Design Process

We’ll meet you at your home to talk through what you would like and get to know both you and your garden and share some early ideas about the kind of garden we will create.  We charge for this visit, it may be this is all the design input you need, or it may form the brief for a more detailed design.

You’ll receive a letter and an email outlining what we’ve talked through and setting out how our fees are broken down.

We usually work from topographical surveys from specialist surveyors and can put you in touch with people we work with often.  We are able to survey small gardens ourselves.  A good survey is essential for an accurate design as it shows us exactly where your boundarys, eaves heights, drainage, trees and all elements in the garden are positioned.

Using design principles of unity, balance, harmony and functionality I will create an overview of how the garden will be laid out. Often I will draw the boundaries of your garden and then use tracing paper to explore different layouts, taking into account important views, drainage, any electrical circuits and how the garden will need to be accessed for maintenance.

Once I have a basic layout which works, I will analyse each potential border and create a planting design which delivers what you want, whether a low maintenance garden, year round colour or somewhere you can garden every day. There are as many possibilities as there are plants and plants are used to form the skeleton and substance of your garden as well as the decoration.

After the design and plant combinations are approved, hard landscaping, lighting and water specialists will be contracted to build your new garden. I can suggest landscapers I have worked with before, people close to you or I am happy for you to use your own builders if there is already someone whose work you trust. I can visit once or twice, once a week or not at all – I am there as much as you need me to be. At the final stage of the build any trees, plants and bulbs will be delivered and planted. I think this is the most exciting part – this is when the garden really starts to take shape and is the first step in your garden’s establishment, which takes time.

I can create a detailed maintenance schedule which you, your local gardener or I can follow to ensure your new garden is cared for appropriately. I am confident in the plants I specify and the people who grow them: if you follow my maintenance advice or ask me to maintain the garden, every plant will thrive.