Simply put, landscaping is the modification of the visible areas of land. While the majority of this seems like regular maintenance, professional landscaping can be so much more than that.

Landscaping includes the arrangement of flora, fauna, terrain, lighting, amenities, and bodies of water to fully meet the needs of the property at hand. There are several positions at play:

• Landscape Architect: The architect tends to sit back and plan designs and make plans based on the bigger picture. Landscape architects tend to be used more for large projects.
• Landscape Designer: These individuals are highly trained in gardening and hardscapes. They tend to be more hands on, and focus on smaller projects such as residential homes and small commercial sites.
• Landscape Contractor: The contractor installs the amenities that were put in the design.
• Maintenance Workers: these individuals work on keeping the property looking its best after everything is installed

These different roles work together to deliver the vision the client requested for. These jobs can vary in scope: from installing a new fountain in a residence backyard, to creating a new golf course.

Since budgets are usually tight, it is imperative that the designers are well versed in their responsibilities so that they can be as efficient as possible. Usually, before one can start a project, one needs to figure out the scope of the job, the client needs, and any other relevant factors that could affect the design. Those who are in the field of landscaping are usually designers with an appreciation and deep understanding of gardening, architecture, maintenance, and zoning/local restrictions. Some other fields of understanding that are required are project management, budgeting and efficiency

A lot of the local companies offer an array of services ranging from lawn mowing, and fertilization to in depth property project design. These companies tend to be all-in-one centers that have most of the services that you are looking for. If you are more of a do-it-yourself kind of person, there are many aids online and at the local hardware or gardening store that can help you get started on your landscaping project.