What happens in most gardens?

We often find that gardens have evolved over time with piecemeal additions to the garden, often by different owners, reflecting different taste. These gardens generally lack a feeling of a theme and do not make the best of their features.

Is it a good idea to have a garden design?

For relatively little expense you can have an overall plan to develop your garden. Whether you have a brand new garden or one that has been there for a while, your garden design can enable you to develop your garden to a plan which takes account of what you like in your garden, together with the ideas of the designer. Your site may have features that you want to exploit, or you may need a feeling of more space.

Should you design it yourself or use a designer?

A garden designer should have the training required to produce a good design for your site. The designer needs to be mindful of levels, drainage, soil type and condition, aspect, and growing conditions. The designer also brings a fresh pair of eyes to your garden and can listen to your requirements and make a professional judgement as to what is feasible for your garden.

One approach that many people take is to call in a number of different landscaping companies to quote for a new garden. Using this approach you are likely to get a number of different interpretations of your new garden, using different designs, different materials, and wide variations in price.

A designer specialises in design, many landscaping companies are best at building and don't have the time to focus on design. If you put the effort into getting one design that meets the requirements for your garden then you will have a level playing field for the building companies to quote against.

Why use Plots and Plants?

Plots and Plants have been designing and building high quality gardens in Fareham for over 15 years. Our Garden Designer, Peter Davis, will make a 'no obligation' consultation which is normally free of charge and typically takes a couple of hours, which involves the following.

• a visit to your garden
• a site survey
• site photography and video footage
• a consultation to listen to your ideas
• a checklist to establish your likes and dislikes, ideas, and facts about the garden
• a demonstration of a 3D walkthrough of a garden design
• a review of photography of other gardens and testimonials

How much will it cost? How long will it take?

At the end of this consultation Peter will let you know what can be done for you and how much it will cost. Typically the cost of a design will range from £100 for a small simple courtyard garden, to £200 for an average sized urban garden, through to £300 for a larger garden with lots of challenges to overcome.

There are a number of other areas which Peter can help you with such as:

• provision of planting plans
• guidance on budget and pricing
• selection of landscapers
• management of build

What happens next? What do I get?

Peter will book an appointment with you to return, normally within seven days. He will produce a Garden Design for you which will consist of the following.

• photographs of your garden
• annotated colour Garden Design in A3 size using computer technology
• several copies of a landscapers version of your Garden Design in A3 size with dimensions and areas added
• a 3D walkthrough of your garden design
• construction notes on how your garden should be built
• planting plans (optional)
• pricing guidance (optional)

Once you have your design Peter can arrange to have your garden built by a specialised landscaping company that we frequently work with.

Peter Davis Dip GD (InstGD) Director and Garden Designer - Plots and Plants Limited