Ultimate Guide to Landscape Development

As the world rapidly changes shape, landscaping developments become more and more important. When designing new residential, retail or industrial projects, re-introducing nature into urban areas via landscaping is crucial for the environment and our well-being, as well as increasing business revenue.

Landscape development is so much more than simple gardening around your high-rise building it’s like an extension onto the property that requires its own intricate planning and designing with experts. When done right, landscape development, or installation, accentuates aspects of the buildings, juxtaposing the rigidity and plainness of concrete and steel, with the softness and vibrancy of nature.

Planning your development is by no means simple and will likely take several months. That’s why it’s crucial to discuss how you want your brand’s value and purpose to be reflected, and how you want people to approach and interact with your site, when searching for the right landscaping company.

The benefits of landscape development are endless, but we’ll explore a few of the core positives now.

Aesthetics and Functionality

Primarily, when designing your landscaping project, you should be looking to match aesthetics equally with functionality. When we talk about landscape development, one of the most common phrases used is ‘curbside appeal’. But what we really want to achieve is much bigger than this. Your landscape development should be so awe-inspiring that it gains the attention of all passersby as well as encouraging visitors to come from further afield due to impressive images shared online. An attractive site does wonders for increasing the number of visitors, however functionality shouldn’t be disregarded in favor of flair. Once brought to your site by the stunning visual display, you want to keep your visitors there as long as possible, so design your landscape to be both easy to navigate, and interactive. From pathways leading past key features on the way to the entrance or exit, to comfortable and relaxing social spaces: every part of your landscape design can be optimized to provide a great experience for your visitors.

Cost-Cutting

When designed effectively, aesthetically pleasing aspects of your landscape can be utilized to actually save money. Carefully placed trees and pergolas, for example, can not only provide comfortable outdoor spaces for visitors to relax, but they can also protect your building from the elements. By providing shade, you can cut costs on air conditioning in the summer months, while blocking harsh winds will reduce costs for heating through the rest of the year.

Environmental Impact

Attentive design such as this will benefit the environment to boot, as these reductions in energy costs will lower the pollution produced by fossil fuels and power plants. Another way of achieving this would be the implementation of photovoltaic systems, i.e. solar panels, on roofs to increase the production of green energy, without causing noise pollution or drastically altering your site’s appearance.

Clearly, having many plants and trees onsite will also benefit the environment by reducing the CO2 in the atmosphere, but it also supports our ecosystem by providing habitats for wildlife, which is especially important when disrupting a natural environment for urban development projects. We, as humans, also benefit from being surrounded by nature. Having a visibly green, natural landscape alone is crucial for reducing stress and anxiety in the modern world as more than half of us live in urban areas, and engagement of all the senses within these natural spaces can be even more effective in improving our mental health.

There are various stages involved in landscape development, which should not be disregarded; the first being planning. Inspect each aspect of your development in detail before steaming ahead with any solid actions. You never know, some of the following considerations for your project proposal may surprise you.

Administration

For major projects, there are many administrative hoops to jump through, so to speak, so it’s best to choose an experienced landscaping firm who can help you. It’s essential you gain permission from your local government for any kind of development, and this can be a very long process with a lot of headaches due to the masses of paperwork. You’ll have to justify each aspect of your proposal and explain the benefit you will bring to the local community, as well as explaining the effect that your project will have on the surrounding infrastructure.

From road layout and increased traffic, to noise pollution and waste disposal, governing bodies will examine your plan laboriously. So save yourself a lot of trouble and time, and find a well-established landscaping company who can deal with all of these aspects for you. It will likely increase your chances of approval too, as local governments will want to be sure that your project will be completed safely, timely, according to budget and to a very high standard.

Land Assessment

While in the pre-development stage it’s also important to assess the current state of the landscape:

• Is there an existing development there?
• What changes will have to be made to the landscape before any construction or landscaping work can be carried out?

Although very experienced landscaping contractors are sometimes able to match the remits of the project design to the landscape whether it is completely suitable or not, this is not a guarantee. So, the exact metrics of the space, soil and climate must be established before the plan can be fully drawn up. This is because there are many outside factors that affect the materials and resources needed for each project. If there is already an existing structure there then it will need to be removed in this stage to allow for proper planning in the area.

It should also be mentioned here that there is always the possibility of uncovering something unusual when preparing the area for development. Although you may delight some archeologists, hopefully, for the sake of your project, you won’t unearth any culturally significant artifacts. However, you should be prepared for this eventuality. This is an especially important consideration when the land surrounding your project space is of historical or cultural importance, as any findings will cause a considerable delay in your landscape development.

Interaction from Visitors

As already mentioned, landscape design is crucial when considering how to portray your brand and how visitors see and interact with your landscape.

If you want to present your company as modern, quirky, environmentally friendly or luxurious, there are different requirements from your hardscape and softscape landscaping. Every aspect of your plan can be, and should be, optimized to reflect this image, in the most attractive and engaging way. In the same way, you can optimize your aesthetic features in accordance with the needs of your visitors to achieve a well-functioning space that is easily navigable and keeps people using your installation as long as possible.

Once you have established your design and created a timeline for your project in congruence with your landscaping experts, the landscape development process can slowly begin to take shape. The land should be tested and prepared according to the needs of your hardscape and softscape features, including the pH level of the soil, its ability to drain efficiently, and the values of elements within the soil such as clay, sand and shale.

When these levels have been established and appropriately moderated, hardscape features can begin construction.

