LANDSCAPING : Hot Properties Have Designs on Street Appeal

Landscaping can be as important in making a house a home as the decorating you do indoors. It may be even more important in terms of building equity.

But while most of us know the look we’re after in the family room, fewer of us can conceptualize a well-styled and self-sustaining grouping of outdoor plants that will add real comfort and street appeal.

There’s design to consider, of course, but plants are living things, with specific and sometimes limiting soil and sunlight requirements. And, because plants are not inexpensive, it pays to get it right the first time.

So how to proceed? You really have three options:

* You can do the job yourself.

* You can hire a nursery-garden center to draw up a plan and either do the plantings yourself, according to the blueprint, or contract the nursery to do it all. In this case, the planner is usually a certified landscape designer with a background in horticulture.

* And, finally, you can hire a design specialist--a registered landscape architect.

While these approaches can differ significantly, there is also some overlap. A do-it-yourselfer, for example, will certainly seek out the extensive free information to be found at every garden center.

Moreover, while garden centers and nurseries usually employ horticulturists with design training, some also employ, or contract with, registered landscape architects. And though landscape architects are usually not associated with nurseries, a developing trend in the business is the “design-build” concept.

In these cases, architects work with preferred subcontractors to provide turnkey services--plans, plants, plantings and all.

The difference between a designer and an architect is that certified landscape designers are often horticulturists with secondary training in landscape design.

Though not always the case, they tend to know more about plants and plant diseases than architects. In some areas, CLDs are tested and certified by the state, while in others, it’s an industry certification.

A registered landscape architect masters most of the same things, but comes to the task from a different angle. He or she is a designer by training and temperament, but must also be versed, and state certified, in landscape principles, including grading and drainage, property laws, irrigation and erosion control.

From the consumer’s point of view, there’s also a significant difference in the professional relationship. A landscape designer usually works for a nursery and creates an inexpensive plan for about $50 to $200. This fee is typically credited to your account after you purchase a certain level of merchandise, say $500 to $1,000.

It’s understood that the nursery profits from the materials you buy. The plan is a big help to the consumer, but it’s also an effective sales tool, and everybody knows it.

In contrast, a landscape architect--except for the design-build variety--does not profit from materials or installations. On a practical level, this means that an architect has to charge more for his plan, but is more willing to accommodate exhaustive revisions.

In addition to superior design training, his or her willingness to work your thoughts and afterthoughts into the mix is likely to yield a more striking and satisfying plan.

Which is the better choice? For most of us, a garden-center design will do just fine. Simple yards, simple plans.

But if you’re shooting for something beyond a proportional pleasantness, or if your property is large, with multiple elevations and complicated drainage requirements, then a registered landscape architect is worth the investment.