Full design service
Why use a garden designer?
Avoid costly mistakes
A lot of what makes a garden successful happens beneath the surface. It's easy to focus on how you want it to look, but the decisions you make along the way can have expensive consequences if they're not properly thought through.
Get the drainage wrong, for example, and you could end up with water pooling on the patio, a lawn that turns into a bog or water draining towards your house. These problems can be costly to put right once the garden has been built.
I've encountered these challenges before and know what to look out for, helping to avoid expensive mistakes and unnecessary compromises. I understand how materials perform in real life (light-coloured paving in a south-facing garden, for example, can be dazzling in bright sunshine) and how seemingly small decisions can have a knock-on effect elsewhere.
I also regularly work with trusted landscapers I've used before, and can support you throughout the build, helping ensure the design is translated into reality.
Get more from your garden
It's surprisingly difficult to see your own garden objectively. You're used to its awkward corners, its limitations and the things you've always assumed can't be changed.
I'll see possibilities you might have missed, join the dots between different areas and make sure every element has a purpose. No paths just for the sake of it, no wasted space, and no design decisions that look good on paper but don't work in practice.
Make your planting investment count
The planting plan costs less than a third of the design fees, and the plants themselves typically cost a fraction of the hard landscaping. Yet planting can make or break a garden.
It's what softens hard surfaces, brings colour and movement, creates privacy and gives a garden its character. Get it right and the planting will continue to develop and reward you for years to come. Get it wrong and even an expensive garden can feel flat or unfinished.
Working with trusted specialist nurseries gives access to a far wider range of plants than you'll typically find in retail outlets. Plant selection needs to take account of your soil, conditions and how everything will grow together over time, not simply what's looking good when you happen to be shopping.
Trees deserve particular attention. When you're making a significant investment in a specimen tree, choosing the right one, sourcing it well and helping it establish successfully can pay dividends for decades.
Planting isn't the finishing touch. It's an essential part of what makes a garden work.
The Design Process
Phase 1 - Consultation and brief
We’ll start with a phone call to discuss your project - photos of the space and an idea of investment budget and preferred timelines are really helpful at this stage. From here we’ll move on to an in-person meeting in your garden where we’ll do a deeper dive into the brief. Following the consultation meeting you will receive a written summary of our discussion including a detailed fee proposal and outline of the design process.
Phase 2 - Concept design
This is where it gets exciting! I will present you with a 2D plan view layout of how your new garden could work along with at least two 3D views which will help you really understand how your garden could look and feel.
Phase 3 - Detailed design
Once you are happy with the concept plan, we will start to drill down into the detail. This includes making choices on hard landscaping materials so we can get accurate costs in from a contractor. Once all the details are agreed you will receive a scaled masterplan and costing pack which includes all the details of your new garden design. We work with a range of trusted landscapers and will work with you to help you choose the right one for your job.
Phase 4 - Planting design
Once the plan is signed off and you’re booked in with a landscaper, now is the perfect time to design the planting. You will receive a detailed planting plan which shows the placement of each plant within your new garden, along with plant mood boards and a plant schedule including a full list of plant names, pots sizes and quantities to be ordered.
Phase 5 - Build support
In the run up to, and during the course of the build, we can be on hand to respond to any changes that arise and to monitor progress. The level of our involvement at this stage is entirely up to you.
Phase 6 - Plant sourcing, planting and aftercare
We work with reputable trade nurseries to source high quality plants and trees on your behalf as well as offering a planting service.
Last, but by no means least, aftercare of your garden is extremely important. We offer seasonal maintenance visits at key points in the year to check on progress and make suggestions for any tweaks or additions that may be needed.
Pricing
Pricing is bespoke to your project and the level of support you are looking for. More information on our garden design packages can be found here.