The Planting Design is part of the Garden Design process; however I also provide it 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 correct type, quantity and size plants (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, creating spaces with height, creating mood with style, providing opportunity for screening, privacy and harmonising with the surroundings. The planting design takes into account your style (cottage, contemporary, formal, dramatic etc). Consideration is also given to plant form and texture as well as colour, to enhance appealing planting combinations.

Having an in-depth knowledge of plant requirements, structural and ornamental planting are carefully designed with the ‘right plant, right place’ philosophy. Thus ensuring the plants are given the best start, grow well and maintained efficiently.

Drawings are created, showing the position of each plant, its species and cultivar name. A Plant Schedule lists the plants required by the nursery including: Latin Name, Quantity required and size.

When

If the planting is part of the wider Garden Design, it should be considered ideally during the design concept stage.

Examples when clients have benefitted from a separate Planting Design service include

  • after the garden has been re-landscaped/built (no existing planting)
  • creating new dry stone raised beds along a drive and provide planting scheme
  • renovating (including clearing) 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.