So you are thinking about remodeling your home? You may venture a few steps into the process and realize you need help—professional help. Perhaps you decide to hire a contractor/builder, an architect, and maybe an interior designer. They all work together to make a reality of your vision and desires in a functional, successful space. The result is a happier you, energized by a new kitchen, a cozy living room, and a welcoming front hall.

Thinking about remodeling your landscape? You need professionals.

There are many ways to achieve a successful landscape and a happy client. Many ponder why even hire a professional garden designer or landscape architect? Before the answer can be given, it is important to understand the difference between many of the job titles that are hovering around in the landscape industry.

"Yardman" is the guy, or your neighbor's neighbor's son's friend, who happens to own a lawn mower and a pair of pruning sheers. They are happy to stop by to handle the basics, and are almost always pleasant people.

"Landscapers" can range from good 'ol boys to educated horticulturalists. Though you probably won't hire a horticulturalist to mow your grass. He can, instead, fix the herbicide issue caused by your yardman.They also may have a few more tools, and probably can efficiently install a variety of plants.

"Landscape Designers" are an assortment of the previous "Landscaper" category. Hopefully if you hire them, they are horticulturalists with an eye for design. Their qualifications are either experience or education based, and generally can offer the services of plant installation, design, and maintenance in a complete package.

"Garden Designers" tend to fall more into the category of "boutique" when it comes to your lovely yard. (hence the use of the term 'garden' rather than 'landscape' in the title)  More than likely, trained hands will prune your boxwood hedge rather than overzealous topiary inspired Edward Scissor hands. When it comes to design they are slightly more trend savvy, and perhaps a little more educated in the design arena. You can tell them apart from "Landscape Designers" by their attire. They won't usually be seen in Carhartts. Too stiff.

"Landscape Contractors" can install most if not all landscape features. Hopefully, they have a well rounded knowledge base of horticulture, hardscapes, building, water features, and a general understanding of how to read plans and details. They might also specialize in irrigation or lighting installations. If you are a landscape or garden designer, they are a very handy sort to have around. The collaboration of the two jobs makes the odds for a successful landscape higher. By a different name, the two join to become a "design-build" company.

"Landscape Architects" are similar to "landscape contractors" in some degree, and have a wide knowledge base. Almost all states require Landscape Architects to be licensed with a 4-5 year degree from an accredited college, and a varying time period of apprenticeship. Landscape Architects can have their hand in any of the following concentrations: residential gardens, public parks and playgrounds, residential developments, college campuses, shopping centers, golf courses, and parkways. On a different scale they collaborate with a variety of other professions (architects, surveyors, engineers, environmental scientists, ecologists, and certified planners) to achieve a common, unified goal. In the very least, you can expect an education in design, engineering/construction, and horticulture.

Now that you may have a better understanding of job duties, which one will you hire when you decide to remodel your landscape? Some companies (like Father Nature Landscapes) have a talented assortment of all of the above, and should be considered over individuals. Obviously, I am biased.

Perhaps a more important question relates to the design aspect of your landscape. Trained professionals will work the same way inside your house as out. Wouldn't it be nice to extend the quality of comfort from your home into your landscape? That is why you need a designer. There is a language of materials and details that go into transforming or refining your backyard into a functional, livable, enjoyable place.  Thomas Church in his book "Gardens are for People," writes a great piece on the function of a garden:

"Landscaping is not a complex and difficult art to be practiced only by high priests. It is logical, down-to-earth, and aimed at making your plot of ground produced exactly what you want and need from it. What do you want and need? Take a long and earnest look into your crystal ball. You will see that economic pressures have reduced the average house to a minimum and that the functions of the house have spilled over into the garden. You will see that you need additional space for lounging, eating, and entertaining; you will see that your closets and garage are bulging with a miscellany of personal belongings, tools, play equipment, ad infinitum, which the site must provide for. Yet it must also preform its primary function of being a garden in the true sense of providing trees and flowers, fruits and vegetables; a place where man can recapture his affinity with the soil, if only on Saturday afternoons. It must be a green oasis where memories of his bumper-to-bumper ride from work will be erased."

Church is understandably responsible for a successful number of well thought out and designed spaces. Remodeling your landscape requires a professional if, like Thomas Church suggests, you desire a design that meets your wants and needs, and functions as both a garden and an extension of your home. So when you think about remodeling your landscape, approach it as if you are remodeling your home or even building an addition. It is another room, another valuable space worthy of special attention and deserves someone who will design it with the same understanding.

Landscape lighting is a unique feature of your home that should not be overlooked. Other than providing the benefits of safety and security, lighting gives your home and garden night time character. If designed correctly, it extends the livability of your garden spaces and offers a dynamic presentation of your landscape. It is completely customizable varying from pools of light jumping across your pathway to a mood setting ambient glow.

Author Junichiro Tanizaki says, "We find beauty not only in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates."

In the daylight, your landscape is living and dynamic. That living and dynamic canvas can only be fully enjoyed by the addition of a lighting system. It is well known among designers that lighting creates dark spots. The biggest problem with most installations is the home being either under lit or over lit. It takes design professionals, like Father Nature, who understand not only plant material but architecture when it comes to lighting a residence. It is an ability to control where the light should shine, and where the dark spots should be. We are passionate about creating outdoor spaces. But what use is such a space if you cannot enjoy it to its fullest potential? What if you leave for work in the dark and return in the dark, and never have a chance to walk through your garden or sit under the stars? These are just a few reasons why we offer landscape lighting on our list of services. We want you to enjoy your outdoor space no matter the time of year, and no matter the time of day.

