Winter Planning Leads to Early Spring Installation

Ben Franklin said it best, and we’d like to think he was referring to planning spring projects over the winter months.

We don’t blame you for putting your landscape on the back burner during a busy holiday season, where you certainly want your home looking great for those extra guests who will be stopping by. We encourage you to not forget your landscape, however, as this is your best opportunity to get a jump on next year. Here are just a few reasons one of the best kept secrets to landscaping success is as simple as and preparation.

Don’t wait until after the holidays

Early winter seems to fly by with the flurry of holidays and family gatherings. By the time you recover from the holidays and have everything cleaned up, spring may have already sprung. So now is the perfect time to jump in and start planning your landscaping projects for next season, as everyone else is caught up in the busy season as well.

While it can be difficult to track down landscape designers in the early spring, you can almost always get a meeting that fits your schedule in the winter. By setting your appointment and having your project planned early, you can beat the spring rush.

Permits/Approvals take time

Township or municipal approvals are necessary for a variety of projects that may seem basic to you. For example, adding a fence or doing just about any kind of digging require permits in many townships.

This means if you wait until the spring to get started with the process, you’ll be backlogged behind all your neighbors who waited until the spring as well. Where it already takes an average of 4-6 weeks to be issued a permit, this could mean that job you planned for April might not be able to begin until May or June.

Gathering ideas is great winter fun

If you’re not sure what exactly you’re looking for, you can use the downtime after the holidays to research ideas from resources such as Houzz, Pinterest, or even your friends. Bringing your own creative thoughts to the landscape design meeting will help us understand better what you like, and allow us to suggest complementary plants or features.

As you can see, planning a landscape project over the winter months will ensure that your project gets started on time, allows you easier access to your landscape designer, and gives you time to gather your own ideas and thoughts.

So why not pick up that phone today and give the landscape design experts at Hively Landscapes a call? You can reach us at 717-292-5696. Our office is open year round, including Monday-Friday from 7:00am-3:30pm in the winter. Give your landscape the winter planning advantage for 2017!