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Below you’ll find information to help you understand the different elements of garden design and the key things to be aware of before you start transforming your outside space. Find some initial ideas to talk through with a garden designer, including making the most of a small garden.
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Garden Design Services
What does garden design involve?
Garden design is about more than mowing a lawn and putting a couple of plants in the ground. A good design takes into account a few key elements:
- How you want to use the space.
- The amount of light the garden receives, and at what times of the day.
- The quality of your soil.
For example, you won’t want to put a shed in the best spot for catching a bit of sun, or have a patio that’s entirely in the shade.
A garden designer will help you make the most of the available space, no matter how big or small. They’ll also establish how keen a gardener you are to make sure the finished garden is either easy to maintain, or gives you something to get your teeth into – if you’re the green-fingered type.
Cost of garden design work
The cost of the work will depend on what you’re having done and the size of your garden, but prices tend to start at around £200. A good garden designer will discuss what you want to get out of your garden and ask you about your budget before coming up with ideas.
Low maintenance garden ideas
- You can stop a garden from looking untidy by dividing it into small sections. Plants, hedges, low walls and raised beds give a sense of order. Paths made from wood chips, slabs or bark help prevent weeds.
- Growing plants at different heights can give the illusion of there being more than there are, so you get the look of a fuller garden, with fewer plants to keep healthy. Shrubs, herbs and verbena are low maintenance plant options for adding colour.
- Rockeries and water features don’t need much looking after. Avoid shallow water features to save needing to top them up when they dry out. If you’d like a pond, avoid getting fish as the pH balance of the water settles naturally without them, giving you fewer algae problems so less cleaning time.
- To save cutting the lawn, artificial turf could be your best friend but if you want the real thing and don’t mind doing a little cutting every now and again, slow growing or drought resistant turf could be better options.
Ideas for small gardens
- To create more space, choose similar flooring to the inside of your home when picking the outside tiling.
- Divide a garden into different sections and add diagonal or winding paths. Extending the time it takes to get from one side of the garden to the other will make it feel bigger.
- Laying pavers at an angle to the property instead of parallel will draw the eye across the garden and extend the space.
- Attaching foliaged climbers to wires across areas of your garden will give it an extra dimension.
- Think about growing upwards rather than outwards with a trellis attached to your fence, or a vertical wall made up of climbers, grasses and ferns. A green wall can also help you lower your energy bills through providing more insulation and reducing the amount of heat that’s lost through the wall of your home. When it comes to choosing other plants, pick types that grow upwards like sweet peas and black-eyed susans so they take up less room.
Planning permission for garden design jobs
Planning permission only comes into play when you’re building or installing decking, fences, walls and gates. You’ll need to apply for planning permission if:
- The decking would be higher than 30cm above the ground.
- The decking or other raised platforms would cover more than half of the total area of the garden.
- A fence, gate or wall would be over 2 metres high, or over 1 metre high near a highway that’s used by vehicles (or a footpath next to the highway).
- The fence, gate or wall would form a boundary with a listed building or land.
If you live in a listed building or you have a front garden that you want to pave over, you should check with your Local Planning Authority as different rules may apply.
Insurance for garden design work
While it’s not a legal requirement, it’s a good idea for all garden designers to have public liability insurance so they’re covered for personal injuries or accidental damage to a property.
Questions you should ask your garden designer
- How long have they been working as a garden designer for?
- Can they show you examples of work they’ve carried out?
- Can they give you a scaled design of what the finished garden will look like?
- Do they have public liability insurance and what does this cover?
- Will they give a guarantee for the work and how long does this last? Are there separate guarantees for different plants?
- Does the quote for the work include waste disposal? If not, check with your local council how you would go about getting it taken away.
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Linked builders Ltd is a family run buisness, we take great pride in our work. Our work team have experiance of over 20 years in the building trade; giving you great advice and workmanship. Please take a look at our profile! Many Thanks
was scheduled to come take a look and quote me but did not turn up at all when he said he would. Also sent him a reminder the day before but no show.
We have a reputation for providing high quality, thoughtful, tidy and reliable work that always keeps the customer’s needs at the forefront. Drawing on many years of experience, we provide a tailor made service to meet your project requirements.
Landscaping company that specialises in low mantinance , astroturf ect.
Eddie and the boys did a great job in very challenging conditions (-4°C). They turned up at 8am every day and the boys worked their backsides off. We even got him to build us some raised beds and put in a drying area. I'd be happy to recommend Biggar Landscaping. Thanks guys.
New Dawn - New Garden - New Life
landscape gardening/property maintenance
Excellent work completed very efficiently. Polite and considerate folks who ensured the garden and surrounds were cleared up very well. I would highly recommend this company and would use them again.
M&M Landscape Gardens
Frustrated with the sight of your unruly garden or looking for some fresh inspiration for your outdoor space? MyBuilder can connect you with a vast selection of talented landscape gardeners in your local area. Whether you’d like your hedges neatly trimmed or a complete renovation of your backyard, landscape gardeners typically offer a variety of services. These services include, but aren’t limited to: Trimming plants and hedges Removing weeds Mowing and maintaining lawns Installing turfed lawns Applying pesticides Creating a plan or blueprint for your outdoor space Adding new planters, pots and flower beds With over 20 years experience and ND Arboriculture, NPTC, CSCS qualifications, we have extensive experience and knowledge in all aspects of tree surgery for both domestic and commercial environments across the UK. As a fully qualified and insured arborist, Ben Lewis offers a full range of tree services including tree felling, stump grinding, crown reductions, thinning, pruning, hedge trimming & planting.