Outdoor lighting is much more than a system of  low voltage lighting fixtures, it is a warm welcome home.

We recently mailed out a seasonal newsletter! Here are a few words of advice from several Father Nature representatives.

Fall Transplanting

Andrew McCurry, Birmingham AL

"If you have been thinking of moving anything in your garden, now is the time! With temperatures dropping and days getting shorter, the metabolism of your favorite plants will begin to slow, transporting carbohydrates to the root zone where nutrients are stored during the winter. Reduced metabolism means reduced stress on the plant. Keep a heavy layer of mulch around your plants to insulate, buffer temperature extremes and reduce winter desiccation by consuming moisture in the soil. Don't forget to fertilize your under nourished plants once the leaves begin to fall."

Landscape Lighting

Andrew Robinson, Mobile Bay AL

"With the days getting shorter, it is a great time to think about landscape lighting. Outdoor lighting can create an artistic element in your garden, and allows you to enjoy your outdoor spaces for a longer period of time. Low voltage lighting fixtures do not use as much energy as typical incandescent outdoor fixtures. A dusk till dawn sensor and lighting timer can be used to make sure the system will only come on when needed, optimizing energy usage, and creating a greener solution for lighting up your home."

Proper Drainage

Chris Scheer, Tacoma WA

"As you may know, water poses the greatest threat to your most expensive investment, your home. With this in mind draining water away from your home through the use of downspouts, entire house drains, French drains, and driveway drains is of highest priority. Through effectively managing water runoff you can greatly improve the ability of your home to shed water away from it, thus keeping it safe for years to come."

Home Improvement

Daniel McCurry, Birmingham AL

"Improve the value of your home through proper landscaping. To help sell a home or increase the value of your home, there are a few small ticket items that you can administer in your landscape. Top priority is cleanliness. Make sure you have clean bed lines. Your planting beds should be cleaned out of noxious weeds and debris, and your plants should be trimmed properly. Second, the front door is the central focus. Your plants should be arranged to encourage the eye to the front door. Lastly, attempt to separate property lines with groupings of plants to help convey the size and boundaries of your property."

Email us or post a comment to find out more information about any of the above topics. Also, check out the rest of our website to see our other areas of knowledge and expertise.

As a Landscape Architecture student, you learn about the so called "greats" of the field: Fredrick Law Olmsted, Thomas Church, Ian McHarg, and Lawrence Halprin just to name a few. You take notes on their design style, theory, career, and projects only to regurgitate them into A, B, C, or D on a multiple choice test. You hear about them every year,in almost every class, so much so that they become common. But we must not forget why they are "Great." Especially one, Lawrence Halprin who died on the 25 of October this year.

Halprin was the ultimate sculptor of the environment. His sphere of achievement and influence extends not only to residential works but to memorials, parks, plazas, environmental planning, and urban design. He understood the connections between environment and design, social interactions in space and environment, and creativity and ingenuity. Like the other "Greats," Halprin solved problems not by words but design in its most ingenious form.

There are countless reasons to be inspired by Lawrence Halprin and others like him. For one, he was a master at figuring and communicating with his clients. On working with clients he stated,

"One is that they will feel about you that you're going to make something wonderful for them. And they help you by expressing themselves. Not telling you how to do it but encouraging you and accepting your vision and working with you on that kind of level."

He understood this unique connection between designer and client, and how important it is to the success of the design.

His ability to process information from people combined with a talent for reading the landscape resulted in a long list of designs, books, and awards . His wife, Anna, describes his legacy perfectly:

"He believed the most important thing about designing is to generate creativity in others, and be inclusive- to include the needs and experiences of people interacting with the environment, and to let them be a part of its creation. That doesn't mean that you don't use your own artistic sensibilities to shape and contain and incorporate your own vision, but it means that vision must connect with people's feelings, experiences, and needs. That's his legacy."

This is why he is Great.

Check out a few more of his projects:

• Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park
• Freeway Park, Seattle WA
• Ira Keller Fountain
• Lovejoy Plaza Fountain, Portland OR
• FDR Memorial, Washington D.C.

Autumn is upon us. It is a great time to be outside, plant bulbs in the garden, and rake the leaves. If the Fall season excites you, then let it show in your landscape! There are countless ways to decorate your containers, window boxes, and front porch to celebrate the cooler weather.

Try these plants in your containers and window boxes for a beautiful fall effect:

New England Aster, Black mondo & Dwarf mondo, Sedum ('autumn joy' is a beautiful choice) Heuchera, Creeping Wire Vine, Sedge ('red rooster' has great coloring for the fall), Phlox, and many more! Email us if you would like any other plant suggestions.

Don't forget about container and porch accessories! Try some of the following:

Place pumpkins on your front steps, porch, and even in your containers. I went to a local nursery and was overwhelmed with all the different pumpkin varieties. There are so many to choose from: regular pumpkins of all sizes, white  pumpkins of all sizes, pumpkins with bumps, 'tiger striped' pumpkins for the serious Auburn fans, and gray colored pumpkins, only to name a few! All of which would be a great addition to your landscape decor.

Try using pine cones, reindeer moss (if you can find it!), Indian corn, and bittersweet. A general warning for bittersweet is that the berries are poisonous, and 'American bittersweet' is the only one that is not an exotic invasive. Nevertheless, the beautiful orange and red coloring is hard to resist!

Once you finish with the outdoors, bring your landscape inside! Use colorful leaves, twigs and branches, dried flower heads, and dried grasses in combination with the above accessories.

Use these ideas and let us know how it goes! Don't forget to turn on your landscape lighting to show off your creative handy work.

Happy decorating.