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The thing that most people who are not already in it don't understand that you can't get high end work just because you want it. You won't get it because you have a great work ethic and philosophy, or pay attention to details. Those all come in handy when you get the work. It does not bring work to you. Anyone can advertise and say all of the right things - and they do. It does not bring you to the front of the line.
One big difference between construction projects that have multi-thousand dollar landscape design budgets and the rest is that the landscape design is often done long before the project is visible (while the architect is still working on the building plans and sometimes the civil engineer is working on the site plan). The architect has the most influence on the project both in terms of design AND bringing in the engineers, landscape designers, and contractors. The property owner typically turns the project over to the architect to present him with options to decide on. It is pretty difficult to bypass the architect.
So, you think, "I'll dazzle the architect with my great potential to improve his project". The problem is that the architect already has people who he has worked with. He knows their strengths and weaknesses, what he has to watch with them, and knows what he has to do in terms of managing the outcome of HIS project. A new person adds uncertainty, so trying a new person out is not usually going to happen. It is not just you who is trying to get the architect to try out an unfamiliar designer. There are tons of people who want to do what you want to do. The architect can see your beautiful work - he sees his regular guys' beautiful work as well and all the guys like you who want the work. He sees you and the other guys like you who seem to know their stuff and are nice, but he has guys who he already truly knows. In other words, you are essentially asking the architect to take a risk that he has no need of taking. This is what I meant by you having to take the work away from others.
Take note that a homeowner is a one shot client while an architect is a continuous job source.
Obviously, people get there and do the work. When a door cracks opens to let a different landscape designer in, what will put someone to the front of the line? The guy who has the most factors that take uncertainty away from the person doing the hiring. That can be any combination of degrees, licenses, design portfolio, built work portfolio, personal familiarity, resume, how fast you can turn over the work, ... whatever combination of these that makes the individual selecting the designer more certain that he will be better than the next guy on the list. A short coming in any of these areas can be made up with greater strengths somewhere else as long as the result brings more certainty of the outcome over that of the next guy. ONLY if there is not one other person that fills that criteria better than you will you get the work. Potential gets you nothing.
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