By sarah carter

A talented landscape designer can make a huge contribution to the overall look and feel of a lawn or yard.  What kind of skill does it take to become a landscape designer? Below, we will review some of the skills necessary to work in this growing field.

One of the first skills that must be acquired is learning about the different plants and soils. Learning what environment is best for each type of plant, is important to success. A good landscape designer wants his plants to grow and thrive, his reputation depends on it.  Knowing which plants will grow well in the area they are planted in is key to success.  A landscape designer must be able to work with other contractors, and know what the job is going to require.  The designer needs to be able to determine if the landscape design will work the way it has been drawn up on blueprints, or if some modifications will be needed.  Often, what the client wants will just not work and the designer needs to have a good rapport with the client, so that everyone is happy with the result.  A certain amount of work that the designer receives will partly be due to word of mouth, so a landscaper needs to have great people skills.  Another way of getting jobs is by doing a good job for other contractors, so that they think of you first when it is time to do another job.

There are schools for landscape design which are usually a four year program.  These schools also offer landscape architecture degrees as well, which may take a bit longer.  These schools have hands on approach to landscape design, at times even having their students sit in on official meetings.  Design competitions are one way to teach students to work quickly and under a deadline. In landscape design school, the student will be taught to identify types of trees and shrubs, how to keep plants alive during drought conditions, and how different conditions could kill plants.

A top landscape designer listens to his customers and his contractors, it is up the designer to make certain the right plants are in the right places, and that the plants will thrive.  A top designer must be creative and inventive, all while staying on schedule. Another important skill is keeping landscape designs original, not mere recreations of previous jobs. Customers want a fresh new design, with their yard in mind.