Q: Why charge a design fee?
A: Our designers spend quality time coming up with a unique landscape design that reflects your personal style and tastes. They are degreed and experienced, and that has a value to me as the owner of Thunderbird. It's important to me that I have quality people working for me. Because of the value they provide to my customers, I charge design fees for the work they do. It's similar, although much cheaper, to being charged for engineering and architectural services.
Q: Can I make changes to a design once I've agreed to a price and work has begun?
A: Definitely. It happens all the time. We understand that horticulture and landscape construction don't come naturally to everyone, and that it can be hard to visualize what it is that you are asking for. As you see your new gardens being created, you may want to tweak a bed line, add plantings, change the layout of a patio, etc. We are happy to accommodate this. Prices and completion date of the job may be affected by change requests.
Q: How do I schedule work to be performed on my property?
A: Once a design is finalized and a price is agreed to, you need to sign our work contract and put down a 50% deposit on the job. In some cases if the work is to be performed more than three months out, we only require a 10% deposit to hold your spot on the installation calendar. Once this is done, you will be placed on our calendar. Installation dates may change due to inclement weather and other unforseen events.
Q: If I make changes will I receive an updated design?
A: Our designers are available to modify your final design. Our design rate is $55 per hour, and our staff will prepare an estimate of re-design costs.
Installation
Q: Why do you like to use mixed flats of perennials instead of one gallon pots?
A: At Thunderbird Design, we prefer to use mixed flats of perennials (15-32 to a flat) instead of one gallon pots. Flats give you more plants per dollar than gallons, and they will grow just as quickly as gallons do. With an effective fertilizer program (Miracle Grow or Peters are two examples), it is possible to get perennials to reach their mature height in one year. The key to this is making sure that you are consistent with how you care for your new plants.
Q: What's the process involved in landscape installation?
A: The traditional rule of thumb is to do all of the prep work first, which includes calling in underground utility locates, sourcing dumpsters and other equipment, demolition, grading, offsite tagging/locating of plants. The next step is to install all 'hardscape' items, including irrigation systems, edging for bed lines, walls, walkways, patios, water features, sculptures, and the like. The next step is to regrade garden beds, then planting and a final regrading to make sure the beds are nice and level. Next comes mulching/composting of garden beds and landscape lighting. After that is sod installation and the programming of irrigation clock(s). The last step is a final walkthrough of the property with the customer to answer questions, etc. During this last step is when any remaining balance is due.
Q: Is landscape fabric necessary to help reduce weeds?
A: Absolutely not, especially in heavily planted areas. The theory of landscape fabric is that it creates an impenetrable barrier between the soil and the air that keeps weed seeds from sprouting. In order to plant, holes need to be cut in the fabric, which automatically breaks the barrier. Also, over time debris builds up on top of the fabric/mulch, which allows weeds seeds to sprout on top of the landscape fabric/weed barrier.
The only time I'd recommend this is for areas that have few plants and lots of gravel or mulch, areas that can easily be sprayed with Round-Up, etc., for maximum weed control.
Care of New Gardens
Q: Are weeds a problem in new gardens?
A: Nine times out of ten, yes. Weeds can be a problem with first year gardens because soil is disturbed during the landscaping process. Most weeds are annuals. This means they die at the end of the year. If you can pull them all out in the first year before they bloom and set seed, you’ve gone a long way towards creating a low maintenance garden in coming years. Long term rewards of this discipline are worth the initial extra investment of time. Established vigorous gardens, like this shade garden in the photo on the right, are so full that it’s hard for new weeds to get started. The ’good’ plants smother them out. And if one or two do appear, it’s easier to spot them and pull them out right away. Unfortunately weed seeds can travel for miles, so your neighbors' neighbors' weeds will still drift in from time to time.
Q: What do new gardens look like?
A: Usually the woody plants (trees and shrubs) are relatively large, while the perennials and annuals are rather small. The direction your garden grows from this point forward depends entirely on how it’s taken care of.
Q: Do you warranty your plants?
A: We guarantee that our plants are healthy and disease-free when they are installed, and will warranty that for one full year as long as we have agreed that they are getting adequate water from a properly installed irrigation system. If we installed the irrigation, then the warranty comes along with it. We also warranty all of our hardscape projects for one year. However, we do not warranty negligence to plants, damage or death caused by other contractors, pets, kids, etc. We also don't warranty annuals, which die each year.
Q: How long does it take for plants to fill in?
A: Knowing what you are getting before the plants go in will help you appreciate your new garden’s ultimate potential. There’s an old gardener’s rhyme that goes like this: “The first year a garden sleeps, the second year it creeps and the third year it leaps.” This means that it can take plants several years to reach their full potential, just like people. And just like us, good, healthy food makes strong, healthy adult plants, and makes them grow faster.
Q: What kinds of things should I be aware of in new gardens?
A: Gardens are dynamic; most will need some type of tweaking as time goes on. This is especially true of irrigation. Most people wait to call us about water issues after a plant is already dead. It's more effective to call us as soon as you see a plant in stress. We are happy to come adjust things for you. Lawn mowers can break irrigation heads, home contractors can accidentally step on plants and/or irrigation heads, planting fall bulbs can nick irrigation lines, etc.
The Best Season to Landscape
Q: Is it too cold to landscape in the winter?
A: Sometimes. As long as the ground isn't frozen, work can be done, including grading, irrigation pipe installation, wall and patio construction and other hardscape items. If you will be around and can water regularly, trees, shrubs and grasses can also be planted, as well as some xeric/native perennials.
Q: Is it too wet to plant in the spring?
A: Nope. Spring is a popular time to plant, and plants respond well to planting this time of year. Hardscape projects are also popular.
Q: Is it too hot to plant in the summer?
A: It depends. If you have a good irrigation system in place, then it's okay to plant any time of year. If you don't, then it's still okay to plant as long as you are able to water in the new plantings. Otherwise, I would wait until spring or fall.
Q: Is it too late to plant in the fall?
A: Not usually. Arborvitaes are one glaring exception. Some evergreens, such as Arborvitaes, need time to become established before your irrigation system is shut down for the winter. If they aren't planted by the end of summer, they will sometimes dry out from the winter winds and die by spring.
Q: Do I have to do anything to my garden in the winter?
A: Plants need moisture year-around. Colorado's dry winter winds suck moisture off plants' stems and evergreen needles. That's why it's necessary to water trees during the winter months, as well as shrubs, grasses and some perennials planted during that same year.
If you have another question not listed here, please send an email to: chad@thunderbirddesign.com and I will try to answer it for you.
