GARDEN DESIGN
I offer a range of three separate and distinct design services:
1) The Bespoke Garden - from £500 (please note there is a £25 first consultation fee for this service which is due for payment on the day).
2) The Essentials Garden - from £149
3) The Artisan's Garden - no charge
Please see below for a description of the service you require and ask for it by name when you call.
The Bespoke Garden
A great garden requires not only a talented designer who understands horticulture and construction to produce an innovative design but also a good landscaper for a quality installation. I prepare professionally hand-drawn plans and can follow these with a fully landscaped and planted garden. This avoids the need for two separate parties and any attendant communication issues and costs. Over the years I have designed and installed Bespoke gardens for a range of discerning clients and some examples of these may be seen below.
If you prefer something a little more unusual then this is the service for you. As an independent designer I do not impose any in-house styles and this allows clients the freedom to work with me to achieve their ideal garden/outside space.
The design process:
First consultation: This is charged at £25 and is a nominal fee towards the cost of fuel and my time. It involves a visit to your home to discuss your needs and budget. At this appointment I am happy to discuss my fees:
- Prices start from £500
Second consultation: Here I measure, photograph and survey the site, familiarising myself with soil type and aspect. Budgets are re-assessed.
Third consultation: During this visit I present the primary or concept plans (usually three drawings) and amendments are made to the features.
Fourth consultation: This is the final presentation where clients can view a full colour drawing which includes a planting plan. This plan enables you to obtain quotes from either myself or other landscape gardeners/horticulturalists.
Further consultations: Usually all ideas can be consolidated using the above methods of consultation. However, if this is not the case and further consultations are needed, these are priced at £30 per hour including travelling time.
Examples and working practices:
Picture below: Before. This garden had been neglected for many year and was covered in brambles, weeds, mounds of earth and stone. It took two of us two weeks to clear and level the area before any of the design could be implemented.
Picture below: After (one year later). My client wanted a garden to attract wildlife which she could enjoy from the comfort of her conservatory.
My commitment to the design process:
Harmony: Before putting pen to paper I always imagine what will create unity in your garden i.e. I consider which themes may harmonise and complement your space through the use of hard landscaping and plants. Both can be used to provide formal or informal and modern or historical characteristics and overtones.
Scale: So vital to the context of the garden. That is to say: The various elements need to be in proportion to one another with the eventual heights and spreads of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials always being considered
Time: This is the time it takes for plants to grow and for the garden to mature. Most designs are created to be at their optimum effect in around five years. However, if you don't wish to wait that long, all plants, shrubs, and trees can be supplied in advanced stages of growth. That is to say, it is possible for me to install semi-mature trees and shrubs (and mature herbaceous perennials) which are far bigger than ones found in garden centres. There are obvious price implications as they cost more but (if planted at the right time) their survival rate is far higher than smaller ones.
N.B. Although it is possible to derive 'bald' figures from concept plans, I only undertake this work for a fee. Also, should clients find they require additional consultations, these are booked and charged at an agreed rate. Break downs of quotations and estimates can also be arranged for a fee as well as bills of quantity and perspective drawings.
Pricing for the designed garden
Like most professionals involved in any kind of design, I need to be made aware of a budget or 'ball park figure' as it is otherwise impossible to predict whether all aspects of the design could be implemented.
However, if you are unsure of the amount you wish to invest I will try to give you a realistic idea of the funds required for completing the work during my initial visit. Please bear in mind that should you decide to choose me to design and install your garden a written quotation for the installation is drafted only after the design is complete.
The installation process
Although hard landscaping can be installed at any time of the year, planting is governed by the horticultural year and although I do attempt to plant out as much of the design as possible initially, some of the plants, bulbs and trees need to be installed as they become available. Hot, dry conditions are inhospitable to new plants and often kill them in their first year; if a garden installation is required for Summer I would probably revisit it in Autumn and/or Winter to plant out vulnerable specimens when conditions are less hostile.
Below, before: My client informed me that his garden in Park Town, Oxford resembled The Somme.
Below, after: Immediately after planting: some careful design and installation ensures a garden which complements a Regency house.
Here mainly mature trees and shrubs have been used. In the background Quercus Ilex will grow to offer screening whilst a standard bay provides the focal point.
Above: the garden after eight months.
Below: This garden was in a delapidated state after it had been cleared. I was called in to implement the original design.
Below: This picture was taken in May the following year as the garden was maturing. Many of the shrubs were hard pruned over winter and spring and the new plants are developing.
Above: View down right hand border.
What will your garden look like?
