The Design Process by Beth
Note: Homeowners who need just a little help may opt for a Consultation which does not include many of these services.
May Residence
The Bid Meeting: a Time to Get Acquainted
At this free meeting at the project site (usually your home), we start off by walking around the property, discussing your situation, needs and ideas.
Then we go inside and together we figure out how Beth Young Garden Design can best help you--what services and documents you will be needing. Like an a la carte menu, you can order anything from a diet drink (a consultation) to a five-course meal with wine, desert and after-dinner coffee (construction documents and installation assistance). Usually, I also show you my portfolio, a Garden Handbook (prepared for the larger projects) and a set of drawings of a similar project so you can see what you are getting into.
I then calculate the design fees (ah, reality!) and we go over them together, adjusting level of services if needed. We also talk timeline and scheduling.
I follow up this meeting with a bid outlining the services, fees and timeline that we agreed upon. If this bid is acceptable to you, you sign it and send it back to us with the retainer (usually 20% of the total fees), it becomes our contract, and the project begins.
The Info-Gathering Stage
Measuring and mapping
After the contract has been signed I, or someone from my office, will measure your property, take photos and create a scaled "base" map of existing features to stay. I may also take soil samples for testing. This may or may not be the same day as our "Design Meeting" (discussed below).
Note: You can save money by doing this stage yourself; I will be happy to loan you our Site Measurement Kit.
Your style and preferences
A successful landscape design is a collaboration between you and me; there's no way around that. You know how the sun slants through your daughter's window on cold winter days. You know that you don't like the recycling cart visible from your back porch. You know that your husband hates HATES yellow flowers. You know that you will be moving away in five to ten years (or that you want to gaze at that walnut tree from your bed on your last day on earth); I don't.
I've found that the best way to discover your needs and desires is to have you fill out my Design Questionnaire, which we go over together at our Design Meeting (discussed below). The DQ is a great basis for discussion as well as a written record of needs and preferences. I refer to it often while designing.
In addition to raw needs, style comes into play when designing for you. What is your style? Thinking about what type of gardens you like might be a fun way to explore your style.
You can also look through books and magazines to see what appeals to you. Clipping or copying photos of what you like (even if you don't know why you like them!) is a very good way for us to discover patterns, such as: he likes purple flowers, she likes lots of rock, he likes yards with small lawns . . ..
Here at my office, I have a large lending library of stylebooks, as I call them, full of juicy photos to inspire and see what is possible. Clients are always welcome to come by and peruse or borrow them. I also have compiled a notebook of clippings, organized by style, which might be of help as well.
If this sounds like a lot of trouble to you (if you know pi out to 10 digits, I'm talking to you), a few phrases or sentences may be all I need, such as "I like things neat" or "I love big, blowsy flowers" or "I grew up in Southern California and my mother always had something in bloom; I want that here."
 Checking with jurisdictional bodies
You know and I know that we are making great improvements to the land in harmony with the site’s natural features and/or the neighborhood’s ambiance, but we might have to prove it to others!
City or county planning departments, neighborhood planning groups, homeowner associations, and design review boards usually have regulations or guidelines regarding landscape improvements. Ultimately, it is up to you, the homeowner, to be aware of these governing bodies and their rules. However, I check with the local governmental bodies as well because it is easy to work their requirements into the design at this early stage. If requested, I can draw up any plans and documents that you might need in obtaining approvals.
The Design Meeting
At this fun meeting, we go over all your needs, preferences, dreams and desires for your landscape. We go over the Design Questionnaire together, and any photos you have gathered. After this meeting I feel that I know enough about you to design a landscape that you will really enjoy and appreciate for years to come.
The Preliminary Stage
Designing the Prelim
 After the info-gathering stages, I draw up a Preliminary Landscape Plan--a colored, to-scale drawing showing landscape elements such as paths, decks, patios, lawns and planting areas (beds). On the Prelim, plants are shown as spatial elements only; that is, trees, shrubs and lawn areas would be delineated, but specific types would not be decided at this time. This is the Preliminary Plan (example).