These guys came out we agreed on a price work started immediately all rubbish was taken and all mess cleared up professional and affordable excellent job
LITA CONTRACTORS LTD We are a family owned construction company with over 10 years of successful commercial and residential building projects. Based in London, we help clients with all kinds of construction needs, with existing plans or brand-new designs and solutions. Some of our services include: - Ground work - Drainage - Basements - First Fix & Second Fix - Kitchen & Bathroom Fit Out - RC Frame & Steel Frame We are specialised in delivering reliable and best quality services that will last a generation.
I needed my shed reducing in size urgently. Haki came in half an hour and gave a very reasonable quote. He and his brother worked tirelessly over 2 days to do the job. It looks great and they tidied up after themselves too.
Dear Customers IE-DESIGN with years of experience offers interior and exterior work such as painting and decorating.We also undertake and manage landscaping and gardening services of any kind. Additionally our experience leads to the unique 3D projects if required. We can promise a competitive price and perfect finish as Customer satisfaction is at the heart of everything we do.
Peter & his team arrived on time every time. All the materials for the job were delivered the day prior as planned without any hassles. The job was completed on time with no mess or fuss. **Highly recommend **
We are phoenix property improvements we are a family run business that has been making property improvements since 1945. We specialise in driveways , patios , fencing , new gardens all done brand new or repairing and refreshing old ones . Other works include patio and drive way cleaning as well as roof cleaning. We also offer roof repairs such as chimney pointing ridge pointing ETC and even can supply and fit new roofs if required . We never leave a job until the customer is happy and has approved the finish Job. We aim to please .
These guys were really fab.. communication from Michael (the boss) was excellent and while only small-ish jobs the whole thing from quotation to completion in a week. Chris was great at keeping me updated as the work progressed and so reliable. If he said he’d arrive at 8 that’s when he arrived. Will be using these guys again. Thank you so much guys
AR Landscapers Ltd is a local business that always makes sure a satisfied customer experience is always maintained. A business with a friendly service and years of experience in the gardening industry.
I have been self employed for 7 1/2years now, I really enjoy the freedom it gives me to take on a wide variety of projects and the responsibility that comes with creating what customers want. I believe I have a good eye for detail, and i work hard with my customers to implement their ideas. I give alternative ideas and thoughts to give customers a better overview of what they could have and potentially achieve. I like to think I’m relaxed, easy going and approachable and i think the relationship between customer and tradesman is as crucial as the work itself. I have worked all over the country on a wide range of projects installing timber bridges, boardwalks, and jetties. This gave me great experience, dealing with customers and problem solving. I thoroughly enjoy my work and love working outdoors, helping to create great gardens for people to enjoy.
Initially the completed work looked fantastic. But the following year when the pointing between the flags started chipping away, we obtained a few quotes from other gardeners to repoint, and all of them told me how the this gardener had cut corners. The pointing should have been deeper, and the cement under the flags should have been spread all over. You can see the dark spots under the flags now showing where the cement had just been used in the centre of the flags.
Treemendous Estate Care, is family run established 19 years. We offer high quality workmanship, a reliable service, competitive prices and good customer care. We can do all Garden, Fencing and Treework, as well as all Property Maintenance and Development.
Great job. They are really helpful and understanding.
Our priority is customer satisfaction. We pride ourselves in 18 years experience in all aspects of gardening and landscaping .
Neil clearly explained everything step by step so that I was fully aware of the process. Neil and Craig were always cheerful and helpful. I was kept informed at every stage of the works and they often checked that everything was to my satisfaction. Neil’s problem-solving skills are second to none. I have no hesitation in highly recommending them and would definately use NJM Landscapes again.
I have been working on the construction market for 10 years. We are a reliable company. We always keep our promises and we always finish the work on time.
Excellent job and completed within a week. I gave my ideas for a revamp of my garden and Iosef helped with some additional suggestions. Him and his team were very respectful of me and my home and I am delighted with our new garden.
A friendly service you can trust to get the job done ((( liability insured )))
The whole experience from planning to completion of the project was excellent. David and his team are very professional, knowledgable, highly skilled and courteous at all times. The finished garden was even better than I had envisaged. Thank you so much.
Over 35 years of experience paving and landscaping across central Scotland, with 100% customer satisfaction.
Delighted!! From the initial detailed meeting to produce the quote, keeping in touch with anticipated start date, great communications throughout the job - to welcomed suggestions and enhancements as the job developed. A high quality end result exceeding all my expectations!! Utterly superb!
We are a small, family run company based in the Midlands with more than 25 years experience in concrete reinforced structures and groundworks. We specialise in raft slab foundations; reinforced bases for summerhouses, sheds and garages; concrete retaining walls; footing foundations and all associated groundworks. We pride ourselves in delivering high quality workmanship at a fair price. "We form a firm foundation for you to create your vision"
Craig was brilliant from start to finish. He offered his honest professional opinion on all aspects of the job and carried it out in good time. Very friendly team.
we are a construction and landscape company located in north London with over 10 years of experience in construction and gardening, and if you choose us, we will not disappoint you, thank you
Excellent work completed by Pin construction, communication was excellent throughout the paving and pergola work carried out. I have a wonderful garden thanks to Emile and his team. Everything was completed to a very high standard. Would highly recommend Pun Construction.
No job to small we take great pride in making sure we listen and carry out to customers requests and requirements on how they would like projects to look and finish within dates that suits
I was assured that there had been weed control membrane put down under all of my non grass area. However, weeds are appearing in all areas now so it is clear that no membrane was put down. My hedge remains in a terrible state. I would definitely not recommend this firm. I have no idea how they ever appeared on Rated People and hopefully they will be removed before someone else falls foul of their terrible service.
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