Do I Need to Hire a Landscape Architect?

If you have a house that comes with a yard, you’ve probably asked yourself whether you need to hire someone to make that space beautiful. While many of us have enough basic skills to plant a rosebush or put out a few potted ferns, you might be tempted to take your outdoor space to the next level—especially if you’re in the kind of neighborhood where the majority of homeowners have already installed outdoor lighting, custom-designed flowerbeds and so on.

That’s why we asked Cate Singleton, a landscape architect based out of Dallas, to share her thoughts on when to go pro. Singleton is the Director of Design at Tilly, a unique landscaping service that offers online landscape design for people who want customized, professional advice. Tilly also gives clients the opportunity to turn their outdoor space into a Certified Wildlife Habitat® as developed by the National Wildlife Federation—which may be of particular interest to anyone who would like their backyard to function as a sanctuary not only for themselves, but also the birds, butterflies and pollinators that are crucial to our ecosystem.

In short, renovating your landscape can be good for the environment and good for your property values—not to mention an excellent way to ensure that both your home and your neighborhood are as beautiful and welcoming as possible. Does that mean you need to bring in the pros? Here’s what you need to know before you decide.

This article originally appeared on Dwell.com