The Preliminary Plan Meeting
It is at this meeting that I present to you my ideas for your landscape in the form of the Preliminary Plan, sometimes accompanied by Photo-Perspective Sketches which I have drawn up to help you to visualize the design. It is important to keep in mind at this point that the design is still quite fluid and any aspect of the design that does not please you can be easily changed—with my ego intact! Some clients need time to "digest" the plan, while others make decisions at that meeting. If you are the former, I will leave the plans with you and you'll call or email me with any questions, suggestions, changes or approvals. Once the plan is agreed upon, we move on to the Construction Drawings phase.
The Construction Drawings Stage
After we have worked out the overall design of your property, I return to my studio to draw up the Construction Drawings Package. This is a set of plans with an accompanying handbook. Exactly what is included in the package varies from project to project, and is determined at the initial meeting.
The Construction Documents Package (drawings plus handbook) is prepared so that you can install the landscape yourself, a contractor can bid and install with it, or a combination of the two. Some clients prefer to do all the work themselves, but space it over time for budgetary reasons. This is a great reason to have a designer, rather than a design/build firm, draw up your plans.
Plan Drawings
Almost always included in this package is the Layout Plan, which shows the "hardscape" elements such as paths, walls, fences and patios. If there is a landscape element customized to your design, I might draw up a "Detail Sketch" which an artisan or contractor may construct from. Of course, the package includes a Planting Plan, which shows which plants to incorporate into the design, their sizes, quantities and locations. You also might opt for a Lighting Plan.
The Landscape Design Handbook
Unique to Beth Young Garden Design LLC is that I prepare for you a notebook which is full of useful landscape information particular to your property, your lifestyle and garden interests.
Exactly what is included in the handbook varies from project to project, but in almost every handbook are: the Plant List, Construction Detail Sketches, and planting instructions. Clients who have opted to have their soil tested will receive their Penn State soils report and Soils Recommendations. Other options include the Garden Maintenance Checklist and a listing of bloom/interest times by season. Informational handouts that are pertinent to your project are included as well. 
Owen Residence
Referrals
Over the years, I have been able to compile a list of very good specialty contractors who can help you with concrete work, arbors and fences, soil improvement and other aspects of the installation, or landscape contractors who can install the entire new design. These are folks who have been recommended by my clients; they are the contractors people rave about. I get no referral payments from any of them (nor do I pay them to refer me). I am happy to share this list with my clients.
Beth Young Garden Design LLC also offers Installation Phase Assistance on an hourly basis.
Maintenance
"Once it's in, what do I do with it?" you may wonder. Beth Young Garden Design LLC can prepare for you a Garden Maintenance Checklist which lists, season by season, what needs to be done in your garden. Even low-maintenance landscapes require attention from time to time in order for the landscape to look its best! Beth Young Garden Design LLC also maintains a list of good gardeners and landscape maintenance contractors who can keep everything looking great.
Our Final Meeting
At this meeting, which is usually at my office, we review the Construction Documents Package together and, discuss your next steps. We may also determine if you will be needing any help from Beth Young Garden Design LLC during the installation phase, which is a separate contract (Installation Phase Assistance). In most cases our contract concludes with this meeting.
Installation Phase Assistance
 If you are having a contractor install the work, I can help you with bidding by: drawing up an itemized bid form, answering bidder’s questions, and meeting with you to review the bids. I can also recommend good contractors in the area. However, the contract is between you and the contractor; I don’t act as a general contractor. During construction, I can check the progress of the installation for consistency with the design intent, approve of plant substitutions, and check for plant health and vigor, among other things.
If you are installing the landscape yourself, I can help you chose the plants at the nursery, watching out for irregular shape, defects, or ill-health; and suggest suitable substitutions, if needed. At your home, I can help you lay out the landscape elements (such as walkways, patio edges, and structures), keeping the design intent while helping you with the inevitable adjustments that are made in the field. I can also help you with plant placement, again maintaining the design intent while adjusting for any changes that may have occurred in the layout of the hardscape.
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