Landscape design is considered one step up from your basic landscaper—so it’s important to have the skills and experience to back up your job description. So how can you become a better landscape designer?
To become a good landscape designer, gain experience on the job, learn more about botany, plants, and flowers, learn how to use design software, improve your basic algebra and geometry skills, and improve your soft skills like communication, leadership, and patience. If you want to take your job a step further, consider receiving your college degree in landscaping architecture.
With all those improvement options, it’s important to understand exactly what landscape design is. Besides that, why do you need these skills, and what makes them important? Read on to find out more about the industry and how you can continue your career.
What is landscape design?
For many, it’s hard to understand the difference between all the types of businesses peppering the landscaping market. There are technically three that you have to be aware of—one, the traditional landscaper. This is a business that focuses on seasonally completely mowing and general gardening, along with small landscaping jobs, usually the upkeep on a personal property.
Next, you have landscape design. While frequently lumped into landscaping architecture—and this position can benefit from that level of education—it is the next step up from landscaping. With landscape design, you will be creating outdoor spaces, along with focusing on larger projects and even corporate projects.
Landscape architecture is the highest level of the landscaping industry. This requires you to have your landscape architecture degree and usually focuses on large-scale construction projects working with corporate partners.
All three of these are integral to the industry, as all three benefit the environment not only for the client but for the wildlife around it. There are many benefits to landscaping design, including reducing soil pollution, stopping erosion, preserving the natural environment, and promoting better water management. If you’re doing work in larger cities, good landscaping can help to reduce heat islands and cool the area. Trees and plants help to purify the air, and even decent plant life in larger communities can help the local wildlife to thrive. Homes, businesses, and all sorts of buildings can gain protection from overgrowth through proper landscaping, and those same buildings can gain a better first impression with well-done landscaping. Property values and general moods go up when there’s beautiful landscaping around.
How can you become a good landscape designer?
There are so many benefits to great landscaping, so how can you get better at it? There are skills and attributes you should have before you pursue this job, but don’t worry—they are all attainable!
Gain experience on the job
One of the best things you can do to improve your landscape design career is to simply get more experience on the job. Whether you landscaped when you were in high school or are just getting into the industry now, try to work with an established landscaper to gain more experience. Learn how to use all the major equipment like your lawnmowers, hedge trimmers, and edgers, and make sure you understand what fertilizers you can use and where. Start learning what plants are most popular in gardening and what trees thrive in what sunlight. You can do all this learning while on the job.
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Learn more about botany, plants, and flowers
While on-the-job experience is one of your best bets in improving as a landscape designer, you may have to do more research on the plants and flowers that you expect to work the most with. Learn more about botany—the scientific study of plants and their structure, genetics, physiology, and ecology—and find out their impact on the environment.
Why is this important? Not every plant works everywhere, and some can be poisonous to animals. Certain plants can make allergies worse. Certain flower colors can attract other types of wildlife. Knowing what to plant where, even knowing which plants like what type of sunlight, can take you to the next level in your landscape design career.
Learn how to use design software
While this could be a skill you learn elsewhere or even in your college degree, improving your skills for your landscape design career could include learning how to use design software. This software can give you a better idea of what space you have to work in, along with giving you and your customers a visual representation of the work you intend to do. While drawings and descriptions may suffice for some, opening yourself up to working with a computer program may allow you to take on larger clients.
Improve your basic algebra and geometry skills
If you find yourself lacking in the math department, remember that you can always improve through basic study. While you don’t have to do major math problems in your career as a landscape designer, you should have a basic knowledge of geometry and algebra not only to help you manage your design work but also your budget.
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Improve your soft skills: communication, leadership, patience, etc.
These may be considered hard skills to develop, but anyone can work on their communication and leadership. These are key skills to have when working with both a team and with clients, and having the ability to do so will help you continue through your career as a landscape designer. Stay patient, stay calm, and stay collected, with the clients and your employees’ best interests at heart. This type of focus and care goes a long way in the business, and not only with your clients—the better you treat your employees, the longer they will stay and the more enthusiastic they will be about the business.
Continue your focus on creativity throughout your career and personal life
One of the main skills you need as a landscape designer is your creativity. You have to be able to design and see what you and your landscaping team can do with trees, proper edging, and flowers in all sorts of spaces. Make sure you are continually creating your art whether it’s for your job or not. Improving your artistic skills will not only make you a better landscape designer but will also make you happier in the long run.
Optional: Receive a college degree in landscaping architecture
While this is optional for this level of business, it’s a great tool for you to have to become the best landscape designer you can be. Because you’re going to be creating art and concept images of the potential design projects you take on, you can learn how to do so on a large scale with the proper computer programs within a landscaping architecture degree.
This degree will also teach you how to prepare cost estimates, customer specifications, site plans, and more soft skills like how to manage your team. It can also teach you botany so you know what types of plants thrive where.
Because with this degree you would be eligible for licensure, you can also seek licensure from the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB). This means that you would be a fully registered and licensed member of the board, giving you that much more credibility in the field.
There are so many benefits to proper landscape design, and you can help create those spaces just by improving your skills. The main thing you can do to become a better landscape designer? Practice and learn. Continue your understanding of botany, know what plants go where, and continue your art so you can be better prepared to know what plants work in what conditions best. With your knowledge of the industry, understanding of plant life, and focus on the customer, you too will become a better landscape designer.
How Much Money Landscape Designers Make On Average
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money does it take to start a landscape design business?
In many cases, you will spend around $60,000 for the highest-end products to start your landscape design business. This includes your computer and design software, equipment like mowers edgers, and blowers, a vehicle and a trailer to haul it in, and your licensure. While it’s not required for you to have your degree in landscape architecture, you may want to consider that before you start your business as well.
How much of a profit margin do landscape design businesses usually make?
In most cases, a landscape design business can expect to make between 10 and 15 percent profit margin on their work. While larger companies typically make that 15 percent margin, if you’re just starting in the industry, expect somewhere closer to 10 percent.
When should landscapers complete their jobs?
Landscapers, regardless of the level from residential to corporate, typically keep their work within seasonal months. This can sometimes change depending on the location of the business, though—if you’re stationed in an area where it stays cool and dry most of the year, you can complete your work for most of the year. In other locations, construction and landscaping are limited to the summer months.
To learn more on how you can start your own landscaping business, check out my startup documents here.
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Meet Shawn Chun: Entrepreneur and Landscape Business Fan.
I’m a happy individual who happens to be an entrepreneur. I have owned several types of businesses in my life from a coffee shop to an import and export business to an online review business plus a few more and now I create online resources for those interested in starting new ventures. It’s demanding work but I love it. I do it for those passionate about their business and their goals. That’s why when I meet a landscape business owner at a job site, driving down the road or anywhere else I see myself. I know how hard the struggle is to retain clients, find good employees and keep the business growing all while trying to stay competitive.
That’s why I created Landscaping Business Boss: I want to help landscape business owners like you build a thriving business that brings you endless joy and supports your ideal lifestyle.