Picture this: Tiger Turf’s 3-D landscape design draws clients

Marti Coats knew her yard needed to be landscaped, but she wasn’t sure what to do or how to do it and had been putting off the task for years.
“I had a backyard that was ‘blah,'” Coats said. “I wanted a more finished look, and I needed an expert.”
Before Coats could flip the pages of a phonebook, the answer fell right into her hands.
“Tiger Turf was already taking care of my lawn mowing and snow removal, and they sent me a brochure saying that they were now doing landscape design,” says Coats. “Honestly, I called because I saw the brochure, and it looked interesting.”

What caught Coats’ eye was the 3-D design method Tiger Turf is using for landscaping. Tiger Turf owner Frank Baumstark bought the computer program and spent a few months learning how to use it to manipulate actual photographs of the yard and home to show what the landscape would look like after the addition of shrubs, flowers, trees, mulch and rock.
Baumstark said he’s created designs for about 30 homes since last year, when the company first started using the program. He considers it better than computer-aided design programs that provide aerial views rather than eye-level views.

“It’s a fun process,” Baumstark said. “We go take a picture of the area. Then we sit down with the client and feel out what types of plants they want and the style they desire. This really allows the client to be part of the design process. Then, either with the client if they have time, or on my own, a look is created, and you have an accurate idea of what the landscaping will look like after installation.”

`There’s even a feature that allows viewers to see what the yard would look like five years after installation when the plants have matured. Other features allow users to design and view holiday lighting, as well as outdoor evening lighting that would accent different parts of the home.
“It’s very easy to go in and adjust,” Baumstark said. “You can make some major changes to the design in a very short period of time if needed.”
The program also saves time by allowing Baumstark to e-mail a PDF of the plan to the client rather than meeting with him or her every time a change is made.
“It was really pretty easy,” said Coats, who lives near the Woodrail Center on Nifong Boulevard. “Frank just e-mailed me the plan, and I liked it. So we did it!”
For the area around Coats’ patio, Baumstark chose Home Run roses, maiden grass and dwarf Alberta spruce. Around back, he proposed planting more Alberta spruce, Grey Owl junipers, lariope and vibrium.
“Marti has a beige-colored house, and I thought the Home Run rose would look good against the siding,” Baumstark said. “Then the maiden grass and spruce are a dark green color, so they really make that red pop. The juniper has a grayish, blue-green color to it, so I added it to contrast the dark green.”
Once Coats’ design had been determined, Tiger Turf landscapers removed the grass and top layer of soil on the future site of the bed, relocated sprinkler heads and spread new soil. Next, they laid out the plants according to the computer-aided design, dug holes based upon the plant requirements, applied the low-maintenance decorative rock, and watered.
“They’re really sensitive in the first few months to a year, so you have to be sensitive to over- and under-watering,” Baumstark said. “When choosing plants, you also have to go with the different parts of the house and what will work with those different areas. Marti’s design was on the southwest part of the house, so we chose vegetation that would be good in a lot of sunlight.”
Tiger Turf comes back to the home periodically to re-mulch and trim the plants and trees. They also replace anything for up to a year from the installation date.
“I’ve been very pleased with the end product,” Coats said. “One of the keys was that I wanted it to look good, but be low maintenance. They’ve been great about continuing to check up on it.”