To show off their design abilities, landscape contractors display spectacular garden features, like this one by Waterscape Design Group of Ohio, at local home and garden shows.
While it may not be landscaping season where you live, it is definitely home and garden show season. These mega shows offer consumers a one-stop shopping experience where you can shop and compare without driving all over town, and in some cases all over the state.
Most of the time these homeshows feature show gardens in full glory. So instead of trying to choose among landscape contractors based on their photo albums, you can touch and smell the real thing–trees, perennials, mulch, pavers–the works.
But these large shows can be overwhelming if you are not prepared.
10 Tips To Finding Landscape Contractors at Home and Garden Shows
- Research the company producing the event. Not all shows are equal, and you can waste a lot of time at poorly produced events. The top home and garden shows belong to a professional organization called Home & Garden Show Executives International
- Buy tickets in advance if possible. This will save you time and in some cases money. Premier Home Shows offers advance sale tickets for many of the largest home and garden shows in the nation and as a bonus you get a subscription to Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.
- Make a list of things you would like included in your garden design, but be open to suggestions. Some show exhibits lend themselves to particular features and plants.
- Decide if you want to do some of the work yourself or hire it all out. Be realistic about your abilities.
- Go to the home and garden show website and research the landscapers that will be there. On our website for the Energy Trust Better Living Home Garden & Lifestyle Show, you can read about the gardens in advance which might trigger questions you want to ask.
- Give yourself plenty of time to spend with each landscape contractor. This is a large purchase and you need to pick a landscaper you will get along with.
- Do not assume that the garden style at the show is the only thing the landscaper does. In shows, landscapers sometimes push the limits, much like fashion designers do in their events. At this point you may want to look at pictures of other projects they have done.
- Set up an appointment to meet with them at your house after the show. If they do not show up on time, that’s a red flag. Also, are they open to listening to your ideas, or do they just want to tell you what you should install?
- Talk to past clients and research them on the web. It is amazing how much information is on the web these days. Trust me, if there are disgruntled customers, they will let the world know.
- Check with the local contractors’ board to see if they are licensed. The home and garden show producer should have done this in advance, but sometimes details slip through the cracks.
So while there may still be snow on the ground, home and garden shows are in full bloom. Now is the time to shop for landscape contractors, so you will be able to enjoy your garden this summer.
Comments on this entry are closed.