How we work with you
A journey designed around you
Creating a new garden should feel exciting, not overwhelming.
Our full garden design process takes you from the first conversations and ideas through to a carefully considered design ready to be brought to life. For clients choosing our full design and delivery service, we can remain alongside you throughout implementation too.
Every project is different, but the process provides a clear framework, bringing together site analysis, creative design, technical detail and planting, with thoughtful advice and clear communication at every stage.
Looking for one-off garden advice?
Not every garden needs a full design. Our standalone consultation services offer professional ideas, inspiration and practical guidance, tailored to how much support you need.
a) Garden Design Consultation — £485, including VAT
A dedicated morning or afternoon in your garden to explore its potential and address your key challenges, followed by a tailored report. Depending on your focus, this may include an annotated layout sketch, planting recommendations and feature ideas.
b) Walk & Talk Garden Advice — £190, including VAT
A lighter, conversation-led session, in-person (up to two hours), offering immediate advice on planting, layout, problem areas and next steps, without a written report.
Explore our garden design process below, from the first ideas through to a considered design ready to bring to life.
Step 1: Discover
Understanding your garden
Every successful project begins with understanding.
We’ll start by getting to know you, your garden and how you’d like to live outdoors. Through an initial conversation and time (up to three hours) spent in your garden, we’ll explore what’s important to you, identify opportunities and begin shaping a shared vision for the space.
This is a relaxed but highly valuable session designed to provide professional ideas, inspiration and practical guidance.
Initial Consultation: £190, including VAT
Our £190 Walk & Talk consultation offers up to two hours of practical garden design and planting advice, without a follow-up report. Should you go on to appoint us for your garden design project, the consultation fee will be deducted from your design fees.
Step 2: Design
Shaping your vision
With a clear understanding of your aspirations, and your space, we’ll begin developing a thoughtful design that’s unique to your home, lifestyle and garden.
Once we have surveyed your landscape, we’ll explore layouts, planting, materials and how each space connects, refining the ideas with you until you feel completely confident in the overall vision.
Depending on the level of service you’ve chosen, this may include a concept level design(s), detailed masterplan and technical drawings, planting design and plans, ready for implementation.
Step 3: Enjoy
Bringing everything together
Once the plans and specifications that underpin your design have been finalised, we’ll prepare everything needed to bring it to life.
For clients choosing our Full Garden Design & Delivery service, we’ll continue supporting the project through implementation, working alongside contractors, answering questions and helping ensure the finished garden reflects the vision we’ve carefully created together.
Our role is to coordinate the details, protect the integrity of the design and give you the confidence to enjoy watching your garden take shape.
Throughout the journey
You’ll always know what’s happening, what comes next and who to turn to with any questions.
From our first conversation through to enjoying your finished garden, we’ll keep communication open, decisions clear, and the process moving forward, giving you confidence every step of the way.
Keeping your project moving.
Designing a garden brings together many moving parts. Years of leading complex projects mean we’re skilled at coordinating people, navigating challenges and keeping everything moving forward smoothly. It’s all part of creating an enjoyable experience and giving you confidence throughout the journey.
Working together
You’ll never be expected to have all the answers. Throughout the project, we’ll ask for your thoughts and feedback at key moments, but we’ll take care of the planning, design thinking and coordination. That leaves you free to enjoy seeing your garden take shape, knowing every detail is being carefully considered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Every garden makeover is unique, but I’ve developed a clear process that helps make the journey enjoyable and gives my clients confidence at every stage.
It all begins with a conversation. I’ll visit your garden, listen to your ideas and learn more about how you’d like to use the space. We’ll discuss your priorities, budget and any practical challenges, such as drainage, privacy or difficult levels.
After surveying the site, I’ll develop a concept design that explores different ideas for the layout and overall feel of the garden. Once you’re happy with the direction, I’ll refine the design and prepare detailed drawings, planting plans and specifications ready for construction.
The landscaping contractor then brings the design to life, creating the hard landscaping before the planting and finishing touches are added. If I’m involved during the build, I’ll work closely with the contractor to answer questions and help ensure the design is delivered as intended.
I believe the planning stage is one of the most valuable parts of the process. Taking time to get the design right at the beginning creates a smoother build, avoids costly changes and results in a garden that’s thoughtfully designed from every angle.
A professional garden design service is about much more than producing a beautiful plan. It’s a collaborative process that helps you create an outdoor space that’s tailored to your home, your lifestyle and the way you want to use your garden.
Every project I undertake starts with listening. During our initial conversations I’ll ask lots of questions about how you use your home and garden now, what’s not working and what you’d love it to become – for you – for example, whether you’re looking for a peaceful retreat, a space for entertaining, somewhere for children to play, or a garden that’s easier to maintain, the design starts with you. I’ll want to get to know you a bit better – what you enjoy, how you like to spend your time, even places that you’ve been that have great memories or sparked a flash of joy in you.
You don’t need to know exactly what you want – I am here to help work that out. My experience in garden design, but also research, means I will pick up on cues from you, and your landscape, you may not even be conscious of.
From there, I’ll carry out a detailed site analysis – that includes a site survey and soil and environment assessments.
Once I have got under the skin of what you and your garden really need and want, I develop a concept design that explores the layout, character and flow of your garden. Once we’ve refined the ideas together, I’ll prepare detailed plans, planting designs and, where needed, technical drawings that provide everything required for the landscaping and planting stages.
