ALG insider list to planning your garden. Mistakes not to make.

Your home and garden are an intertwined marriage. A dance between the indoor and outdoor moments that make your property your sacred haven.

Over the past 15 years in the horticultural industry and 9 years in Business, we have been witness to the repeat trends from the 130 + clients that have engaged with our team. In addition, interest rates and cost of living have greatly increased and increases in material prices and supply affected. So how can we ensure our future clients and gardens are reaping the reward tenfold from the very start with all of these factors in mind?

1. Planning - Do your research; selecting designers or contractors to complete the job is key to getting the final finished result you deserve. Spend the time on researching what companies echoe your values, finishes, style and service. Don’t be afraid to contact multiple contractors. Onsite consultations are key to developing great relational foundations in which we note as a crucial starting stage with all of our potential clients - along with running through quoted works as a collective to inform, education and ensure understanding and comfortability surrounding the entirety of the project before starting.

2. Design - Spend the time and money on a plan. What might seem like a big upfront cost could potentially save you tens of thousands in the long run. If you have a design to work towards you can stage the works if there are budget restraints or conduct the work yourself. Without a solid plan, there is no strategic design in place which only asks for error within the life of the construction or down the path when you hit a bump and go 'hmm I didn't factor that in...' . Our job is to thoughtfully and strategically set out key areas, materials, plantings, compositions etc to ensure your space is crafted accurately and aesthetically to your vision and scope. We have been to sites where the clients have gone through 2 - 3 contractors over the years to keep adding to their garden vision and tens of thousands of dollars have been wasted in where an original Master design would have saved. Designs take out the guess work and narrow your focus on getting the job complete, whether it's all at once or staged over time. The design is there from the start - and it definitely can be tweaked where required.
   

3. Forward Thinking - Forward thinking can save you thousands of dollars, for example: pipes under concrete for irrigation, mains water for irrigation, power points for irrigation controller, interior and exterior switches for lighting, running lighting cable through walls and leaving exterior points the list goes on and on. What might seem like a small upfront cost could save hundreds of labor hours which is money in your pocket. Additionally, the contractor will think you are the bees knees for allowing for this.

4.  Be Brave - Gardens have changed from a row of trees around the fence line and a little bit of grass, challenge the norm. Incorporate perennials, trees, flow in the space to make the garden somewhere you want to be in, a sanctuary, a space that youre constantly invited to draw into and experience, not something you look at from inside the home and that's it. Being close to nature has been shown with lowering levels of stress and lessen symptoms of anxiety and depression. Plant out multi layered garden beds and watch the native wildlife flock into your garden. Items such as vegetable gardens invite us out into the garden; to harvest and give us that connection with nature and the environment we all need and deserve.

All in all, organisation is key, don’t be afraid to have a conversation with the Landscaper about conducting these little extras - it will save a lot of money and labor on the next contractor you need down the line, especially when budgets are tight.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog we greatly appreciate all of our Arrow Community and feel free to check out our other blogs