I’ve just read an interesting post on Linked In which I have pasted below. Worth considering. As you would employ an architect to draw up plans for a house and an experienced builder to construct, similarly it is worth engaging a garden designer to design/draw up plans for your garden and employ a LANDSCAPE contractor (not a builder) to construct your garden. Analysis has also shown that a well designed garden will add almost 20% to the value of a property. Besides the work that you do in your house will often start looking dates but a well designed garden gets even better as it matures.
‘Problems in the landscape can certainly affect property value – one of the most costly is flooding due to inadequately addressed drainage issues. Erosion is another serious problem. So many homeowners, and sometimes even building architects, think of landscape design as “putting in pretty plants” but it is of course so much more. Having to redo a path, driveway, or planting (especially when it comes to trees which have matured) because it was not well thought out to begin with can be a significant expense – a good design can save people from making costly mistakes. I can’t tell you how often new clients have contacted me because they have struggled with their own landscape efforts, often with the assistance of contractors but not designers, and after many problems have come to the conclusion that they really do need a design.’