It’s been a trying few weeks over at this grounded home ya’ll. From throwing my back out, to the drainage problems in the yard (catch up here) and the non stop water in the basement, I really needed a win.

Before all these non-stop issues escalated, I reached out to Yardzen to see if they wanted to work together on our landscape design. I actually came up with a rough sketch of what I wanted to do but I wanted to be able to really visualize it and be able to get buy off from my husband about what he liked or didn’t like.

Here is my sketch lol:

I even made a legend for the plants y’all.

A – Limelight hydrangeas

B – I dont know lol

C- Container plant

D – Lambs ear

E – Maiden grass

I will say that having a general idea of what you want and don’t want is very helpful when working on your design concept. Before I get to the design process, here are our final renderings!

Landscape Design Process

The first thing you do after buying your landscape design package is submit the pictures and video of the area you want them to design. This part is crucial for them to understand what you want done. They ask for still photos, a pan of the area and videos of you talking about the space.

The biggest recommendation I can make is that you over communicate with them. They give you space to make additional notes too. This will make your first set of renderings pretty close to the final product.

Once you submit all of your videos they have you take a few design quizzes to nail down what your type is. Don’t worry though, they give you more space after that to tell them the look and feel you want. In my case, I wanted a Mediterranean feel with the colors and overall vibe.

The first product you get back is an overall house sketch. It’s just a line drawing for you to verify the layout of the space is accurate. After that, they work on your first set of renderings.

When they return with those renderings, you have a chance to make comments, right on the pictures of the landscape design of what you love or want to change. In my case, I asked for some of the plants to be moved outside of the pool fence, a wood burning fire pit, a wider pergola and solar lights instead of led. Which brings me back to how important communication is.

For example, I asked for solar lights with a “starburst” pattern, meaning I wanted the reflection to be a star, not the fixture itself. Well, they thought I wanted a solar light that was in the shape of a star and I ended up with the ugliest lights ever! They look like glowing dandelions. Just not my style at all.

Since they were reflected in the final revision, I would have had to pay for them to change it. If you are picky, then go for it. Otherwise, save your money. I know that I won’t be installing those lights and I don’t need a new set of pictures to reflect that. Especially when everything else was captured so perfectly.

After they deliver your final landscape design renderings, you can download them all. They also include the CAD plans for your landscaper, a furniture list, and a plant list. Which makes it easy for you, or anyone you’re hiring, to complete the job.

They also ask you to set a budget in mind at the beginning. If they feel like what you’re asking for is going to be more than your budget, they will give you a warning about it. Ultimately, they will show you the entire area and you decide how you want to implement it. By phase or all at once.

We are definitely doing it by phase since some of the plants won’t go into the ground until next spring. We actually have a meeting with our landscaper tomorrow to update our initial quote to include some more areas that we want addressed. Mainly the area around the window well.

Let me know your thoughts below and what questions you have!