Services

Design

Comprehensive Conceptual Landscape Plans

Landscape design at GMD is delivered as a single, comprehensive service grounded in a holistic understanding of each site. Every project begins with a careful analysis of existing conditions and client goals and results in a conceptual ecological landscape plan that organizes spatial structure, circulation, site use and amenities, drainage patterns, planting strategy, and long-term management intent into a cohesive framework.

Design decisions are guided by the goal of creating beautiful, biodiverse, and resilient landscapes rooted in native plant communities. The conceptual plan integrates site analysis, plant palette development, placement of key trees and shrubs, organization of plant communities, and siting of amenities to establish a clear structure capable of evolving over time.

This comprehensive conceptual landscape plan is a prerequisite for implementation and serves as a map for prioritizing phasing, budgeting, and sequencing. It supports intentional, multi-season installation and allows design to remain responsive as early phases are observed in the field. As work unfolds, the plan enables practical design adjustments while maintaining overall coherence and long-term intent.

The conceptual landscape plan is not intended to function as construction documents for third-party contractors. Instead, it establishes the framework through which GMD oversees implementation directly or coordinates additional landscape contractors as needed, ensuring continuity between design, execution, and long-term care.

Implementation

GMD oversees all implementation and installation work directly, maintaining responsibility for translating the conceptual landscape plan into a living system on the ground. Installation is carefully planned and sequenced to align with site conditions, ecological timing, and the long-term intent established through design.

As a small, hands-on team, our work is structured around seasonal windows, material availability, and direct site observation rather than compressed construction schedules. We consolidate plant and material sourcing across projects where possible to reduce waste and to respond to the ongoing limitations in the availability of high-quality native plant material throughout the year. For these reasons, installation typically unfolds in deliberate phases across multiple seasons.

This phased approach allows early work to settle into the landscape before subsequent phases proceed. As installation unfolds, we observe how plant communities, materials, and spatial relationships perform on the ground and adjust design where practical within the framework of the conceptual plan. This iterative process strengthens alignment between concept and site and supports landscapes that are more resilient, calibrated, and enduring over time.

When additional capacity or specialized skills are required, GMD may coordinate other landscape contractors on a needs basis, always under GMD direction and oversight. Whether work is executed directly or in coordination with others, continuity between design and implementation remains central to our approach.

Management

GMD supports landscapes through the establishment period and beyond, recognizing that the first several years following installation are critical to long-term performance. Management during this time focuses on helping plant communities take hold, adapt to site conditions, and develop the structure and resilience envisioned in the conceptual plan.

In the early stages of establishment, management may include more frequent on-site involvement, such as monthly visits by our management team, to monitor conditions, guide plant development, keep weeds in balance, and reinforce the intended organization and appearance of the landscape. As projects mature, this involvement typically transitions to seasonal assessment and intervention, with the level of engagement shaped by project scale, site conditions, and client involvement.

Where appropriate, GMD can provide guidance, training, or ongoing collaboration to support long-term landscape management, ensuring that care practices remain aligned with the original design intent and ecological goals of the project.

See Our Client Guide in Resources for more detail