Hardscape refers to the more ‘concrete’ aspects of the landscape design, from irrigation to patios, decks and retaining walls. Each requires a different process in terms of materials, resources and length of time, so a project manager will help to align each project to save time and ensure that necessary procedures are done in conjunction with one another.

Irrigation  in particular is vital in our time, as droughts and water shortages are affecting many people around the world. It’s the process of applying water to plants and trees, especially in summer when there is significantly less rainfall. Smart irrigation technology is the perfect solution as it works according to seasonal weather patterns and can be adjusted to the microclimate in which it is implemented. Watering deeply in this way also makes for stronger, healthier plants as the roots grow deeper into the ground. This also helps to prevent soil erosion.

Another technique, drip irrigation, allows control of water expenditure on specific plants and saves up to 80% of water compared to normal hose pipes. What’s more, landscaping experts can plant according to each plant’s water, sun and soil needs, which reduces water usage and its related costs.

Drainage is equally important when considering water conservation and is especially effective if the excess water can be stored and utilized in the irrigation process. For large scale projects, a drainage engineer is usually required to ensure the correct “fall” of water from the soil and avoid parched lawns above drainage pipes.

Masonry is the core aspect of hardscaping as it is most visible to visitors. Installation of patios, retaining walls and paths will require expertise in order to produce a quality appearance that’s long-lasting, especially considering how different materials weather. With many different styles and colors to choose from, experts will help choose the aesthetics and function to best suit your design. Large stone flower pots can also add a dramatic look to your landscape, while assisting with navigation for your visitors and covering eye-sores such as plug sockets and trash cans.

Different environments call for different procedures, however in warmer climes it is generally inappropriate to do the bulk of the landscaping construction in the summer months, for the workers and the plant life. Likewise in colder locations, installation should ideally be avoided in wintertime, as frozen ground and snow cover can significantly impact many procedures as well as morale and productivity.

That’s why, generally speaking, most landscape development should take place in spring or autumn. Although your landscaping company will know when best to start the development according to your timeline and desired operating date.

The short answer is: it depends.

Since there are many factors that go into the planning of your landscape development as well as influencing the outcome, the best way to understand the costs is to discuss your proposal with various landscaping companies who may be able to meet your needs and ask directly for a quote.

Obtaining several quotes will give you a ball-park figure to base your decision on and dismiss any costs that are way above, and crucially, way below your budget plan. While it might be tempting to the frugal among us to save every cent, if a landscaping company gives you a very cheap price, this is usually a bad sign.

“Buy cheap, buy twice” isn’t an illogical saying. The last thing you want is to install your landscape for a low price at the expense of the quality of the final result, especially after so much planning and consideration. Value your project and your reasons for going forth with it. Don’t allow your landscaping firm to cut corners, otherwise, you won’t be happy once it’s completed and will have to start redesigning with even tighter purse strings.

If the landscaping contractors are experienced and professional, they will will be able to advise you on ways to decrease your spending, without scrimping on materials.

In the modern day, sustainability is of the utmost importance. We must protect the environment at all costs, and fortunately, there are many ways of doing so.

Effective irrigation and drainage systems will reduce water consumption, solar panels will provide your business with a green source of energy and wildflower gardens bring back beautiful bees and butterflies to our surroundings.

Trees and hardscape structures like pergolas around your building will protect your visitors and the site itself from the elements and in turn save you money. It does this by reducing the need for air conditioning by providing shade, and heating by blocking strong winds.

Living green walls have also been shown to improve insulation as well as being effective in improving air quality by removing harmful particles due to being located at street-level. They also reduce the high temperatures in cities due to the road surfaces, benefitting both the environment and your visitors.

In addition, the materials used in the development of your landscape can impact the environment, positively or negatively: so, choose wisely! Natural pesticides and use of sustainable materials, including reclaimed wood, bamboo and recycled steel are all energy-saving or natural products that can reduce pollution, contamination and waste materials. Pesticide use should also be considered a last resort after reviewing physical and biological techniques first.

Now you know how the process of landscape development works, as well as the many benefits it can bring to your business, it’s time to start thinking about the requirements of your project. Once you have established the basics elements, it’s important to create a substantial checklist to use when finding the right landscaping company for your job.

The purpose of the site, brand image and budget should be determined so that you are able to narrow down the long list of results from your Google search for ‘landscaping firms near me’ to those with the most experience working in your industry.

To find the best landscaping company you should delve into their credentials. This includes the number of years they’ve been working, but more importantly, the number and quality of their historical projects, and which industries and niches they have worked in is a great indicator for whether they would be a suitable choice for you.

When collaborating with any other business, there is always an element of compromise, especially when discussing the realities of your desired plans with experienced experts. However, there are always components that you don’t want to concede on - and you shouldn’t have to. Discuss the essential components of your project with the landscaping firms so they can strive to achieve your vision in the most accurate way possible.

It’s also important to look ahead and consider the maintenance of your landscape. Not all landscaping firms will maintain your development after they have installed it and even if they do, the cost of doing so might surprise you. So, avoid any confusion by discussing maintenance procedures and costs with the landscaping firms you are choosing between.

At Karaoglu Landscape, we pride ourselves on our professionalism, timely nature and ability to effectively meet the needs and budget of our customers. With decades of experience in landscape development and installation, as well as the means and expertise to efficiently maintain our customers’ landscapes, we believe we are the right people for you, whether it’s a commercial, residential or retail project.

Don’t believe us? Give us a call on +90 216 680 44 41 for a free, non-binding consultation, or check out our website for more information.