Susan Reed, Landscape Architect: Why Plan? - Landscape Architecture in the Pioneer Valley, Western Massachusetts

Overview
Create a harmonious fit
Prevent problems
Work within budget
Increase property value

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Work within a budget

Any large project, from building a house to planning an extended vacation, is more successful when goals are clarified and a budget is created. Planning your landscape is no exception. When you know what you want and what you want to spend, you avoid last-minute decisions, impulse purchases, and "buy now, pay later" thinking - actions that invariably lead to cost overruns and projects that can't be completed due to lack of funds.

After you've invested time and money in improving your landscape, nothing is more discouraging than realizing, too late, that some essential fact was overlooked and the final result is now flawed. Even if you choose not to implement every element of a landscape plan at once - and many homeowners proceed in stages as time and money allow - the plan will help you accomplish just what you wish within the parameters of your own lifestyle and budget.