Throughout the process, I’ll guide you to make informed decisions about materials, planting, features and – importantly – budget priorities. My aim is to give you a clear, well-considered design that not only looks beautiful but functions brilliantly and can be enjoyed for years to come.
Whilst great design is essential – one of the most important things I can do for you, whichever level of design service you choose – is guide you on how to get the most from your budget. i.e., where to invest more, and where you can save.
It’s one of the questions I’m asked most often, and the answer depends on what you’re trying to achieve.
If you’re replacing an existing patio, repairing fencing or carrying out straightforward improvements, and you’re fairly clear and confident in your ideas or requirements, a landscaper may be all you need. They’re the skilled craftspeople who build gardens and bring designs to life – and a good professional landscaper will make plenty of suggestions, from their experience.
However, if you’re looking to transform the way your garden looks, feels and functions, I’d always recommend starting with a garden designer. My role is to understand how you want to live in the space and develop a design that brings all the different elements together into one cohesive vision.
I’ll think about how the garden connects to your home, how people move through it, where the sun falls, how to improve privacy, what planting will thrive and how the garden will look throughout the seasons.
In many ways, I see my role as being similar to an architect – and an interior designer – for your outdoor space. Once the design is complete, the landscaper uses those plans to build the garden. When designers and landscapers work together, the result is usually a far more successful and enjoyable garden.
When you hire a garden designer to work with you, they are on your side – their independence means they should put what you and your landscapes needs first.
Most garden design projects take between six and twelve weeks, although every project is different and the timescale will depend on the size of the garden, the complexity of the brief and how quickly decisions are made. (I would certainly allow longer if the design is part of a larger house building project, and/or there are planning authorities involved).
Good garden design is a collaborative process rather than something that’s produced overnight. After our initial consultation, I’ll carry out a site survey and begin developing ideas that respond to your garden, your home and, most importantly, the way you want to use the space.
As the design develops, we’ll review the proposals together, discuss any refinements and make decisions about materials, planting and key features. Once the overall design has been agreed, I’ll prepare the detailed (technical) drawings and specifications, and the planting plans needed for the landscaping stage.
I always encourage clients to allow plenty of time for this part of the project. The design phase lays the foundations for everything that follows, and taking the time to get it right not only helps to ensure the finished garden is both beautiful and practical; it minimises the risk of stressful (and potentially costly) problems surprising you later down the line.
When it comes to design and build, it really does depend on how large and how complex the garden is. Some gardens can be completed in a few weeks, others will take many months, (perhaps with intentional breaks in the schedule, to give you a rest).
Typically, a medium-sized garden from the start of design (brief), to handing over the garden trowel, will take 6-9 months, or longer.
A garden makeover can cost anything from a few thousand pounds for a simple planting refresh, to tens of thousands for a complete redesign. The final cost depends on the size of your garden, the scope of the project (a complete change, or some targeted improvements), the materials chosen and the level of landscaping involved.
Rather than focusing on a fixed figure, I encourage my clients to think about what they want their garden to achieve. Perhaps you’d like somewhere to entertain, a relaxing retreat after work, a safer space for children to play or simply a garden that’s easier to maintain. Once we understand your priorities, we can shape the design around both your aspirations and your budget. If necessary, we can also look at how your garden can be phased, to spread the cost, but also so that you can enjoy the first part to be completed sooner.
One of the biggest advantages of working with a garden designer is that I can help you spend your budget wisely. Careful planning at the beginning helps avoid expensive mistakes, ensures every element works together (especially when the build is phases) and creates a garden that will continue to bring enjoyment for years to come.
Based on recent projects: typical construction and planting budget for a high quality small garden in Hampshire starts from £20,000, medium-sized gardens tend to require budgets between £40,000 and £120,000, and large gardens in excess of this.
Yes, absolutely. In fact, having a clear design can be even more valuable when you’re working to a budget.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that a professionally designed garden has to be built all at once. In reality, I often help clients create a masterplan that can be completed in carefully planned phases over several months or even years.
This approach means you can invest in the elements that will make the biggest difference first, while knowing that everything you add in the future will fit into the overall vision.
Having a design to work toward can also prevent you from making costly spur-of-the-moment purchases in garden centers and homeware stores, that you later regret.
I’m also keen to retain existing features wherever it makes sense. Mature trees, established shrubs or good-quality paving can often be incorporated into a new design, helping to reduce costs while preserving the character of the garden.
Good design isn’t about spending more money – it’s about making informed decisions so every pound works as hard as possible.
Meeting a garden designer for the first time is an opportunity to find out not only what they do, but how they work.
I’d encourage you to ask about their design process, what’s included in their service and how they’ll involve you as the project develops. It’s also helpful to understand whether they’ll prepare detailed construction drawings, planting plans and specifications, and whether they’ll stay involved during the build.
You might also ask to see examples of completed projects that are similar in scale or style to your own garden. Looking at before-and-after photographs can give you confidence in their experience and approach.
One of the most important questions, though, is how they’ll help you create a garden that’s right for you.. If they seem genuinely interested in how you want to live in your garden—not just how you want it to look—that’s usually a very good sign.
Let’s start with a conversation
Whether you’re looking for an initial consultation or a complete garden transformation, we’d love to hear about your ideas.
Working across Hampshire, West Sussex, Dorset and the surrounding areas, we’ll help you choose the right starting point and guide you towards a garden you’ll enjoy for years to come.
