Over the years we have discovered that there are designers, working at all levels who find the opportunity to talk through their designs helpful. As well as a horticulturalist, I am a passionate garden and planting designer and thoroughly enjoy working with other designers.

Collaborating to develop a designer’s vision and come up with high quality schemes that look great is immensely rewarding. We offer a discreet and professional service and the following are some of the ways in which we can help.

Quick to understand your vision, we can offer reassurance regarding your planting scheme. We know what plants work well and can suggest alternative plant choices, if necessary. We can advise you on the most appropriate plant density based on the budget available to you.

Plant Selection

Plant selection will be informed by:

The objective of the garden design
How long the client is prepared to wait for the garden to reach maturity
The skills of the maintenance team looking after the garden
The budget available
Maintenance the client is willing to undertake looking after their garden.
Time of year, as this will influence plant costs and availability

Maintenance

Generally clients are happy to invest in a garden but less happy with the cost of maintaining it. If your client is struggling with the anticipated maintenance cost of the new design, we can make suggestions as to how to simplify the planting design to make it more affordable to maintain without impacting on the gardens visual appeal. It’s also important to determine whether the garden requires any specialist skills to look after it? Clients will often be looking to control the cost of their gardening staff and training in specific skills is a cost effective solution.

Irrigation

Different types of planting require different amounts of water. Understanding whether irrigation is an essential long-term requirement or required only to ensure establishment and how many irrigation zones the garden may need is key. If budget is an issue, we can look at how the planting scheme be simplified to reduce the cost of the irrigation installation.

Logistical Advice

There is a growing desire from clients for the instant garden. We often advise designers on what is both possible and practical along with the costs associated with installing larger specimens. We can also advise on issues regarding soil and drainage, timing of installation and issues associated with working alongside other contractors.