Consultation and brief

Most projects start with an initial free phone consultation. We will look at photos of your garden together, chat through your goals for your space as well as your rough time scale and the all-important budget. At this point I may be able to give you a ballpark sense of design fees or if the project is more complex a site visit will be required to firm up costs.

Site analysis and design survey

The next step is to visit your garden to confirm the detailed brief - which will be shared in writing for sign off by all parties - and for me to spend time in your garden getting to know the space and looking for the best spots to sit in (or the views to try and exclude) and starting to understand the challenges and opportunities of the space. If it is a small site without complex levels, I will undertake a design survey however for larger or more complex gardens a topographical survey will be required. I can recommend or arrange this on your behalf.

Concept design

This is where it gets exciting. At concept stage I will provide you with a plan view layout of how your new garden could work along with two 3D renders which will help you really understand how your garden could look and feel. I will present this to you either over Zoom or in person and will talk you through the design in detail answering any of your intial questions. Thereafter I will send you the designs to mull over at home in your own time before moving forward to the next stage.

Masterplan and Landscape pack

Once you are happy with the concept plan, we will start to drill down into the detail. This includes making choices on hard landscaping so we can get accurate costs in from a landscaper. Once all the details are agreed I will create a scaled masterplan which includes all the details of your new garden design.

In addition to this I will create a Landscape pack to be sent out for costing. This includes dimensioned layout drawings, material quantities and a detailed breakdown of material choices plus laying patterns for paving. Some projects may require construction drawings for eg a bespoke pergola or bench which will be charged in addition to the Landscape pack at my hourly rate. Bepoke lighting and irrigation plans can also be produced at an additional cost.

Tendering out to contractors

I work with a preferred local supplier on most of my builds however I am happy to tender the project out to other landscapers should you require multiple quotes or if you have a particular contractor in mind. Bear in mind that good landscapers are often booked up months in advance and that March and April are particularly busy times. If you want to get your garden built for summer you need to be designing in autumn the previous year at the latest!

Planting plans

Once the plan is signed off and you’re booked in with a landscaper, now is the perfect time to get going with the planting plan. Although the hard landscaping is usually the most expensive part it pays to invest in a quality planting scheme to bring the design to life and make the most of your investment.

I will work with you to agree a brief for planting style and will provide a list of plants for your approval before going ahead with your planting design. Planting plans are detailed documents which specify the type, size, spacing and placement of plants.

Plant sourcing, planting, aftercare  and maintenance.

We work with trade nurseries to source high quality plants and trees on your behalf as well as offering a planting service. Aftercare for your garden is extremely important as gardens are living entities and are only as good as the care they receive. It makes sense to protect your investment by looking after your new plants and ensuring they thrive. We offer seasonal maintenance visits at key points in the year to check on progress and make suggestions for any tweaks or additions that may be needed. Or for more regular maintenance visits we can recommend local gardeners who provide this service.

Pricing

Pricing is bespoke to your project but I understand it’s useful to have a rough idea of costs so I offer a free phone consultation where we will look at photographs of your garden and discuss your goals and ambitions for the space as well as discussing a rough cost range for design work.

At this stage it is really useful to start pinning down a rough budget that you would like to spend on your garden. Most people don’t really have an idea of how much a garden redesign costs and cheap TV makeover shows skew our perception of cost dramatically so it can be a shock to be told your garden is going to cost a minimum of £25,000 to landscape! Whilst I can’t accurately predict what the the cost will be for your garden - much of the cost is down to the detailing and the material choices - I will bear your budget in mind when designing to try to avoid disappointment further down the line.

Design fees will be outlined in writing on a stage-by-stage basis following the initial consultation and are based on my current 2023 rates which are as follows:

DESIGN

£60 per hour/£420 per day

SETTING OUT AND PLANTING NEW SCHEMES

£40 per hour

GARDEN CONSULTATION

If your budget won’t stretch to a full design service but you want some advice and tips on how to get the most out of your garden, this one hour session will get you started. Together we will take a detailed look at your garden, where we will discuss what’s working and what might be improved, as well as sharing horticultural tips and information on plant health and ongoing care. Included in the price is a written report summarising our meeting so you don’t have to worry about writing it all down at the time.

£200