Garden Design and Development

The Design Process

We work through a clearly defined design process, as outlined below, that will take you from inspiration to implementation of your garden. The process is one that we have tried and tested over the years and one in which you are involved throughout. 

All stages are necessary for the successful creation of a garden - no matter the size. Following the successful build and planting of your garden, we can work closely with you to guide the development of your garden.

1. Design Consultation

Everyone has different wants and needs from their garden and we will first ask you to complete a questionnaire that will get you thinking about what is already special about your garden, what are the nuisances or issues, and importantly what you would like from your garden, any special requirements you have and the style you prefer.

Following this, we will arrange an initial consultation to meet with you and spend time with you in your garden. During this meeting, we will review the questionnaire with you and work with you to understand how you envisage using your garden. We will start to develop a brief for your garden design.  

You may have photos or magazine cuttings of gardens, features, plants and styles that you wish to show me. We will also talk about plants. If you don't know exactly what you want, we can give you lots of inspiration to help you to decide. we will also talk about how much you want to invest in your garden.

After our meeting, we will send you a summary of our discussion in a client brief and a fee proposal, which we will ask you to confirm before we proceed. 

2. Site Survey

We will survey your garden taking note of its size, any levels and features, such as house services, man-hole covers etc. We will also take soil samples for analysis. If you have a large, multilevel garden, we will organise your garden to be surveyed by a professional landscape surveyor. We will also ask you to provide any plans of the house and garden including underground services, if you have these, and any information on known planning restrictions (conservation area, listed building etc.). 

From the site survey, we will highlight important information, including views to be enhanced or hidden, prevailing wind direction, areas of sun and shade, paths of flow, and any work to be done to existing trees and shrubs. 

As part of the analysis, we also investigate local habitats that your garden can connect with - whether that is part of a local part or a local nature reserve - thus allowing your garden to be part of the wider ecological network.

3. Design & Presentation

We will prepare a masterplan for your new garden based on the client brief and an accompanying mood board showing suggested elements for the garden, materials and planting themes. 

The masterplan will show the outline design of the garden including the position of any existing or new trees and give a general idea of planting areas. We also provide sections and/or three dimensional drawings of the garden to help you visualise the new space. 

We will only proceed to the next stage when you are happy with the masterplan. 

4. Construction Drawings & Specifications

This stage is extremely important as it creates the details of the design all of which are necessary to accurately cost and build the garden according to the intended design.

Before we jump into the detailed design, we work with you to select the materials for your garden - ones that work with the design and also the materials of the house and/or any buildings in the garden.

We will then provide a layout plan, a setting out plan, construction drawings for elements of the design and written specifications, and state the exact measurements, levels, materials and standards of construction.

The amount of information depends on the complexity of the project. we will also produce the legally required Construction and Design Management (CDM) 2015 documents.

5. Tendering &
Project Monitoring

We can recommend and can request on your behalf a quote from qualified landscape contractors to build your garden. If you prefer, we can oversee a tender process for the build of your garden. 

With a keen eye for detail and experience in overseeing projects, we will monitor the build of the garden on your behalf and work with the contractors to progress your garden design smoothly. Being involved during the build is paramount as it ensures that the garden is built to the designed intention.

At a minimum, we will attend site visits at the start of the build, at least once a week during the build, and at the end of the build with you for final sign off. 

6. Planting Plans & Planting

Plants add drama and atmosphere to a garden and can help connect your house into the wider landscape, whether it is in a rural or urban location.

With expertise in plants for Scottish gardens gained from Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, we will design a planting scheme for your new garden using plants that suit your garden's soil type and environmental conditions, and bring out the most of your new garden design.

We can then source high quality plants from plant nurseries, lay them out according to the plan for you to plant them, or if you prefer, we can arrange planting for you.