www.prolandscapermagazine.com Pro Landscaper / November 2017 9

INFORM

www.prolandscapermagazine.comPro Landscaper / November 20178

How much value can business consultancy add to a company?

Have your say: editor@pro-landscaper.co.uk

The client, designer and contractor need to agree at the outset who is responsible for what. As a designer, I’m absorbed in the vision of how the finished project will look. Feature trees are fast becoming a big part of my work, and large tree logistics are complex and expensive. I am happy for landscapers to supply plants of any size (although some won’t go near planting), as long as the design isn’t compromised, the longer-term maintenance is considered, contract documentation is in place and the soil is prepared correctly. After all, it’s the responsibility of whoever buys to remove, reorder, replace, deliver and replant any failures. My aim is to have ‘best practice’ with BALI or APL contractors, and for the client to understand who’s supplying, paying and accountable afterwards. I recommend that designers charge enough in the first place that it’s not essential to recoup money from planting. It’s all about valuing what you do as a designer.

The question of whose responsibility it is to buy the plants for a project is a hot topic, querying whether the garden designer or the landscape contractor is liable for the plants’ establishment. We spoke to a few industry experts to ask what their stance is and how they deal with the problem of liability.

Patricia FoxManaging director, Aralia

Personally, we think it should be the designer’s responsibility to purchase the plants for projects. Our primary reason for this is that we have a long-established relationship with our nurseries – they know what we like and what we don’t like, and would very rarely bother to offer us substitutes that wouldn’t work. This works on several levels – it cuts down on the amount of liaison between designer, nursery and contractor, making for a streamlined business process, and ensures that our schemes are on the whole installed as per our design vision. We also find that if we are responsible for paying the bill with a nursery we have a greater level of control than if we are just ‘making requests’ as a designer, with someone else paying the bill. We do appreciate

Karen McClureOwner, Karen McClure Garden & Landscape Design

James ScottManaging director, The Garden Company

John WyerCEO, Bowles & Wyer

Caspian RobertsonDirector, Caspian Gardens

AGENDASHOULD IT BE THE GARDEN DESIGNER’S

OR THE LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR’S RESPONSIBILITY TO BUY THE PLANTS

FOR A PROJECT?

INFORM

This is often seen as a commercial conflict of interest between designer and contractor, who both want to profit from plant supply. The contractor’s argument is that the client will pay more if the contractor can’t charge for plants, because the contractor then needs to charge more for labour to cover the deficit of plant profit; at the same time, the designer will mark up when selling the plants, so the client pays twice. However, in this scenario the designer’s plant mark-up is often instead of charging professional

It should always be the contractor’s responsibility – that way the liability envelope is clear. Doing both design and build is okay, as the liability envelope is even clearer – there’s only one port of call if anything goes wrong. I do realise that this an ‘ideal world’ solution. On smaller projects, or when contractor skill is poor, it may be the most sensible option for a designer to supply the plants – but in this situation they should really plant and maintain them as well, in which case they are effectively operating as a contractor. The danger is that if the designer supplies, the contractor plants and a third party maintains, the liability is split. Who pays in the event of a failure – the contractor, the nursery, the designer, the gardener or the client?

Good quality planting and plants secure the health and longevity of the design, so it is imperative that this gets completed to a high standard for clients. To meet this, I feel it is important to reflect upon who holds the greatest level of ability in the environment. I’m happiest when meandering through aisles of plants at the nursery; however, it is also important to recognise when the project would be better served by outsourcing the planting. For instance, I’m currently designing a space for the University of Arizona that features rare fasciated saguaro cacti, a species and environment that would be better served by an expert. Ultimately, creating a wonderful garden involves a collaborative effort where all parties use their areas of expertise to pull together and create something special.

Rosemary ColdstreamOwner, Rosemary Coldstream Garden Design

David DoddManaging director, The Outdoor Room

Plants should be supplied by those who are experienced in plant sourcing and prepared to take the risk. Much depends on the project and how it is run. Sometimes clients will purchase direct, or the principal contractor supplies if certain guarantees are needed. I supply plants for most of my projects, as I prefer to have control over the selecting and sourcing. This can be done without the purchasing, but I see it as an arm of my business revenue. Plant supply is not to make up for low design fees – design fees are separate, and each should be priced appropriately. Some contractors don’t want to supply plants, while others might; it depends on your working relationship. Responsibility must be clearly discussed should something die that requires more than popping in a perennial.

I’ve always advocated designers valuing what they do and this starts with charging appropriate fees – avoiding the need to supplement income by supplying plants. One concern is that if

that this may sometimes raise a question of culpability if plants fail – is it the nursery, designer or contractor’s responsibility to replace? but to be honest, this happens so rarely that it’s not particularly an issue for us.

NEXT MONTH

designer becomes supplier, they’ve created a grey area, and aren’t necessarily representing the client’s best interests. However, the biggest problem is liability. If the designer supplies the plants and the contractor plants them, who is responsible for anything that dies once a project is complete? The Outdoor Room won’t take liability for anything it hasn’t supplied. We’re still happy to work with designers who want to supply plants and take the risk over their liability. For me, the most professional route is for the designer to source the plants and charge a decent fee for all of their time. The contractor purchases and supplies the plants, and also undertakes their establishment and warranty.

fees. There is also the question of who then guarantees the plants and the cost of labour to replace them. This is particularly relevant when the cost of replacement far outweighs the value of the plants – for instance, when craning is needed. Personally, I think that either the designer or contractor can supply the plants, but it’s critical to be transparent with the client so that guarantees, costs and responsibilities are clear between all parties.