If you’ve been researching companies to work on your home’s landscape, you’ve probably seen the term ‘landscape architect’ thrown around. This might leave you wondering “what is a landscape architect? How are they different from a normal landscaper?”
A landscape architect is a person who specializes in designing outdoor environments, such as gardens, in harmony with nearby buildings. While an ordinary landscaper knows how to maintain a property and perhaps how to add such features as new plants and retaining walls, a landscape architect knows every step of the design and build process for landscaping. As such, hiring a landscape architect in Minnesota can be extremely beneficial for a design + build landscaping project.
Benefits of Hiring a Landscape Architect
- They Know How Everything Works – The biggest perk of hiring a landscape architect is that they know the landscaping industry inside and out. If you’re interested in hiring a landscape crew to perform a design + build landscaping project at your home, it’s crucial that a landscape architect heads their crew. A landscape architect can take a look at your property and determine how best to make use of your land to design a landscape that is both aesthetically pleasing and a perfect fit for the environment. They will know such things as what plants will flourish, what mulch and rocks will look best, when a retaining wall is needed and how to arrange landscaping features so that they don’t clash with one another.
- They Think of Landscapes as Systems – One of the most important things about landscape architects is that they think of every landscape as a system that needs to be set up properly in order to function optimally. A landscape architect will be able to recognize all of the possibilities that your home landscape presents as well as all of the problems which could impede their design. A landscape designer may know how to make a property look amazing but might not recognize obstacles such as a tree being planted in a spot that’s too shady or a rock bed being vulnerable to erosion. A landscape foreman can build a landscape well enough but may not have a great eye for design. Because of their systematic thinking and advanced knowledge, landscape architects know how to design and build a landscape that is as beautiful as it is sustainable.
- They Work With the Elements – The biggest obstacle to landscaping in Minnesota is the erratic weather. Winter brings intense cold and heavy snow that can kill many plants and cause damage to outdoor decorations. Spring brings flooding from snowmelt and from thunderstorms that can result in flooding and erosion. Unlike the average homeowner or an inferior landscape crew, a landscape architect in Minnesota will know how to prepare for the worst and will design a landscape so that it can endure the elements. This means avoiding planting choices that won’t survive below zero weather, allowing for drainage to avoid flooding and building retaining walls to prevent erosion.
- They Know How to Minimize Costs & Maintenance – A landscape designer may not consider how costly their design is going to wind up being when it comes time to build. A landscape foreman may not consider the amount of ongoing maintenance that their project will require when it’s done. But a landscape architect working on a design + build project will recognize the amount of money and time that a landscape will cost the homeowner, and can take measures to help the homeowner stay within their budget and only have to perform minimal outdoor maintenance.
The Top Landscape Architects in Minnesota
If you’re interested in a design + build landscaping project in the greater Twin Cities metro that’s headed by experienced landscape architects, we encourage you to give Ground One a try. Our landscape architects know how to make any property look its best and can oversee every step of the design + build process. Get in contact with Ground One today for top-tier design + build landscaping services in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area!