I’ve tried to landscape my back yard, but the results don’t look…good! Here is my idea: I approach a professor at a local university school of landscape design. I offer my yard as a class or individual student project. I furnish the money (for trees, pavingstones, etc.), the stdents do the design, and some of the labor. Is this commonly done? Anyone ever tried it? 
Somehow, paying for any part of the process–even if it’s just the materials doesn’t strike me as getting your yard landscaped for free.
That said, when my parents built their dream house fifteen years ago, they got an offer from local landscaping company for a free consultation. They accepted, and ended up paying for the proposed plan and materials.
So I’d consider calling the local landscaping companies as well–labor may be more expensive than if you get students, but the trade off might include fewer headaches trying to coordinate stuff.
Ah, yes, hit up the local Guttenheimschaler Institute of Landscape Design, founded by Leonid Trappizus von Guttenheimschaler back in 1834. A distinguished institute of higher learning filled with individuals with a passion for landscape design.
You might want to check your assumptions regarding the “landscape schools.”
I work for a school that offers a degree in landscaping contracting and construction, and the students do a couple of projects a year like this.
I’m not sure what criteria they use (because there are far more requests for projects than they do) other than distance, because the installation would have to be done within the confines of a “lab period,” say 2-3 hours, so they’re not going to want to take up an hour of that with travel. They probably choose according to what kind of challenges the project presents as well.
If you go this route, be prepared for it to take a lo-o-o-o-o-o-o-ong time to get completed. Think two or three lab periods a week. Our construction students built a garage for me, and it took them the entire 10-week quarter to complete.
I imagine it is as long a wait as waiting to get your autobody work done on your car at a tradeschool, looooong time
Just call the cops and tell them there’s a body buried in your garden but you ain’t sayin’ exactly where.
Ed Garza, the former Mayor of San Antonio, had a BS from Texas A&M in Landscape Architecture. Don’t know if he ever did any landscaping for free while working on his thesis.
You know, I hate to go off on (another) tangent here, but.
A buddy here has a Chinese GF. She in the US at a landscape school near Providence, RI. (What? We got Landscaping Schools?) He goes on and on about how brutal it is, all night projects every night.
Can this be true? How the heck can a school about shrubbery be difficult?
If you live near a Job Corps Center, you might be able to convince an instructor to try it. I don’t know your location, but this page will tell you if there’s one near you. I don’t think every center has Landscaping, but I know some do.
It sounds like the issue isn’t labor so much as design. A lot of garden centers have designers on staff – since you’re willing to pay for the plants, etc., this might be a good approach. Call a few of the larger centers around you.
Get a tenant who has a landscaping business. Have total disregard for your lawn, so much so that he’s embarrassed to have clients of his drive by it. Also, be sure he has a new John Deere lawn tractor, and give him a coverd place to park it. Sit back and enjoy as you get your yard landscaped for free–only the acres that people see, but who cares.
What? Works for me.
There are landscape design forums online which are frequented by people in the design field, and who will offer free advice (see gardenweb.com/forums and davesgarden.com).
I wouldn’t phrase my postings at either place on the order of “Help me landscape my yard for free”, though. A little subtlety “I’m having this problem, can you help me?” would work better.
You could claim you know the location of Jimmy Hoffa. That worked in Michigan last year.
Ralph, as landscaping is often deemed not worthy of proper payment for informed service, it’s unlikely that you’ll find a trained landscape design professor to do a small home project with students. At least, as said here with auto repair, there will be a long waiting list of like-minded folks .
In my area of NC, there are two very good landscape design schools. Threemae’s, and Paul in Saudi’s posts, seem to belittle landscape design, but the two schools here are very thorough and cutting edge with newer environmental design. It ain’t just shrubbery; as with any field, there are techniques to make the field better. In the case of landscape design, the forefront is to go beyond “little green meatball” shrubs, and design with sustainable and local ecotype plants, with a flair for appealing plantings. As in any field, there is an art to doing that well. (Yep, ya hit my buttons, here) People do go to school for that, and learn their trade in great detail. They should be paid accordingly.
I think Twickster has a great avenue of approach, by visiting your local nursery. Those folks have a lot of knowledge, and often give it for free when you buy plants from them. I work for a respected native plant nursery, and do this every day; but, we also have designers that I refer clients to for more intricate needs.
I know the forums Jackmanii refers to, and participate in them. If you go in wanting Free landscaping, they’ll have much the same response I’ve given here.
It’s already a field that some think is easy, but, really, to do it well, as with anything, requires study and education and experience, AND, very much sweat equity. When I started in this field, I had no idea how much my body would ache at the end of spring. It’s hard ass work, absolutely.
To get knowledgeable landscape plans, you should pay a decent rate for it. That will pay for itself in good planting, low maintenance in the future, and additional value of your property. I’ve had plenty of experience in “fixing” the low bid landscapers mistakes, and can tell you it’s not worth it to skimp. You really do get what you pay for in that biz.