#learnfromreality // Lay of the Land

When we moved to our new house a few years ago, we knew this century - old home would be a labor of love. There was a triage of updates that needed to be made. At the same time, we were in the preliminary stages of planning our oldest daughter's bat mitzvah as well. I started to form a Venn diagram in my head and hatched a brilliant (?) plan to host her celebration at the house - once it was fixed up enough to host 80 of our family members and a few close friends. My husband and I talked excitedly about our plan. There would be a tent outside, the food would be from Señorita's, our wine and cocktails would be served at a bar set up in the back amongst the grapevines (in suburban Philadelphia no less!). In order to have the tent in the yard, the whole space needed an overhaul. In its current state, the quarter-acre was a spectacle to behold. Dozens of species all tangled up, ferns everywhere, the stump of an enormous oak tree begging to be climbed if not for the thicket of honeysuckle and unidentifiable flora covering it up. In addition, we had a line of hemlocks lining our property that, at over 30' tall, looked ready to fall over at any moment. This was an endeavor that called for a professional eye. We interviewed a few different landscape architects.

The first one did not fit our vibe at all, but we found ourselves paying a flat fee to have a plan drawn up in hopes that he heard our vision. He did not. We learned from it and moved on. Luckily, my research brought us to Daniel Bramhall at Scope Landscape Architecture. He got what we were trying to do and created grounds for our home that I dream about. 

What happened next was another set of prioritizing. The overall cost of this project was not feasible in one fell swoop, and honestly, a very real part of the overall cost that we overlooked. We figured we could do enough of it in phase one to host an amazing party and create an inviting entrance for our guests, and, most importantly, for our family. The party, which was amazing, was over in hours, but we'll enjoy our landscaping for years to come.

#learnfromreality

1) Go with your gut when it comes to hiring a landscape architect. Before interviewing anyone, think about what you want, create a Pinterest board (even if it's in your mind), incorporate the essence of you your family. For instance, we have lots of lavender because it reminds us of a special summer in Provence.

2) Get clear on your budget and make sure it INCLUDES execution of the plan. It was really disappointing to see an amazing plan and then realize it would be about a decade before we completed it.

3) Line someone up to maintain your property if you aren't planning to do it. I discovered that I enjoy weeding and trimming our lavender, but the need for Spring and Fall cleanups is something worth outsourcing.