Garden Design

Garden Design requires a great many skills: creativity, planning, and an understanding of how things are built. I can produce garden plans, planting plans and where relevant, detailed construction drawings. I’m sometimes required to undertake simple site surveys, project monitor building works and supply and plant the plants.

If you are wanting your garden designed, there are 2 options for you

A Complete Garden Design Service
Garden Inspirations (NEW) – one package, 3 steps completed.

The Complete Garden Design Service is right for you if:

you are looking for a complete garden design makeover
you value a creative, considered response to the site, taking into account spatial design, scale, proportion & context within your surroundings
you are going to appoint a contractor for the build
you wish to build & plant the garden in one step or phase changes over time

The Complete Garden Design Service offers some flexibility, is well considered and particularly bespoke. It can involve all 9 stages as outlined below or Stages 1-4 as a suggested minimum.

Please contact me to discuss what’s best for you.

“The only limit to your garden is at the boundaries of your imagination“

Thomas D Church, Landscape Architect 1902-1978

Nine steps to a Complete Garden Design Service

“Thanks for your help in pulling my many but disorganised ideas into order and adding your expertise into the melting pot! It is just what was required and it feels like real progress seeing it all drawn out.”

Mrs S Chapman, Baildon.

To produce a well thought out design, the design process involves various stages. The design process is a collaborative process and I encourage your involvement at every step of the way.

The Brief
Survey & Site Assessment
Concept Plan
Detailed Plan
Planting Design
Detailed Drawings & Specification for Tender
Overseeing Construction
Sourcing & Planting
Aftercare

Designing your garden can require all 9 stages or stages 1-4 only (suggested minimum).

Stages 3-6 produce plans, sketches, drawings and recommendations in increasing detail to enable the garden to be constructed and planted effectively in response to your expectations and desired vision.

1/ The Brief

A garden consultation is the first step – it establishes your Brief. Time is spent with you discussing:

what you want to achieve
what you like / don’t like
your ideas (if you have any)
your likely budget

Following this visit, a detailed Brief is prepared with an opportunity to review. A quotation for design fees is provided.

2/ Survey & Site Assessment

To develop a Concept Plan, a topographical survey is needed. The survey is an essential part of the process, resulting in a scaled drawing including position of house, levels, boundaries, existing features and location of services.

Unless the garden is very small and has minimal level changes, this will be carried out by a recommended professional survey company. Photographs are taken from various vantage points and of existing features. Soil sampling and testing is done also.

Measurements are essential if you want the landscaper’s quotation to be as realistic as possible.

3/ Concept Plan

A 2D Concept Plan is prepared in response to the previous stages.

It proposes the spatial design of the site, a response to your brief and my assessment of the site
3D visualisations are prepared – either sketches or using CAD software
We meet to discuss my proposals, your feedback is taken into account to make any approved changes
After this meeting a more targeted and detailed design is prepared

4/ Presentation Plan

A final master plan is developed using Computer Aided Drawing (CAD) software. It will provide sufficient detail for the garden to be realised and a budget prepared. To understand the Presentation Plan, one has to imagine it as a ‘birds eye view’ ie as if floating from above.

Even the smallest garden is larger than the largest sheets of paper. The use of scaled measurements allows large dimensions to be reduced in proportion to fit onto workable and practical sheets. Small gardens will usually be drawn at a scale of 1:50. For larger gardens, a scale of 1:100 or 1:200 might be adopted.

5/ Planting Design

The Planting Design is part of the Garden Design process and can be supplied as a separate service. Many of my commissions to date have specialised in planting designs: from creating all the planting for a blank garden canvas to renovating existing borders.

The planting drawings are used to

Source and order the plants (correct name, type, quantity and size) – Plant Schedule
Put the plants in the right place – Detailed Planting plan

Value and Benefits

Planting is an important feature of the spatial design of the site. It can

create spaces depending on the planting height
define the mood by planting style
offer screening
provide privacy
help the garden harmonise with its surroundings

The planting design considers your personal style (cottage, contemporary, etc). Plant form, texture and colour are weighed up to give you appealing combinations.

Having an in-depth knowledge of plant requirements, I carefully design the structural and ornamental planting with the ‘right plant, right place’ philosophy. This ensures the plants are given the best start, grow well and can be maintained efficiently.

When?

For a full Garden Design package, ideally the Planting Design is considered as early as the Concept Stage.

Examples are given below when clients have benefitted from a separate Planting Design service.

After the garden has been re-landscaped/built (no existing planting)
Creating dry stone raised beds along a drive and provide planting scheme
Renovating existing borders and new planting schemes introduced

For a Planting Design only commission, I usually find it is beneficial to select key steps of the Garden Design Process…

Develop Brief (inc. Consultation)
Survey
Planting Concept Plan
Detailed Planting Plan & Schedule

Sometimes it is necessary to carry out some ‘backtracking’ of the re-landscaped garden to achieve the best results. Options can be discussed during the process.

“A garden is never so good as it will be next year”

Thomas Cooper

6/ Detailed Drawings & Specifications for Tender

In order for a contractor to build exactly what the client and the designer have agreed, a set of detailed construction drawings and specifications are produced together with a scope of works. These drawings are required if you

wish the construction to go out to tender
provide a more accurate and comparable quote
set the garden out precisely

The project should be realised effectively, efficiently and to a high standard as practically possible.

7/ Overseeing construction & landscaping

If required, I can also offer a Project Monitoring service where I will oversee progress and visit the site to check that your design is going to plan.

This can often be needed when a landscaper starts digging and underground conditions require adaptations to the design.

8/ Sourcing & Planting

Plants are typically sourced from recommended wholesale nurseries, most of whom supply other Garden Designers, Landscapers and show gardens. Where practical, I can personally select plants ensuring the plant material is of the best stock available.

I will accept delivery of plants, on site. I also recommend that I set them out, ensuring the best possible planting effect.

If you would like additional features such as furniture, sculptures or pots, you can ask me to help source these for you from a wide network of trusted suppliers.

9/ Aftercare

The first two years in particular are crucial for the successful establishment of your new outdoor space.

Maintenance plans and schedules are also offered. I am happy to be involved in the maintenance of designed planting schemes, knowing when best to trim, prune and maintain plants to ensure the best possible display. Alternatively we can discuss other options for managing your garden.

Autumn and Spring are ideal times for a one-off service, to spruce up and tidy the garden for the season ahead.

Staking may also be recommended for some plants and I use subtle methods to achieve this or creative staking to enhance the visual appeal.

Go to & compare with Garden Inspirations