Welcome to Homescaper

Homescaper is the one-stop resource for do-it-yourself landscapers.  We'll create a landscape design for your home, then develop a step-by-step plan to guide you through the process. We’ll show you how to phase in the project to meet your budget and timeline. We’ll refer you to skilled contractors to do the work that you don’t want to.

When you are ready to add plants to your landscape, Homescaper will serve as your personal plant shopper.  We’ll handpick top quality plants from the best growers in the area, then deliver them to your door at very competitive prices. We’ll also provide a maintenance plan to help you take care of your new landscape.

Homescaper is dedicated to providing you with all the help you need to get your landscape project up and growing.

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Homescaper and the Yard, Garden & Patio Show

My somewhat leisurely winter hiatus is about to come to an abrupt end. The spring garden season kicks off for me with the Yard, Garden & Patio Show in Portland's Convention Center. This year's show, which runs from Friday, February 17th through Sunday, February 19th, is my 11th straight year as an exhibitor.

I remember my first show vividly, as my landscape design practice was only a few months old, and I had virtually no clients or work samples to display. What was I thinking?!? Why would anyone choose to stop by my booth? How was I going to pay for the booth space and the backdrop pieces I rented?  

                      ygp2003a

I had one thing going for me. During my final year of landscape design classes at Portland Community College, each student  was given an assignment to design a landscape for "real life" clients that had agreed to let students work on their landscape projects. I was fortunate to work with a wonderful couple that liked my gunderson-smalldesign enough to hire a landscape contractor to implement it. As a result, my "portfolio" consisted entirely of
the landscape design drawing and photographs of this project. 

But at least I had something to show to the people that were nice enough to stop by my booth. The other thing I had to offer was my firm conviction that Homescaper, the name I had chosen for my company, would provide something unique for Portland homeowners. I had determined that my landscape design practice would focus on clients that were interested in doing some or all of the landscape installation themselves. This focus on do-it-yourselfers seemed to hit a responsive chord back in 2002, as I found myself with several new clients from contacts I made at the show.

My commitment to those homeowners that would like to be involved in creating and installing their own landscape, but don't know how to go about it, continues to this day. Do it yourself (DIY) has become something of a movement, with many magazines, websites, books and cable television shows devoted to the topic. This year, the Yard, Garden & Patio Show is fortunate to have Ahmed Hassan, host of DIY Network's "Yard Crashers", appearing twice during each day of the show. 

Unfortunately, I won't be able to see Ahmed's presentation, as I will once again be talking to people that are kind enough to stop by my booth to see what I have to offer. If you find yourself at this year's show, stop by to say hello.