Creating Your Garden

I work closely with each client, listening carefully to what they are hoping to achieve and identifying any issues that need resolving. My job is to create an elegant design solution that reflects the client’s tastes and lifestyle and complements their property. Good garden design is a specialised skill, requiring both an eye for detail and a clear concept of the big picture. In addition to these design skills, I also bring my horticultural expertise and knowledge, to ensure that we select the most appropriate materials, trees and plants for the garden.

The design process starts with an initial meeting at your home. This usually takes around one to two hours. It is a chance for me to visit your existing garden and to understand the sort of transformation you are hoping to realise. I will take a detailed Brief from you, including your requirements, individual preferences and budget, so that I can create a design that is tailor-made and unique to you.

This is an essential part of any Garden Design. The existing garden is mapped out in detail to produce an accurate plan of the site’s dimensions, features and levels. For more complex sites, this job may need to be carried out by a professional Land Surveyor.

I use the Brief and the Survey information to formulate a detailed Outline Plan. This is a hand-drawn and coloured 2D master-plan of the proposed new garden, pictured to scale and from a bird’s-eye view. Not everyone finds it easy to read a two-dimensional plan, so I usually also supply 3D computer visualisations that really help bring the design to life.

These are technical drawings showing the precise details of any constructed elements, such as steps, paving, walls or water features. These documents are typically supported by Setting Out Drawings, as well as a written Scope of Works, specifying materials and techniques to be used. These enable the Landscape Contractor to quote accurately, and to build the garden exactly as we have envisaged it.

Once the design is agreed, you may choose to engage your own Landscape Contractor to take on the build. Otherwise, I can assist by putting the job out to tender with reputable Contractors, organising meetings with them on-site and providing them with all of the necessary documentation. If required, I can also be engaged to act as Project Manager, to monitor the build process and ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible.

These are plans showing the precise location of every single plant and tree in your newly-designed garden. They provide a complete map for planting up the garden. Plant selection requires expertise and has to take into account the specific growing conditions found in each particular site. A variety of plant material is chosen to provide year-round interest, to reflect your preferences and style and to create beautiful plant combinations. I also provide a written Plant Schedule, listing all varieties, sizes and quantities, to enable accurate ordering from Nurseries.

When all of the hard landscaping is in place and the contractors have left the site, it is time for me to plant up your garden. This is the most transformative stage, especially when the trees and structural plants start to go in. I plant everything with the greatest care and attention, to ensure that the garden gets off to the best possible start.

Once your new garden is complete, you may choose to commission a Maintenance Schedule. This is a reference document, specific to your individual garden, setting out exactly how to care for your new plants in order to keep them looking their best. I also offer additional Consultation visits as the garden matures, so that we can edit and refresh the planting and make any changes that may be necessary.