I would like to recommend Ricky aka Fawnridge, I've seen his garden and it is unbelieveable!

They charge for the job, but that is estimated by the hour. It is best to find someone close to you, or it just costs more money to have the job done. Registered landscape architects will charge way more money than someone like a regular landscaper that deals with the same plant material all the time. I know someone real good in Lakeland, but don't know where you are located.

You might try this person, her name is Ann. Her email is amaber@cfl.rr.com.
She is in Orlando. Maybe she can help you with your plans.

Tropicalfreak

Tina - A landscape designer is someone who will offer you a plan to landscape your property and then purchase plants and hardscape and install them. A landscape architect will do the exact same thing but charge you three times the price, pick much less interesting plants, and convince you have the house lifted and turned 9 degrees to the south to add some curb appeal.

I am a garden designer. My goal is to make your house fit inside a garden that I will design to fit the piece of land. I am more expensive than the landscape architect.

You don't really need to pay anyone to design your landscape or garden. If you have even a modicum of creativity, you can do it yourself. Take a few landscape design classes at the local community college or spend some time with the master gardener's program at the county AG center. Drive around and look at what others have done, then get out to the parks and wild areas and compare that to natural settings. Look at ponds and streams and take photos.

Then look at your property and your house. Forget the details for now, you'll be able to add them at any time. A tree is a tree and a plant is a plant; decide which ones later. With an acre and a half, you can have lots of features: several small hills, a pond or stream with a waterfall, a dry creek bed, a forest, a rainforest, a desert, a flower garden, a vegetable garden, an orchard, a gazebo, a swing; take your pick.

Figure out the big stuff first, large trees here, towering palms there, the water feature(s), the hills, the afternoon-watching-the-sunset-in-lounge-chairs area. Work down from there and plan for the future - remember this stuff grows.

There have been numerous recent threads here about pathways and ground covers, favorite trees in all the colors of the rainbow, and the success or failure of various plants. The wealth of information available for free on Gardenweb is more valuable than you can imagine.

But if you really dont feel capable of taking on the task yourself, I would look for a local designer who has done work youÂve seen and liked.

Thanks for the great advice.I have owned many homes on the "Florida" sized lot. I have always love gardening and its never had me in such a tizzy. I think the size is whats giving me the problem. Fawnridge your right, I'm going to take a couple deep breaths and figure this out.
Thanks again...Tina

Hi
Here's my two cents lol.Why don't you break it down into sections How much of the lot will be drives .outbuildings swimming pools or whatever that is large expensive and unmovable .If none of these things are there now or need changing Start there.What about animals? Barns ,runs or aviaries??.The lot is shrinking lol.Are you into collecting type gardening such as orchids roses or what ever.A shadehouse with some winter protection is fantastic..Water gardens also require a lot of planning and space. If you have a blank slate with nothing to work around Changes in elevations with improved beds. Maybe geometric shaped arbors with some of those fantastic vines . Or maybe overplanting with the hundreds of flowering trees that can grow here. combined with a palm glade and or epiphytes .
And last but most important. a well planned underground irrigation system maybe even a cistern to store your own water. Okay i know you'll need to add at least two more acres lol gary

gary is right. When we first built our house I was overwhelmed with the blank slate. Although I haven't turned it into a tropical paradise like some of the wonderful folks here, it is still a small piece of paradise to us. I learned not to plant more than I can care for. And even though I am still planning and planting, I try to do it in little chunks. It's much easier and less HUGE.

Tina
So what are your ideas?? There are so many people with years of experience on these forums. And I'm sure all of us "postage stamp" dwellers would be glad to help.
Not only with ideas but actual plants and tons of advice on what not to plant lol How much space to allow for a given idea or feature. best part we won't charge a cent lol Even if you hire a professional they will do it in sections anyway.
Cinde we had a very old landscape when we got our house so the first 3 years were spent removing and rearranging.A blank slate would be soooo wonderful gary

I was going to suggest Ann in Orlando too. She is pretty awesome and has super ideas. her e-mail is amaber@cfl.rr.com.

I would recommend planting things that are appropriate for your zone(9) and won't be lost in any freezes. You don't want to spend all that money only to have to replant due to that. Anything tender should go in a pot that way you can replace it easily--much moreso than if you have 20 of them in a border.

How long have you been in Florida? If you're new to it I would recommend you go visit botanical gardens, hook up with a local garden club, and go to small, independent garden centers often to garner ideas--they actually really care there. I especially recommend the places that sell things appropriate for the seasons--not the ones that sell petunias and snapdragons in the summer because even March is waaaaay too late for those.

Read books on Florida gardening and abandon all those books you had up North--it's time to embrace the Sunshine State and forget about hostas, lily of the valley, and lilac. Now you can have gingers, palms, plumbago, bromeliads and orchids.

I recommend Pamela Crawford's Florida Gardening series--including the Stormscaping because...GUESS WHAT...you will experience hurricanes and learn a lot through them. I learned to garden based on those and my garden got even better!

Also read The Florida Gardener's Book of Lists and books on the native plants as well. You will want to see what actually grows. Anything by Monica Brandies is like gold as well! Read her shade gardening book...it opened my eyes!

A landscape designer, in my opinion is very valuable because unlike the salespeople at the garden centers (who--and I have 7 years of experience at them--have to run between the hundreds of people who want plants everyday) they can spend oodles of time with you...because hey...you're paying for the consult! And they can go see your home too!

I always felt that people who come into a garden center and bring in their plans, drawings, doodles cheat the system...arrrrg, but don't get me going...LOL

Drive by a home whose garden you love and ask who helped them! It's not bad to pay maybe $50 to have someone consult your garden and introduce you to things...point out the plants they know will work! And a really good landscape designer knows how to filter all that you say and deliver!

Too bad I'm in New York now or I'd help you, but I have much of my heart in Florida still!

Whatever you do don't plant much now or try to handle more than one bed at a time...start with one area that you want to improve and give it your all.

Plant SHADE trees. Don't stick a Queen Palm in your yard and then complain about your air conditioning bill. Plant weeping Yaupon Holly, Crape Myrtle (loses its leaves in the winter but is to die for when spring and summer come!), White Gieger, Southern Magnolia, Bottlebrush...and more! You will actually appreciate stepping out into the shade and not baking right away! Your yard will love it too because most plants appreciate the shade come summer!

And once you have those planted...and I'd plant the biggest you can afford...plant shrubs and groudcovers. You will find plumbago, indian hawthorn, arboricola, and viburnum to be extremely hardy.

Learn that if you want flowers you will have to change your attitude towards them--perennials do exist in Florida, but not like your northern green thumb will remember them. I tried many and they failed--so I turned to amaryllis, bulbine, bromeliads, and colorful shrubs. I especially love thryallis and duranta!

You will find that container gardens will give you room to experiment and change out as needed. One of my favorites for sunny areas is Dipladenia. Crown of thorns, agaves and succulents are superb for their ability to be virtually ignored, but give back so much more!

You will find hoya and succulents of all kinds are AWESOME for how little they need...and they're great and very long lasting in hanging baskets. I tried doing petunias and such things but they only lasted maybe 5 months if planted in October. Once I planted succulent hanging baskets I did not turn back because they LIVED.

As you see...I can go on and on...

guapogardner, I wish you were here too! I have lived in Florida for most of my life, gardening has always been a love of mine.Love Pamala Crawford's books, will look for the other authors you suggested. I am in the process of finding that person that I can consult with to avoid future mistakes. Will be leaving in the morning for a 10 day vacation, when I return I will post some pictures and would love any and all suggestions. Thanks to everyone who responded...Tina