Context is Everything!– #2 Clients

This is part 2 in a series on how important context is when using images as inspiration for generating your own garden design ideas.In it I take a look at clients – the owners of the property and/ or the people who commissioned or created the garden themselves.

Part One of the Context is Everything!series provided an overview covering my personal motto –"Context Is Everything!".It introduced the idea that what you see in a single image is only a small part of a bigger, uglier story.Understand that what youdon't seein the image is more important than what youdo see.

So this post exploresclients– the people who paid/ built the garden – and the time, effort, and money they put into it.

One of the first things you should consider when looking at an image iswho are the clients?

Often this is overlooked – unless the image comes from an expose on their garden.Even then, what you see is ALWAYS thebest possible view, of them and their garden.

Most imageswon't tell you anything about the clients at all.And this isvitalinformation.Unless these people are you (which I'm assuming they aren't) they will have avastly different approachto bothbuilding the gardenandcaring for it.

This list below outlines some of the things to consider when drooling over another beautiful landscape.

Client Lifestyle

Who are these people?

Are theyworking?Retired?

Do they spend all their timeoutdoors?Are they always at home, or away on holiday?

If you know nothing about the clients and their lifestyle, you are probablyundersellingtheir investment in their garden.And the way they live may be very different to the way you live.

Client Funds

The image you have is influenced by how muchmoneythe clients have.Not only that, but how much they arewilling to spend.

While it may look incredible and even doable, there are many costs that come up in design and construction.Trying to copy a design straight from an image to your garden is a sure fire way to quickly increase your costs.

Time

Time comes in two forms.

First – the amount of time the clients could devote to the projectduring its construction(especially if they built it themselves).

Second – the amount of time they canafford to spend in the garden itself.

The more time you spend outside, the more likely you are to design it with aspecific purpose in mind, to match whatever activity you enjoy doing.

If the clients have the time (and favourable climate) to spend all their time outdoors, chances are they care a lot more about the following point than your average Joe.

Clients commitment to maintenance

If these clients love pottering about the garden, they willdefinitelycare more aboutmaintenance of the garden itself.

Think cutting and pruning and spraying and weeding and re-potting and composting and raking and sweeping and watering and on and on… The image you have may look incrediblebecause the owners treat its maintenance like a full time job.

Another consideration you cannot know is if theyoutsource their maintenance.Maybe they are filthy rich and simply hire a team of gardeners who spend hours hand cutting blades of grass and measuring every dimension to make sure everything is level.

Therefore unless you can turn yourself into five different people,getting your garden to stay in a similar condition to the one in the photo may be impossible.

Clients specific wants and needs

This gets ignoredA LOTwhen looking at photos.

Unless you were witness to the entire design process, chances are youwon't know what the clients requested in their design.

Good design is about providing what the clientswant, within theirbudget, and using theexisting landscapeto make it happen.And doing this without simply cutting and pasting something from one place to another.

Going back to the previous point – the clients maylove gardening, and have designed the garden in such a way as tomaximise their time spent outdoors throughout the year.

Or, they mayhate it– and wanted a garden withzero maintenance and automated everything.

All of this goes beyond maintenance and considersevery activity the clients wanted to do in the backyard, as well as all the people who may be using it.

By just cutting and pasting an image into your garden, you may find something youhatebecomes thecenterpieceof your new backyard.

Client family dynamic

How many peoplelivethere?

How manyusethe garden?

Forwhat purposes?

And howoften?

Often a single image tells you nothing about thecomposition of the family– other than basic generalisations such as ‘play sport' when looking at a tennis court, lawn or swimming pool.

As a result you have no ideahow old the children are(if they even have any!).Or whether they areyoungandgrowing, sullen teens, or adults who have left the nest (or still live in the basement/ attic).

Generally pets are also absent.Often they have to be designed around when looking at plant selections (young kids also need some thought).

Similarly to wants and needs, if you don't understand who the family is and how they use the garden, you may find that this beautiful imagemay not match your family at all.

Client plans for the future

Like the previous point, what are these clients'plans for the future?

Are the kids young and growing up, with another 15 years of use?Or have they moved out and the parents can change/ add a few things now they have the space?

Do these clients plan on spendingthe rest of their lives here?Will they look tosell at some point in the future?

And how has this impacted their decisions around their garden (is it geared specifically totheirneeds, or with an idea toappeal to a specific marketwhen selling in the future)?

Without knowing the clients plans for their garden, how they want it to change throughout its life,it's tricky trying to make your plans (playing out in your design) fit another's.

Sometimes it may beimpossibleto find out any information about the clients.Especially if you are looking at small tips or tricks, rather than complete garden designs.Here is one tip to try to find more information about the image, usingGoogle's Image Searchtool.

Google's Image Search Tool

1. Start by opening anew tabon your browser.
2. Go to the mainGoogle homepage.
3. In thetop right hand corner, there should be a list of words, often including Images.If you can't see it there, click the small series of 9 dots (the menu) andselect Imagesfrom there.
4. On the right hand side of the search bar in the centre of the page, there is acamera icon.Click on it.
5. This brings up acentral panelthat allows you to upload images or input a url.You don't need to do either.
6. Simply go back to your original image,click and holdon it, anddrag it up towards your Google Images tabon your browser.
7. Allow the page to switch over, still holding the button down with the image.Drag the mouse into the central panel area.
8. Google should then begin the search, looking for other websites that have this image.
9. Anew listof images (hopefully the same, along with extra options) should pop up.
10. Many of these may just be blog posts or pinterest sites that have also shared the image.It may require a small search down a few sites until you find some more images or more information.
11. Atbestyou'll find theoriginal link– perhaps a personal blog, or with more information about the clients and their site.
12. At worst you'll find nothing useful other than some more of the same images.However, you have learnt how to quickly search for images in the future.

So, if you can more information on the clients behind the garden – great!

But if not, keep in mind that many people havedifferent wants, needs, budgets and plansthan you.

If something looksamazingandimpeccable, then a lot oftime, money and exasperationwent into getting there.Ask yourself "Is it worth it for my garden?"

TAKE ACTION:GOOGLE IMAGE SEARCH YOUR IMAGE TO FIND MORE INFORMATION ON IT

If you can't find any additional information, try to estimate a few of the points below:

• Whatageis the family (children and parents)?Young, middle age, old?
• Howwealthyare the clients?Do the materials and finishes look very expensive?Lots of stone, glass or trendy outdoor furniture?
• Is there anythingspecificthe clients may have requested in the design?This includes obvious items, like a pool or tennis court, or simpler items like a veggie patch or sandpit.Do you have similar requirements to match your wants and needs?
• Do the clients spend a lot oftimeoutdoors?Is the garden highmaintenance?Does the design rely on clean and smooth lines?Does it appear to require a lot of cutting, trimming, pruning or weeding?
• How will the garden look in20 years?Take a guess if anything will change, and how plants may grow and change the garden over time.

Once you have an idea of the clients, you can compare some of the answers to your own situation.

Does it work for you?What do you agree with?What do you change?