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Landscaping Opportunities Abound

Landscaping Opportunities Abound

Article by Megan Zinger

Photography by Provided

Originally published in Franklin Lifestyle

With cold weather coming to an end and spring just around the corner, now is the perfect time to channel your inner green thumb. Charles Darby with Opportunity Landscapes and Nursery gives us some landscaping tips for this upcoming season. Opportunity Landscapes and Nursery is a designer installation company that specializes in low maintenance landscape designs. Darby’s experience ranges from designing for the past eight years to installing landscapes and hardscapes for thirteen years giving him diverse experience with design and build of exclusive outdoor living spaces.

1. Landscape design is an art and can be overwhelming for a homeowner. How can a professional designer help make that process less daunting?

Professional landscape designers can transform and realize a homeowner’s concept for the perfect outdoor living space. The key is in communication and understanding of the clients current and desired lifestyle plans. The art of landscape design begins with a solid knowledge base of plant material whether trees, shrubs, bulbs, perennials, or annuals and how best to position them in each unique space. This is the secret to making that landscape or hardscape project less daunting.

2. What should a homeowner take into consideration when designing a backyard dream space?

New norms are evolving, and with more family time spent at home it is important to create an outdoor living space to facilitate all needs. Creation of privacy settings continues to be a popular request and the entire parcel of land from lot line to lot line should be considered when designing that dream outdoor space. At Opportunity Landscapes we design according to time-lapse for plant maturity and homeowner budget. Design considerations span from instant gratification, a 2–3-year growth plan, to a 5–7-year growth plan. Additionally, sunlight, wind effects, water, soil type as well as the time of year are strong considerations to achieve the best outcome.

3. What are the trends in landscape design you are seeing homeowners asking for?

The latest trends include full outdoor patios with grilling stations, stone seating areas and multiple lighting effects. Water features and fire pits are also a big trend as outdoor entertainment continues to be a significant part of lifestyle. Having the dream backyard in a privacy setting is the number one desire for homeowners and it certainly can be achieved in any sized space.

4. Where do you see the future of landscape design and architecture?

At Opportunity Landscapes we have evolved from a pencil and paper design technique for landscapes and hardscapes. Implementation of 3D renderings or 3D walk through illustrations are used when possible. This technology can save time and money while providing that crystal ball glimpse of how the final outdoor space will look at installation and how it changes as plant material matures. It is truly an exciting method for homeowners to feel comfortable and excited about making the investment in their property.