Thinking about starting a landscape project? In this popular episode from last summer, Joanne shares practical advice from her years as a landscape designer, including how to plan with confidence, choose the right materials, and work with professionals to avoid costly mistakes.

Some of the topics covered in this week's episode:

Observe what works in real life

Look at nearby homes to see what materials, colours, layouts, and garden styles you like before starting your project. This is often more practical than relying only on online inspiration because local examples show what is actually available and realistic.

Do your homework before choosing a landscaper

Ask for referrals, review past work, and check websites or social media before choosing a landscaper.

Use design and planning to avoid expensive mistakes

Use a design, sketch, or simple plan to avoid mistakes with layout, sizing, materials, maintenance, and future upgrades. Planning helps create a project that looks good, functions well, and avoids costly fixes later.

Have a topic you'd like Joanne to discuss?

Email your questions and comments to [email protected], or connect with Joanne on her website: down2earth.ca

Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: @downthegardenpathpodcast.

Down the Garden Path Podcast

On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low-maintenance as possible.

In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. Get your copy today on Amazon.

Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe! You can now catch the podcast on YouTube.