Why design your garden?

Would you build a house without any plans? This may be an extreme example but your garden is a site which could have a number of structures built on it which need to be carefully considered before starting to build. Gardens which have no plans are usually self evident and unfortunately are very common.

Why use a garden designer?

A good garden designer should be able to listen to your thoughts and ideas and get a good undserstanding of your likes and dislikes. The designer should then be able to look at your garden and come up with a design that is right for your site and meets your dreams for your garden. It is very important that whatever is designed for your garden can actually be built, fits your budget, and gives you what you are looking for.

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. Very often a landscaping company will not have much design expertise and will rely on you to give firm guidance on design before they can quote.

If you establish one design first, normally a very small investment compared to building your garden, you will receive quotations for the same garden that you can compare, and most importantly you will end up with a garden that you really wanted from the start of the process. A good designer can help you with advice on what price you can expect to pay for your garden and what landscapers would be recommended to quote for the build. You may want your designer to take over the whole process for you from engaging a landscaper, supervising the build, and organising your ongoing garden maintenance.

Why use Plots and Plants?

Plots and Plants have an excellent track record of designing and building high quality gardens in Winchester for over 15 years. Our qualified 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 review of photography of other gardens and testimonials
• a walkthrough of a 3D garden design

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
• a 3D walkthrough of your garden design
• 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
• construction notes on how your garden should be built
• planting plans (optional)
• pricing guidance (optional)

Once you have your design Peter will be delighted to help you with any aspects of having your garden built.

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