The design process
Four stages. Nothing committed before it's costed.
This is what commissioning a garden design from me actually involves — what happens at each stage, what you end up holding, and where you can stop.
01
An informal meeting in your garden
The first visit is deliberately informal. We walk the garden together and talk about how you use it now, how you'd like to, who else uses it, and the things that irritate you about it. I assess the site as we go — aspect, levels, soil, drainage, boundaries, what's worth keeping and what really isn't. You then get a written, costed quote for the design work, so you know what the next stages involve before you commit to any of it.
- After stage 1
- A written, costed quote for the design work
- An honest view of what the garden can realistically be
02
Survey, then two layouts to choose from
Next I come back and survey properly: measurements, levels, existing planting, services, the views in and out. Then I draw up two alternative layouts for the space. Two matters — one layout invites polite agreement, two invites an honest conversation about what you actually want. Very often the final scheme borrows the terrace from one and the planting structure from the other, and that's exactly the point of doing it this way.
- After stage 2
- A measured record of the garden as it is
- Two alternative layouts to react to, not one to approve
03
A 3D model of the layout you choose
Once you've chosen a direction, I build the layout as a 3D model. This is the stage where people finally see it — not a plan view they have to translate in their heads, but the garden from the kitchen door, from the far end, from the seat you'd actually sit in. We revise from there: move the terrace, widen the border, swap a tree. Changing your mind here costs nothing. Changing it once the paving is down costs a great deal.
- After stage 3
- A 3D model of the chosen layout
- A final concept plan, revised until it is right
04
The working plan, and the final touches
The last stage produces the working plan — the document your landscape gardener builds from, setting out the agreed layout, levels, materials and setting-out so the garden that gets built is the garden you signed off. A bespoke planting plan and a lighting plan are optional additions at this point. Most people take the planting plan; lighting is the one people wish they'd done and rarely regret.
- After stage 4
- A working plan for the landscape gardener to build from
- Optionally: a bespoke planting plan and a lighting plan
The questions people ask at stage one.
Why two layouts and not one?
Because a single layout invites polite agreement. Two invites a real conversation — people are far more articulate about what they want when they are comparing than when they are approving. The final scheme very often takes the terrace from one and the planting structure from the other, and that is exactly what the exercise is for.
Why a 3D model rather than just a plan?
A plan view is a drawing you have to translate in your head, and most people quietly cannot. A model shows the garden from the kitchen door, from the far end, from the chair you would actually sit in — which is when people finally say the useful thing, usually that the terrace wants to be a metre wider.
What is a working plan, exactly?
It is the drawing your landscape gardener builds from. It fixes the layout, the levels, the materials and the setting-out clearly enough that the contractor prices the job properly and builds what you agreed, rather than inventing a detail on site. It also lets you compare quotes fairly, because everyone is pricing the same garden.
Do you build the garden as well?
No — and that is deliberate. I design, and your landscape gardener builds. Keeping the two apart means someone is representing your interests when the quotes come in and while the work is going on. If you do not already have a contractor, I can point you at the sort of people who will do it properly.
Start with a walk round the garden.
Stage one is informal, and it ends with a costed quote rather than an invoice. Monday to Friday, 9am – 2.30pm.