So what happens when you want help to make the most of their outdoor space, perhaps to create a haven from the working day, a great space for the kids to play or tap into the current trends with an outdoor kitchen? I thought I would walk through what you can expect from the design process and in particular working with me and how I can help in making the most of your outdoor space.

Lets Talk

After the initial contact, a quick phone call, an email or you’ve filled in the contact form on my website, I’ll arrange to come out at a convenient time to meet you and look round your garden, newly acquired field, rubble patch, whatever it is that you’re hoping to turn into your outdoor room, extension of the house or retreat. Together we will walk round the garden looking at the existing layout, talking through what currently works, is there are a part of the garden that you really like, your vegetable patch or some plants that you have nurtured and would like to be incorporated into the new design. Perhaps none of it works for you or you’ve just moved in and it’s an overgrown jungle that we can treat as a blank canvas. Either way we will then sit down together to talk through what you’d like to get out of the space, how you want to use it, what you like and what you really don’t want to see out there, this can be anything from flower colours, to hard landscaping materials or furniture.

Blank Canvas

The best results are where I am able to meet everyone who will be using the garden to understand how best to meet their needs. No matter who spends the most time out there, is a plantaholic or likely to maintain the garden, once the sketches start appearing or mountains of materials start piling up on the drive even those who claim that the garden ‘isn’t their thing’ are bound to have an opinion. It really is much more cost effective to play around with the design on paper than it is to move a wall or water feature. And after all what better way to make sure that the space works for everyone than to all have some involvement and the best bit, this initial consultation is free!

Getting a feel for the space and measuring up

Hopefully you will decide that you would like to go ahead and work with me, however at the very least I hope that I will have clarified some thinking for you on how you would most like to use the space or in which direction you want to take your project forward. If you do decide to go ahead I’ll come back to survey your garden, taking measurements, making notes about existing features and marking them on the survey including existing trees, boundaries, outbuildings and drain covers. I’ll also look at which aspect the garden faces, this will help my thinking about where to place seating areas and what plants will look good. Look at how the garden and house relate to each other and the wider landscape and have a little dig around to look at what type of soil you have.

The exciting bit: Designing

All this information will go into creating a base to work off, an outline of the existing space from which I’ll start thinking about and playing around with ideas, whilst keeping in mind all your requirements.  Once the initial sketches are ready, including a 3D perspective to give an initial view of what the garden will look like (perhaps looking out from the house, from a seating area looking towards a feature plant or an arbour or maybe looking back down the garden). I will walk through the drawings with you, discussing what you like, what you’d like to tweak and any further thoughts about the garden you may have had.

Sketch of proposed garden, looking from the house up to the back of the garden.

Technical Drawings

All the feedback from you will be fed into the final design, the Masterplan (a plan view with detailed information about what is going into the garden) to be approved by you. Once this is done I’ll start preparing the construction drawings for any hard landscaping features that the garden will contain, terraces, walls, lighting, water features along with a detailed specification (including preparatory works required, supplier, type and quantities of materials needed). This will allow the work to be put out to tender, whether with a landscaper you know you would like to work with, you’d like me to procure a quote for you or you’d like three quotes to compare. Meetings will be arranged for the landscapers to come and meet you and to walk round the site with copies of the drawings, a chance for anyone to ask questions, clarify any points and generally get to know each other.

Construction Drawing: Water Feature

The pretty bit: Planting Design

While the landscapers are working on the quotes, I’ll be working on the planting design, putting the planting plans (detailed drawing of where all the plants are going to be placed, including how many) and planting list showing photos of the plants, eventual size, flower colour, any special planting notes. Again we’ll walk through these together to discuss any comments or questions you have or amendments you’d like, perhaps a recent visit has introduced you to some new plants you hadn’t thought about before or the Chelsea Flower Show’s plant of the year has just been announced (I know I’m always glued to the screen during Chelsea week to see what new varieties are being introduced).

Plant List

The end result

Given how much we all cram into our lives these days I can take the stress out of the build process for you, once the build has been given the go ahead I am more than happy to undertake the project monitoring for you, using my years of project management experience. Having onsite meetings, planning in when the plants should arrive on site or discussing any issues should they arise with the landscaper. With the hard landscaping all completed the planting up starts, once the planting design has been agreed I will source all the plants and arrange for them to be delivered to site. Sometimes I plant on my own, sometimes with help particularly if there are trees, hedges or large shrubs to go in or if you’d like to get involved we can plant your garden up together. With all the plants in they will be given a good watering and mulch to help keep the water in and the weeds down.

The further out it is from wanting your garden build completed the better it is to start thinking about the design, something that can be undertaken at any time of year. I can be drawing and planning at any time of year, the landscapers can be laying paving as long as the ground isn’t frozen and bare root planting season runs from November to March (the ideal time for planting trees, shrubs and hedges). If you look out of the window on that first sunny day in spring and think wouldn’t it be nice to have a garden to enjoy this summer, so have a lot of other people and it’s likely that the landscapers will be booked up the summer.

If you would like to start thinking about how to make the most out of your outdoor space please don’t hesitate to book your free garden visit and ask me any questions you may have.