I work at a small LA firm as a landscape designer (currently in the process of getting my license). Our office is busy enough, and the “higher ups” are quite busy. I often find that I am sitting around doing nothing though. I try to get involved with projects, but since I have not been entirely involved from the beginning, it is hard to find tasks for me to do. I also ask people around the office if I can offer assistance on a daily basis.

My boss is constantly on my tail about only working on billable work, but there is no billable work for me to be doing. So instead, I find myself working on random administrative tasks. I am trying my very best to keep busy, and I want to be involved but it’s hard. I also help write proposals, but that only keeps me busy for so long.

I use my “free time” to educate myself about the profession, so the time is not wasted. But I want to be involved with projects. Any advice how I can get more experience and get my hands in on project more?

Please use this thread to discuss whats going on at your school or place of work this week. Run into an interesting problem with a site design and need to hash it out with other LAs? This is the spot. Any content is welcome as long as it Landscape Architecture related. School, work, personal garden? Its all good, lets talk.

Just passed my fourth LARE exam (finally!) and looking at the next steps for licensure. However, in March I'll be moving from California to Michigan.

Has anyone transferred their LARE progress from one state to another before applying for registration? I have sent three emails to CLARB about this, but got no response.

TLDR: I passed all four LARE exams in California, but now I only want registration in Michigan. Does anyone know what that process looks like?

Any advice is much appreciated!

Hi guys, I want to invest in a camera setup to start practicing. However, with the overwhelming variety of options—from old to new, crop to full-frame, affordable to expensive—it's easy for a beginner like me to feel confused and unsure about which camera to buy. So, what are your thoughts and advice on choosing the right equipment? This could help beginners like me find the perfect camera for our needs, my budget around $2000 include lense, I understand that budget is very important for choosing

Hi everyone, I'm sharing a Photoshop work of "Plaza 25 de Mayo", from my city, let me know what you think! 😊

Our field revamps a lot of urban spaces and overgrown areas that people experiencing homelessness tend to use for shelter away from the public eye. What do you think our role is as landscape architects when it comes to addressing the homelessness crisis?

Edit: Not trying to solve homelessness, but I do think we can do more in our field to better our communities. Thank you to those who shared ideas. If we can design for ADA accessibilities, I believe we can add elements of design that give dignity to more vulnerable populations. Again, not implying we solve the homelessness crisis, just things to consider...

Hello! Just wondering if anyone has any insight on working short term in Australia as an American landscape designer. I am particularly looking at Sydney and would like to stay on the east coast. I am interested in a temp job or a fellowship, but also would consider taking a certification course to further my career. Any advice helps!

Random question.

But I’m located in the U.S. and I’m curious if anyone has an experience with a company or product that offers remote access management and monitoring as a retrofit solution to an existing restroom?

I know there are pre-engineered restrooms that’s offer this technology from the onset; however, we have a restroom in place already and need a solution.

The idea to be to set typical lock times, unlock, and monitor status of door (open vs. closed), as well as an emergency egress panic bar should someone be locked in when the preset time engages the lock.

I'm a landscape designer with ~6 experience working in Los Angeles. The cost of living is really bogging me down and I'm starting to seriously consider relocation. Top of my list is Miami. Can anyone tell me how far a landscape architecture salary can stretch in Miami? What are the salaries like?

Hi all,

I am a landscape designer with about three years of experience. I love to travel and after visiting Europe and specifically Greece, I feel like it's where I feel most at peace. Has anyone managed to either find and work for a European landscape design/architecture firm OR find a way to continue working for an American firm and live abroad? Obviously if I were to continue working for an American company that offers remote work that would be ideal, but it gets really complicated tax wise. If you even switched career paths and no longer work with your LA degree I'd love to hear about that experience as well. Thanks all!

I have a 12' x 20' patio area and want to use tiles of the following size: 6x6", 6x12", 12x12",12x18" and 12x24". I would like to indicate the start point and let the tool come up with either an interlocking pattern that I could repeat or a unique non-repeating pattern. It's expected that the borders of the patio will probably require some custom cuts. Input for min and max quantity for each size of tile might help.

I've tried a couple of online tools to no avail, including chatGPT. I can use AutoCAD and Sketchup but don't have any scripting / coding skill.

I’m five years into running a design-build company in North Florida. Last year, we hit $1 million in gross revenue, operating with three crews:

One crew almost exclusively handles decks. A utility crew tackles decks, fences, and masonry. A horticulture crew focuses on planting and maintenance.

We run a John Deere tractor, four trucks, a dump trailer, an enclosed trailer, and a flatbed trailer for equipment hauling. I also have an in-house designer who produces great work, and I personally contribute to some designs as well. Our services include grading, irrigation, drainage, masonry, carpentry, planting, and maintenance—essentially full-scale landscape design and construction.

The reason I started this business was my love of plants and craftsmanship. We’re now starting to get serious visibility in town, and the volume of work is increasing rapidly. This year feels like a turning point for us, but I’m struggling with the direction.

I feel pressure to push for higher volume, which risks sacrificing quality. On the other hand, saying “no” to certain jobs to maintain control and creative freedom keeps the business heavily dependent on me and prevents it from scaling into something more sustainable over time.

I know some of the LA’s and designers on here either run or work closely with design-build companies. How have you seen this intersection handled?

Hi everyone,

I’ve worked with small business owners in landscaping, lawn care, and tree care to solve challenges like hiring, pricing, and scaling. I’m piloting a small peer group program specifically for landscaping business owners, and I’d love your input.

