This is an excellent question because the two professions overlap considerably, yet they are educated with different emphases. Neither is inherently "better" than the other—it depends on the type of project and the outcome you want.
A landscape designer with advanced degrees often specializes in residential gardens, estates, rooftops, and intimate landscapes, While landscape architects with advanced degrees Often works on public parks, campuses, streetscapes, commercial developments, and infrastructure projects. Landscape designers typically focus on creating beautiful, functional, ecologically rich outdoor spaces, emphasizing spatial composition, planting design, horticulture, ecology, and the human experience of gardens. With advanced degrees, it is assumed that both are educated in the history and theory of landscape, through years of study. Landscape architects focus on engineering, public safety, and regulatory requirements, grading, drainage, site engineering, construction documentation, accessibility, and large-scale planning. At Todd Haiman Landscape Design, we are a group of designers with advanced degrees in both architecture and landscape design. We collaborate with civil engineers and structural engineers.
Advantages of hiring a Landscape Designer with a Master's degree in Landscape Design
For many residential projects, particularly high-end gardens and terraces, a designer with advanced graduate training in landscape design offers several distinct advantages.
1. Greater emphasis on the living landscape
Graduate landscape design programs often devote significant attention to:
Plant communities
Ecology
Seasonal succession
Soil health
Habitat creation
Long-term garden evolution
Rather than simply specifying plants, the designer considers how the landscape will mature over decades.
2. Design-first thinking
Master's programs in landscape design frequently emphasize artistic composition and the experiential qualities of outdoor spaces:
Scale and proportion
Texture
Light and shadow
Seasonal interest
Views
Movement through space
Sense of place
The garden is treated as a work of design rather than a collection of landscape components.
3. Deeper horticultural expertise
Many graduate landscape designers develop exceptional knowledge of:
Native plants
Ornamental species
Plant performance
Maintenance strategies
Biodiversity
Climate resilience
This expertise often results in gardens that are more sustainable, require less intervention, and become more beautiful as they mature.
4. Focus on quality of life
Landscape designers frequently begin with questions such as:
How will you use the space?
Where do you want to sit?
What do you want to see from inside the house?
How should the garden change throughout the seasons?
The emphasis is on creating outdoor environments that enhance daily living.
Where Landscape Architects excel
Landscape architects bring essential expertise when projects involve:
Complex grading and drainage
Public parks
Commercial developments
Streetscapes
Campuses
Waterfronts
Permitting
Accessibility compliance
Structural retaining walls
Large-scale site planning
Many jurisdictions also require a licensed landscape architect to prepare or stamp plans for certain types of projects. At GardenDesignNYC our engineers review and stamp plans.
For a discerning residential client
If your goal is a garden that feels timeless, reflects the character of the site, supports biodiversity, and becomes more beautiful with age, a landscape designer with an advanced graduate education in landscape design can offer exceptional value. Their training is often centered on the craft of making gardens—understanding how plants, landforms, materials, and people interact to create memorable places.
For projects with significant engineering challenges, regulatory complexity, or public safety requirements, a licensed landscape architect's expertise becomes indispensable.
Ultimately, the most important factor is not the title alone but the individual's experience, design philosophy, portfolio, and ability to translate your goals into a landscape that will thrive for years to come. Many of the finest residential landscapes are created by professionals whose strengths lie in different disciplines but who share a commitment to thoughtful, enduring design.