One of the main considerations in garden design is masses and voids with masses being the amount of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials in comparison to voids of turf and hard landscaped areas. After reflecting on these factors and others such as light and shade; aspect; your personal likes and dislikes, and the function of the garden I would expect to draw a plan with a ratio in the region of 2/3 void and 1/3 mass whilst factoring in perspective, texture, gradient, edging, and colour. I will discuss with you the time scale you have allotted for the garden to reach maturity and the level of maintenence you wish to put in.
The design quote: I put all my quotations and estimates in writing and when the price is accepted I follow with a detailed inventory. This avoids any discrepancies or discordance between the client and myself concerning the final invoice. An acceptance slip is provided for the clients added security. This is returned with a deposit (min. 25%) and a receipt is issued.
The landscaping quote: Quotes are fully inclusive of all work and materials which are to be used in the garden. Once this has been accepted a contract pertaining to all works and fees is drafted for both parties to sign. N.B. Bills of quantity are available on request.
Value for money: My designs are competitively priced and should you require me to install the new garden you will find that regardless of the work undertaken - planting or hard landscaping - you can rest assured that tried and tested methods are always employed in accordance with RHS guidelines and building regulations. Although a cheaper deal may seem the obvious choice this is almost never the best value for money. I do not cut corners and offer the best price possible whilst always installing hard landscaping with solid foundations and footings built to last.
After care.
You may have to prepare yourself to replace a few of your plants after their first year; some will simply not survive the transition from cosseted nursery to your garden. No matter how good a gardener you are, if you've had a new garden installed you'll have to get to know it and you may need some advice and support as it establishes and matures. I offer this and arrangements can be made during the design process or after the garden is installed. In addition, before deciding to go ahead, decide on a management budget based on time or money (or both) for essential maintenance.
Above: This photograph shows tulips and grape hyacinths in bloom. It was sent to me by the client who was delighted with the display.
Below: The same garden in early summer
Below: This plot in Botley was laid to lawn before I was given the brief to design a cottage style garden.
Below: Wild flowers were sown and a butterfly shows its appreciation.
Below: Echinacea and Echinops put on a show in dappled sunlight.
Above: it was possible to achieve this effect after only a few months.
The Essentials Garden
If you require a more economical and less time consuming design process than that of the Bespoke Service then maybe an Essentials Garden is for you. For a fixed price of £149 I will send you a detailed question sheet giving you the opportunity to specify the features for your new garden. This is followed by a home visit where soil samples are taken and the direction of the sunlight (aspect) is checked and your garden is photographed and measured. If you have any queries or further specifications I will be quite happy to discuss them via e-mail or on the telephone. Once the design is completed it will be hand delivered to you at your home or office and should you require a free quotation for the works, I will happy to oblige.
The artisan's garden (The Alternative)
Besides designed gardens I also install gardens in line with the practices of the 17th Century Cottagers. Here suitable specimens - obtainable in their most economical form - are planted when available.
Above: These penstemons were all grown from cuttings.
As well as taking cuttings from existing plants, many other plants are propagated from division or seed which is sown in-situ. I use summer, winter, and spring flowering bulbs to create as much colour and interest as possible throughout the year whilst employing tried and trusted principles of design.
I find this method of design particularly enjoyable as it appeals to my natural impulsiveness and it is always a colourful surprise for my clients as the garden begins to unfold.
Below: This is part of the view my client now has from the window of her sitting room.
Should you choose this service there is no design or consultation fee! If you do decide to have one of my Artisan's Gardens all I will need from you is a rough budget and a little trust. I guarantee you’ll be impressed.
Below: This is part of an artisan's garden which includes a wild flower area. The project was for Our Lady and St. Hugh's church in Witney where the builders had just finished an extension and left the garden in a state. I used a mix of cornfield annuals and non-invasive grasses to create this affect.
N.B. Any extra work - design or landscaping - requested by the client must be put in writing and signed.
What's new in the field of design? Victorian formality is back. As there has been an influx of funds going into the renovation of heritage properties and their gardens, people now have access to these wonderful landscapes through the media, books, or personal visits and they are being inspired. I now have customers requesting designs based on traditional formality but with the addition of modern plants and more widely available hard landscaping materials.
Herb gardens.
Forgotten herbs: If you would like a herb garden with a difference or would like to incorporate herbs into you garden I will be happy to oblige with many which are unavailable in garden centres and supermarkets. These forgotten herbs may consist of Greek Oregano: hot and spicey.
Or, Lemon Scented Verbena (Vervain). This can be used in sorbets, tea, sherbet, cakes, and salad.
Additionally: Mints such as Bowles variety and Penny Royal; the latter - in addition to being tasty - will dramatically reduce the amount of aphids in your garden.
I can supply many more of these rare herbs which not only taste great but look fantastic in any garden.