The idea is simple:

• A small group (8 members max) meets virtually once a month to share insights, solve challenges, and learn strategies to grow.
• For the pilot, I’m offering it at a nominal rate ($50/month for a three-month pilot period) since I want feedback on the structure and value.

I know how isolating running a business can feel, and the goal here is to create a trusted space for business owners to connect with peers who truly understand their industry.

If you’re a landscaping business owner (or know someone who is), does this sound like something you’d find valuable? If you’re interested, here’s the link with more info: link

Would also love to hear your feedback or ideas on what you’d want out of a group like this! Also, please feel free to DM me with any questions, comments, or leads!

I’m currently a sophomore in undergrad trying to figure out what to do this summer. I am really behind on everything—the program at my college isn’t accredited, I am currently taking my very first studio class, and I’m just getting started with my major. I’m also potentially interested in Landscape Architecture. I’m not sure what I should do this summer. Look for an internship? Learn useful computer programs? I’m looking into stuff in construction, but as a five foot tall Asian woman it’s a little harder for me in terms of safety.

Hi! I'm planning to transfer from NVCC to GMU this fall, and am trying to decide what career I should go into. Landscape architecture seems like a perfect fit for me but I'm a bit worried about the fact that GMU doesn't have any architecture majors. Before I go too far down this path, I'd appreciate some feedback from those of you who are familiar with this field!

Hi all I’m a 35 year old landscape designer with about 10 years of residential landscape design experience in FL.

I decided over the course of the last year that I want to make the jump to LA - ideally thru the “6 year rule” that allows you to work for an LA for 6 years and pass the LARE without a BA.

I’m getting nowhere applying to jobs as my experience and frankly my skill set aren’t up to par from what I can tell. I also have a pretty soft network with actual LAs vs contractors and nurseries.

If that means I have to go back to school I’m not opposed - I just have no idea how that would work as an adult with a mortgage.

Any advice or direction is sincerely appreciated. I love this work and I want to help shape the way people interact with it. I have extensive experience in project management and sustainability in particular - it just seems like it’s not enough.

Starting a job in san diego and all my plant knowledge is from the east coast. Any tips or resources to help familiar myself with common ground covers, shrubs, trees, etc within the area?

Can you recommend any simple software for a personal use? I am building a home - it is already designed. But I want to create some concepts for the area around my new home and the driveway - where to put the gate, fence etc.
I am not looking for anything fancy just to be able to put measurments and use some basic structures to brainstorm different concepts.

Hello!

I recently graduated my undergrad in sustainability in August of 2024 and I plan on beginning my masters this fall 2025 in landscape architecture. I want to design sustainable urban landscapes such as green roofs, living walls, and new innovative ways to combat the urban heat island affect.

My question is, is there any useful online classes, certificates, books, experiences ( for relatively low cost or preferably 0) that I can do in my free time to help build my reputation before starting school? I have been taking an online course learning AutoCAD and also volunteering with a native tree company in my city but other than that I’m not sure what to do. I have applied to every sort of internship or job related to my field of interest with no luck so far and I’m just feeling a little down and out.

Any help or suggestions would be great!

Hello,

as the title suggest i am looking for somone who wrote their Masters exam in Landscapearchitecture or "Freiraumplanung". My Girlfriend is currently in the middle of the process and is a bit overwhelmed by the stress she causes herself because of it. She isnt confident in her work so i am looking out for someone who went through this struggle and could offer one or another tipp or feedback :) Hope this is right here

I am a soon to be MLA graduate from a well regarded program who has yet to learn planting or garden design as a core part of our curriculum. While I have searched for books to help change that, many just show pictures of gardens and landscape without planting plans. Does anyone have any good book or online course recommendations for learning planting design, planting plans, or even horticulture that have helped you in your careers that go beyond modernist tree and shrub grids?

Hi everyone! Personally I use all Adobe suite, AutoCad, Sketchup and Office, and all of them work great in a Mac. But I want to expand my view over this topic.

I want to hear some comments about how you work as a LA!

I am writing in hopes to reach out to graduates of the accredited Landscape Architecture program at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University or anybody with an opinion on this program. I know it is a long shot, but thought it would be worth asking to my fellow redditors if you have heard of this program. It is a smaller school, but I have heard good things.

Thank you.

Please use this thread to discuss whats going on at your school or place of work this week. Run into an interesting problem with a site design and need to hash it out with other LAs? This is the spot. Any content is welcome as long as it Landscape Architecture related. School, work, personal garden? Its all good, lets talk.

Does anyone know of any independent rendering firms like DBink?

I’m looking for those kinds of small businesses, no large companies.

Does anyone have any recommendations for motorized umbrellas that have a wind sensor for automatic closing at specific wind speeds? I'm familiar with Sun Shade but the closest thing to a standard umbrella they have is too large for my typical installations (roof gardens in NYC).

I am having trouble figuring out a unique idea for my graduation project I don’t know where to start and what to choose and I don’t want my project to be something ordinary. Any advice that might help me?

Hey everyone, it’s been a while since I’ve been active here! Hope you’re all doing well. ( Finally in my last semester of LA )

I was wondering if anyone’s working on any interesting projects whether its still in academia, professional life or just anything ? Whether it’s a residential garden, urban park design, or some experimental green infrastructure, I’d love to hear what you’re up to. Always inspiring to see the incredible work this community is involved in!

Looking forward to catching up and maybe sharing some ideas.

Cheers!