Stages of a Landscaping Project in Geneva

A landscaping project runs in eight stages: defining your needs, having the site surveyed, approving a sketch and then a plan, choosing materials and plants, obtaining a detailed quote, checking permits, scheduling, and carrying out the works through to handover. Each stage prepares the next: a precise plan avoids unpleasant surprises, and well-prepared works run without improvisation. Here is how these stages follow one another, and what to check at each.

1. Define your needs and how you will use the space

Before talking about materials or plants, describe what you want to do with your outdoor space. A successful landscape design starts from how the space is used, not from a catalogue.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Who uses the garden: adults, children, pets, guests?
• Do you want to eat outdoors, relax, play, garden, entertain?
• What level of maintenance are you prepared to take on, or to hand over to a professional?
• What bothers you today: being overlooked, a muddy lawn, a slope, lack of shade, difficult access?
• Which existing features do you want to keep: trees, low walls, terrace, hedge?

Also gather your photos, inspiration images and, if you have them, the plans of the house or the plot. For a condominium (PPE) or a property managed by a property management company, also specify who decides and who pays: these points affect the schedule.

2. The site survey

The landscaper visits the site to observe what the plans do not show. This visit is the foundation of the whole project.

The points surveyed:

• The slope: it determines the earthworks, the retaining walls and the management of rainwater.
• The soil type: clay, stony, backfilled? It affects drainage, the choice of plants and the preparation of the sub-base.
• Sunlight: shaded areas, orientation, shadows cast by buildings and trees.
• Underground services: water, electricity, gas, drainage, lighting. Locating them before digging avoids damage and work stoppages.
• Access: width of the passage, whether a machine can get in, space to store materials.
• Existing features: condition of trees, fences, surfaces.

3. From sketch to plan

The sketch is a first drawing of intent: position of the terrace, circulation, planted areas. It is used to discuss and adjust without incurring any construction costs. Once the broad lines are approved, you move on to the plan, which is more precise: dimensions, levels, location of services, surfaces, species.

For a garden created entirely from scratch, the garden creation process follows exactly this path. Think from the plan stage about equipment that affects underground services: automatic irrigation is planned before planting and surfacing, because its pipes run underground.

4. Choose materials and plants

The choice takes into account use, maintenance, durability and exposure.

For plants, favour species suited to the soil and exposure of your plot: a well-chosen plant needs less water and fewer interventions. Ask the landscaper to justify their choices.

5. The detailed quote

A good quote breaks the project down: site preparation, earthworks, services, masonry, surfaces, plants, supplies, labour, removal of spoil. The more detailed it is, the easier it is to compare and the better unforeseen costs are controlled.

Check that the quote specifies:

• the list of items and their exact scope;
• the materials and their references;
• the species and sizes of the plants;
• what is included or excluded (removal, reinstatement, replacement watering);
• the conditions of the plant replacement guarantee, depending on the contract.

To understand how a budget is built, see our guide to the budget for outdoor landscaping.

6. Permits and schedule

Depending on the scale of the project, some works may require a permit: structures, walls, shelters, major changes to the ground, felling of certain trees. It is best to check before signing, since works started without the necessary permit can be stopped. The guide to the building permit for garden structures in Geneva details the steps to plan ahead, and the landscaper can advise you on the cases concerned.

The schedule then depends on the season and the weather. Planting is best done outside periods of frost and severe drought; earthworks and masonry cope poorly with waterlogged ground. Allow a margin for bad weather.

7. The works, in order

The works follow a logic: you work from the subsoil up to the surface.

1. Set-up and protection: marking out the site, protecting trees and features that are being kept.
2. Earthworks: excavation, levelling, shaping the slope.
3. Services: drainage, water, electricity, irrigation.
4. Masonry: walls, foundations, steps, edging.
5. Surfaces: terraces, paths, paving.
6. Planting and sowing: trees, shrubs, perennials, lawn.
7. Finishing: mulching, cleaning, reinstating access.

Working in this order avoids breaking up a new surface to lay a pipe or trampling plants during the masonry work.

8. Handover and first maintenance

At the end of the works, you inspect the result with the landscaper: compliance with the quote, finishing, working of the equipment, condition of the plants. Any defects are recorded and corrected. The plant replacement guarantee applies according to the terms of the contract: ask for its conditions in writing (duration, required maintenance, watering).

The first few weeks decide whether the planting succeeds. Watering, weeding and monitoring are essential. A garden maintenance contract can take over as soon as the works are finished.

The Geneva context

The local context affects every stage. The Lake Geneva climate alternates between dry, sometimes hot summers and sudden storms: drainage and irrigation need to be designed together. The bise, a dry, cold wind, exposes plantings and light structures on open plots, which guides the choice of species and fixings. Soils are often clay, heavy and slow to drain in winter, and sloping plots are common, particularly on the hillsides. Depending on the municipality and the nature of the works, cantonal rules may apply; find out before starting the works.

For a project near the lake, see for example the page on a landscaper in Cologny; on the left bank, Vandœuvres; on the right bank and in a more urban area, Carouge. You can also browse the landscaper in Geneva page.

Entrusting the project to a landscaper

The simplest way is to describe your project: a qualified landscaper contacts you within 24 hours, visits the site and provides a detailed quote, free and without obligation. You can request a quote in a few minutes. More advice is available in our landscaping guides.

Frequently asked questions

Where does a landscaping project start?

With defining your needs and how you will use the space, then a site visit. This survey is what allows a realistic sketch to be drawn, before any choice of materials.

Do I need a plan before asking for a quote?

Not necessarily. A reliable quote does, however, rely on an on-site survey and a clear description of the project. The plan then specifies the quantities and the choice of materials.

What is the best season for planting?

Planting is best done outside periods of frost and severe drought. The landscaper chooses the date according to the plants selected and the weather.

Are the plants guaranteed?

A replacement guarantee may be provided, depending on the terms of the contract. Ask for its conditions in writing: duration, and the maintenance and watering expected from you.

Do I need to be present during the works?

You do not need to be present at all times, but a regular check-in with the landscaper is useful. Your presence is especially recommended at key milestones: setting out, choice of finishes and handover.