

I have two full pallets of old red bricks that we gathered for free from an old burned down building. They have so much character. I’ve saved them back for my own courtyard that I plan to build…someday. Anything free fits my own landscaping budget so we gathered them up and brought them to the yard.

I can’t begin to say just how many old rock houses we’ve turned into rock garden walls or how many old fireplaces have become patio pavers. Native landscaping rocks and flagstones we’ve gathered are responsible for many walkways and garden walls like the wall we created in this xeriscaping design idea.

Old bricks, rocks, and other elements like these can be used for a lot of different projects such as garden walkways, edging, borders, waterfalls, rock garden walls, etc.

If you just keep your eyes open and more importantly, get out of the car and ask for it, there are plenty of cheap, inexpensive, and free resources available.

Cheap Landscaping Plants

Side by side, a 69 cent four inch potted Verbena and a $3.99 one gallon Verbena will be pretty much the same size by mid-season. It’s the same with most small specimen plants.

Most of the designs we create are planted in with smaller, immature, less expensive plants. Of course this is because it is much cheaper. While most of us would prefer an instant full grown landscape, patience here will pay off in spending your money in another area like maybe…trees.

Larger trees and shrubs? If you can afford them and they can be budgeted, use them. They add height and a finished mature look more than any other element. Otherwise, plant what is affordable and that you can carry and handle.

As most large trees are expensive, you may be tempted to buy smaller “fast growing” trees. Keep in mind that most fast growing trees are weak and short lived compared to some of the slower growers such as the Oaks, Maples, etc. Of course there are some fast growers such as Mondale Pine that are very strong and stable. This may be one area where you need to do a little research.

Low Cost Ground Cover

Just being aware of your options here could save you some money. Do you even know if your area has any quarries, sawmills, nut producers, or any other industries that produce waste that you could use as a groundcover?

Our local quarry provides decorative crushed rock groundcover that ranges is price from $15.00 per ton to $120.00 per ton. It’s a no-brainer as to what we use the most of in our designs. And as far as I’m concerned, the cheaper rock looks good, serves its purpose, and saves my clients a lot of money.

Compared to buying hundreds of little sacks of pebbles from your local home center, buying your rock from a quarry will generally be easier on your landscaping budget.

In our area we have a lot of pecan orchards and a few small businesses that do pecan shelling and manufacturing. Every year we have access to pecan shell waste that can be used as both a groundcover and mulch for much cheaper than sacks of bark from the home center.

Additional Ideas, Pictures, and Design Aids –

If you’re simply looking for easy, cheap, and inexpensive design ideas, several of my own designs can be found in the free landscaping ideas gallery. Each example has pictures of the design along with explainations of how it was created.

There are a few thousand pictures of landscaping in two directories that are free for you to get ideas from. The original landscaping pictures gallery is a link gallery to many different professional designers sites. The new landscaping pictures and ideas gallery hosts professional photos of yards and landscapes.

Also, you can get ideas from free garden plans which is also a directory of other designers plans.

One More Thing – The Long Run

Keep in mind that cheaper isn’t laways the best way to go. Having to replace something before its time isn’t getting a good deal. And landscaping on a budget doesn’t mean cutting corners. So saving money on your landscaping also has a lot to do with quality of materials and how well it will withstand the test of time.