Why you need a gardening master-plan

Some gardening projects may be easy and straight-forward enough to be constructed from a simple sketch. Others, however, will benefit from a detailed master-plan in more ways than one. In fact, starting a landscape project with a master-plan guarantees you a higher chance of success and less costly mistakes in the long-run.

Here are some good reasons why you need a landscape master-plan for your home before you embark on the construction journey:

Recorded vision

They say that if you don’t want to lose sight of your vision, put it down on paper. A masterplan is a documented vision of the homeowner’s aspirations for his or her home. It defines the owner’s desired end-game: the elements of design, the hardscapes, the plant materials, the finishes as well as the colour scheme.

Once in place, every subsequent intervention on the landscape must contribute and enhance the final picture. With a masterplan, it matters less how impressive that feature on your friend’s garden is; if it doesn’t fit in with your final picture, it has no place in your garden. Without a master-plan, it is very easy to get derailed along the way.

Phased project

A masterplan also allows you to easily phase out a big project over a number of years without losing the cohesiveness of the whole. When money is short, as is often the case, parts of the master-plan can be given priority, depending on availability of funds. Later on as more funds become available, other parts may be added in perfect harmony with the previous phases.

It is an implementation tool - a map of where the landscape is now and where is can be over a pre-determined period. Yet it is a living document, one that can grow and change with the shifting needs of the homeowners.

Preliminary pricing

A master-plan is important in giving the homeowner an idea of what a landscape project will cost ultimately. It presents the possibilities on one hand and the estimated costs of those possibilities on the other. This empowers the homeowner to be able to plan, phase and budget appropriately.

One way of getting the estimated cost of the project is to simply ask a professional to calculate them for you. The other is to give copies of a detailed master-plan to prospective landscape contractors to quote.

Work of art

Nothing is more fulfilling than walking around your completed garden with a well-rendered master-plan as you compare what you once envisioned on paper come to life on your landscape. Many people who successfully pull off their master-plans actually frame and hang them somewhere in their home for visitors to see.

Working drawings

A master-plan is a template upon which other construction drawings are based. To complete a landscape project successfully, you need several plans. A grading plan shows level changes as well as storm water drainage on site.

A planting plan documents the plant materials to be used and where they are to be planted. A lighting plan indicates the electrical fittings and fixtures while an irrigation plan outlines how irrigation equipment will be installed in the landscape.