A consultation to kick start your own Garden Transformation: design inspiration for a small garden
Sometimes, a garden doesn’t need a complete redesign. It just needs a fresh perspective.
Here we share a case study where our client needed help to rethink the garden due to the impact of a planned house extension. Not wanting a garden design as such, Juliet was looking for professional advice to guide her in the right direction so she could do the work herself. We offered our tailored one-off garden consultation.
The challenges our client faced
Juliet needed some professional advice and fresh pair of eyes on some issues with her garden:
- too much decking
- the lawn was particularly boggy during the winter
- a planned house extension meant the relationship between the house and garden needed to be reconsidered
- a beck running through the garden was largely hidden beneath the existing decking. Juliet was keen to reveal more of it and make it a feature, but was not sure how to do this
- retain and make use of as many of the existing plants and trees as possible
A different way of looking at the garden
Following a visit to the garden and a questionnaire completed by the clients, we talked through some of the opportunities for the space.
The aim of the service is to give the clients a clear direction and guidance for making their own choices.
Ideas included:
- Creating new access routes between the planned extension and the garden, including suggestions for steps and changes in level.
- Improving the relationship between the house and garden, informing a layout that responds to the architecture of the extension.
- Introducing a strong focal point from key vistas from within the home. This would give the garden greater structure and visual interest all year round.
- Exploring ways to reveal more of the beck, making the water a more noticeable feature without creating an unnecessarily complicated solution, whilst keeping the solution simple and safe within this small garden.
- Providing practical advice on transplanting existing trees, including where they could potentially be relocated and the best time of year to move them.
- Suggesting additional planting to help balance and strengthen the existing vegetation.
To help communicate the ideas and informed by a basic site analysis, simple digital illustrations were prepared showing some of the suggested changes, alongside practical recommendations.
The result
Inspired by our guidance, Juliet began putting the ideas into practice herself.
These images were kindly sent to us by Juliet, illustrating how she interpreted the suggestions and transformed their garden.
It’s particularly rewarding to see how the initial ideas have been adapted to suit the clients’ own needs, preferences and budget. Juliet is clearly very creative and expressed her style and skills beautifully whilst following the principles we’d shared with her.
Professional design ideas do not necessarily require full garden design drawings
This project is a fabulous example of how a garden consultation is a great starting point and offers inspiration to homeowners wanting to make changes themselves but are struggling to know where to begin.
Sometimes, a fresh pair of professional eyes is all that is needed. We see opportunities and can solve practical problems, giving a clearer sense of direction for the client to kick start the process.
If your garden needs a rethink and you don’t want a comprehensive garden design, a consultation could be the right place to help you move forwards.
