CREATIVE LANDSCAPING

Since 1977 Blake Nursery has been working with clients to make their landscaping dreams come true. As attitudes and priorities have changed over time, we too have adapted and now more than ever our designs reflect sustainability and harmony with the environment.

To be successful, landscaping should be attractive, functional and responsible. While adding to the value of your property, it’s a priority with us that plans are suited to your particular situation, preserve native vegetation whenever applicable, and encourage biological diversity.

When landscaping your property there are many ideas to consider. For example: Do you enjoy gardening, or is your idea of yard work nothing more than mowing the lawn? Do you have children needing space to kick a soccer ball? Do you desire privacy, shade trees, or a wind screen? How important is low maintenance? Does your lawn always have to be lush and green? Do you want to attract birds and butterflies? What’s your soil type? Would you enjoy fruit trees?

So don’t shoot from the hip when it’s time to landscape your yard. More often than not you’ll regret not having a well thought out plan. Be wise and have a landcape consultant from Blake’s help you with professional advice and a custom-designed plan. We’ll save you headaches as well as costly mistakes.

DESIGN SERVICES

Here are three alternatives to choose from if you’re in the market for landscape ideas and plans. Prior to meeting with a representative of Blake Nursery we suggest you fill out the Landscape Questionnaire.

1. You come to Blake Nursery by appointment with measurements and photos of your home and yard. After discussing your needs with a landscape designer, we make creative suggestions for your project and provide you with a sketch and plant list. The charge for this service is $40/hour.
2. We come to your site, do measuring and a quick sketch on-site – a process that takes about one hour. For this service, there’s a $75 fee plus $75/hour for travel time. (No travel charges for Big Timber or Livingston.)
3. We come to your site, do detailed measuring, discuss your personal tastes and desires, then incorporate them into the plans. You are provided with a professional blueprint, with everything to scale so it’s easy to understand. Because more time and thought are spent here, the results are invariably worth the additional investment. Our initial visit plus travel time is $75/hour. Design time is billed at $75/hour. If you’re not in a big hurry, we’ll combine your visit with others in your area and pro-rate travel charges. (Again, no travel charges for Big Timber or Livingston.)

Once you have your plan, you can proceed at whatever pace you choose. If desired Blake Nursery will install your landscape, from a single tree to a total job for a new home or business.

THE DESIGN PROCESS

If you’re considering working with our nursery to create a landscape design for your property, read on. The following is a guideline to help you understand how the design process works at Blake Nursery. Having a grasp of this from the start will make it easier for you to decide if this is something you want to pursue, and if so, where we’re headed.

Step One: Site Visit

Usually we start the process by coming to your property and doing an analysis that will include the following: soil type, existing vegetation, sun and wind exposure, shade, access, drainage, traffic routes, and more. We take photographs and measurements, and it’s helpful if you can provide us with architectural site and building plans, including utilities and
any other buried lines.

We encourage you to spend time with our catalog or website familiarizing yourself with available plant material and other information we hope is useful. We encourage clients to dream while at the same time remembering you’re in Montana, which requires a certain amount of downright practicality!

Our designs are customized for individual clients — there’s no “one size fits all”. Since your design should reflect something about you, we get personal (see previous page). At this time it’s helpful if you can give us rough figures for your landscaping budget, to allow us to create a design that fits your circumstances.

Step Two: Preliminary Design

We go to the drawing board and produce a preliminary design. At this point we expect to make changes and welcome your comments. We prefer to review plant material with you at the nursery. This way you are able to see the plants for yourself – their leaf and flower color, texture, size, shape, and price.

Step Three: Final Design

We return to the drawing board to make agreed upon alterations to the plan and then work up an estimate. If changes are needed due to budget constraints this is the time to make them. Once the plan is approved, blueprints are made and a copy is sent to you. With your final approval the formal design process is finished and we can schedule the work for your landscape installation.