Garden Design
TRANSFORM YOUR GARDEN
If you’re ready to invest in a garden that works naturally with its setting, supports everyday living, and matures gracefully over time, my design approach will guide you from concept to completion.
My design approach is for you.
This is a considered, holistic process for people who want a garden that feels balanced, practical, and connected to its surroundings. I work carefully with the existing character of a place, shaping spaces that are comfortable to be in, easy to live with, and designed to mature gracefully over time.
Every project begins with listening. I take time to understand how you use your garden, what matters to you, and how the garden sits within its wider setting. From layout and structure through to planting and material choices, each element is thoughtfully resolved so the finished design feels cohesive rather than imposed.
The aim is not to follow trends or create something overly complex, but to design a garden that feels right for you and continues to perform beautifully long after it has been planted. This approach balances aesthetics, functionality, and long-term resilience, ensuring the garden grows in harmony with its environment while supporting everyday life.
Process
INITIAL CONVERSATION
Before any site visit takes place, you’ll complete a short garden questionnaire and we’ll have a relaxed phone or on line conversation. This is a chance for you to share what you’re hoping for and for us both to decide whether a bespoke design feels like the right next step.
This initial conversation is complimentary and helps ensure that any on-site time is focused, useful, and well spent. Before we meet in person, we start with a short, structured step to ensure the project is a good fit for both of us.
ON - SITE CONSULTATION
If we decide to move forward, we arrange an on-site consultation at your garden. This visit allows us to walk the space together, talk through ideas, and explore how your aspirations might sit within the reality of the site. It’s a collaborative discussion rather than a full assessment, intended to confirm the direction of the project and the scope of work ahead.
This visit is charged and redeemable against the cost of a full garden design if you choose to proceed.
SITE ASSESSMENT AND BASE PLAN
Once you’ve committed to the design process, I carry out a detailed assessment of your garden. This includes measuring the space, taking photographs, and recording key features such as existing planting, structures, soil conditions, aspect, drainage, views, and access.
Using this information, I produce a scale-drawn base plan showing the current layout of the garden and the elements that will inform the design. This plan forms the foundation for all design work that follows, ensuring ideas are grounded in the practical realities of the site.
If your project requires a more detailed survey or technical assessment, I can recommend trusted professionals to carry this out.
CONCEPT PLAN AND MOOD BOARD
From the site assessment and our earlier conversations, I develop hand-drawn concept ideas that explore different ways the garden could be shaped and used. These are presented as a scale concept plan alongside a mood board that conveys the atmosphere, materials, and planting style being proposed.
We meet to review these ideas together, refining the direction until it feels right for you and your garden.
DETAILED DESIGN
Following approval of the concept, a detailed scale drawing is produced to show the final layout clearly. At this stage we also discuss practical considerations, including sustainable approaches, realistic phasing, and cost-effective ways to bring the design to life.
Please note that I do not currently offer 3D visualisations. My design work is presented through carefully considered 2D drawings and mood imagery, which allow flexibility and encourage the garden to evolve naturally rather than being fixed to a single rendered imageOnce the concept is approved, a detailed working plan is produced, including sustainable, cost-effective methods for implementing the design.
BRINGING THE VISION TO LIFE
Where appropriate, I can be involved in the implementation of the design, particularly with soft landscaping and planting. For hard landscaping elements, I can recommend trusted professionals and, if required, help oversee the work to ensure the design intent is carried through.
Timeframe & investment
The garden design process typically takes between four and eight weeks, depending on the scale and complexity of the project.
Investment for a small garden design starts from £1,500. This covers the concept plan and mood board stage. A full detailed design is costed separately and confirmed following the on-site consultation, so pricing reflects the specific needs of your garden.
A 50% deposit is required to secure your place in the design schedule, with the balance payable on completion of the agreed design stage.
“Becky devised a lovely plan for the garden. It gives me a thrill every morning when I come down and look out. She took care to talk through the design, listen to my ideas and find solutions for my wind blown site. Together with Adrian she’s created a beautiful garden for us to enjoy.”
Amanda Brown, garden design client.
