What Does a Garden Designer Do?

Even though there is a clue in the title there seems to be some confusion about exactly what a garden designer does.  I think it’s the fact that our job title contains the word ‘garden’.  Some people think we’re gardeners, others think we’re landscapers. 

A garden designer’s role is to help people to get the best use out of their outdoor space as well as making the garden look amazing and unique.  Garden designers earn a living by charging a fee for creating the plans for garden layouts and planting schemes and managing garden construction projects. 

I am an experienced and knowledgeable gardener.  However, most of the hands-on gardening (planting, soil preparation and maintenance) on my projects is done by other people under my supervision.  I rarely do any gardening for my clients.  I know a lot about plants - how to specify and combine them for year round colour and interest; which plants like different conditions (shade, sun, boggy, dry, etc); how big they grow, and how to look after them.  As part of my service I design planting schemes for clients and can advise on plants and planting.  But garden design is not only about plants.  Planting design is one part of the service a garden designer provides.

I am often called by potential clients asking whether I can give them a quote for ‘doing their garden’.  What they are asking for is a price for constructing the garden.  I explain that I can give them a quotation for providing the plans for the garden which can then be used to get firm, accurate prices for building their garden.

 

Master Plan for a half-acre garden

 A garden designer works with clients to create a garden that is beautiful and meets their specific needs.  Garden designers know how to create balance, harmony, and symmetry in a space so that the garden looks wonderful and is a relaxing place in which to spend time.  A great garden can add value to a house by transforming the space into an outdoor room which can be used all year round.  This only happens when the space has been given careful consideration and planning.

 

CAD model of the garden

 A garden designer designs outdoor spaces in the same way an architect designs houses.  However, designing a garden is a completely different skill to designing a house.  Garden designers assess the existing garden and its surroundings in minute detail.  They then create plans for the new garden layout that overcome the technical challenges of each site in response to the client’s brief in a highly creative way.  A good garden designer will be able to come up with a scheme that the client could never have envisaged and exceeds their expectations. 

View of the Pergola and Trellis

 Although garden designers have an excellent understanding of the construction process most of us are not landscapers.  A garden designer is able to discuss the technicalities of the build in detail with the landscape contractor.  This is another plus for clients – you can use your garden designer to make sure your chosen landscape contractor is doing a good job and building the garden to a high standard.  You should always get your garden designer to oversee the construction process it ensures you get the garden that was designed.

 

CAD model of garden

Clients often don’t understand why they need a garden designer and go straight to a landscaper.  I work with some amazing landscapers who are excellent at what they do which is building gardens.  All of them prefer to build to a well designed plan.  A plan means they know exactly what they’re quoting for and clients can see what is and is not included in their price. 

You would not ask your house builder to design a house or an extension to your house, you get an architect to provide you with plans and the builder uses these during the construction process.  That’s exactly how the garden designer/landscaper relationship works. 

 

 View of the seating area

Most landscapers are not trained designers.  Some landscapers do offer a design and build service, but the quality of the design can be poor as they make money from the build and not the design.  There are some very good designers who have their own build teams and do a great job, but they are in the minority.

 View of the water feature and pergola from the patio

 A clear garden plan allows the client to see what they’re getting.  I design my gardens on a CAD system that allows me to create a 3-D model so clients can view their proposed new garden from any angle, out of any house window, or from anywhere in the garden.  A good plan and model allows you to really feel how the garden will look and be used before you part with any money for construction.  You will be spending a lot of money on your garden, so you should know what you’re paying for before it’s finished.

The garden in this article was designed by Linsey Evans and she also produced the CAD model and images.  If you need help designing your garden please visit my Web site for all contact details, or email me linsey@linseysgardens.com.

Windsor Garden Design with a Mediterranean courtyard

This small, shallow Windsor garden needed a complete re-design. The garden is overlooked on both sides, but not from the back. The brief was to create a contemporary garden with a Mediterranean flavour that would be easy to look after. The client requested a large terrace by the house for sunbathing and eating, and a second more intimate seating area separated from the rest of the garden.



There was an enormous Leyland Cypress hedge, plus some over grown Laurels and other evergreen shrubs that combined to give a thick screen along the back boundary. The client liked the feeling of privacy and safety these gave.



Initially, it was intended to keep the Cupressus hedge, but it soon became apparent that if we removed the shrubs the hedging would then have ugly dead patches. In the end it was the client’s decision to remove all existing trees and shrubs and start again. I was relieved as not only do I think the old trees and shrubs were past their best, it’s always nice to be given a blank canvas.



Here’s the scheme I designed:-





Week one – clearing. The saying goes ‘you need to break a few eggs to make an omlette’ and this was Greg Tranckle Landscapes version of egg breaking! Everything was removed from the garden.





Week two and the the old garden is gone, a new fence is installed and the excavations start for the new garden. A footpath runs along the back of the property and the client wanted the fence to be the maximum height to discourage casual intruders.





Week four and the courtyard is taking shape. The blockwork walls are up to their full height and Greg and the lads have constructed the arched windows that give the courtyard a more Mediterranean feeling.







Week five and the courtyard is really starting to look finished. The circular steps are constructed and the render is on the walls. The water feature blade on the front outside wall of the courtyard is in place and the reservoir is constructed.








I think I’ve lost the battle to paint the courtyard walls pink – the debate about colour is ongoing. I really want the walls to be a strong, statement colour, but the client is understandably nervous.

Keep following – I’ll post more progress shots in a few days.

If you need help designing your garden please feel free to email me linsey@linseysgardens.com. You can visit my Web site and see some of my other completed projects and get a bit more information.

Garden Design Ideas - Small Shallow Garden - Update 5

This small, shallow garden in Warfield (Berkshire) is so nearly finished, just not quite!



Everything is constructed. The walled alcoves have had their Slate cladding applied. The walls have been painted a fetching purple - love it! The fences, trellises and pergola have been painted black. The paving is laid. The lawn is laid.



Now the garden is infested with electricians. Their stuff is everywhere, so I can't get good photos, grrrrrrrr!! Just kidding. The fabulous Dilwyn Jones and his lovely assistant Noel, are doing a sterling job. The decorative and task lighting are being fitted. The water feature will go in and be connected last.



The garden is a positive hive of activity still with Gareth taking care that the paint job looks perfect and Matt still painting trellis (sorry, I know it's a fiddly, boring job).

The barbeque alcove has worked really well and will function as a small outdoor kitchen.



Next comes the planting - watch this space .......

If you need help designing your garden please feel free to email me linsey@linseysgardens.com. You can visit my Web site and see some of my other completed projects and get a bit more information.

Garden Design Ideas - Small Shallow Garden - Update 3

The build for this small, shallow garden in Warfield (Bracknell), Berkshire is nearly at an end. The main structure of the garden is in place. All the retaining walls are built, the pergola is finished and the paving is going down.



The garden has been divided into distinct areas without using solid physical barriers. One of the ways this has been achieved is by creating two spaces that are enclosed by curved sections of low wall which have been finished with slate cladding which looks stunning. This gives them their own character, a sense of enclosure and the feeling that they are for different purposes. In short, open plan rooms.



One of these curved rooms is a seating area with a chunky pergola. I'm sure I've said it before and I will almost certainly say it again, but when you're designing a small garden which is overlooked you need to focus attention inside the garden. One sure way of achieving this is by building bold, architectural structures. In this garden the pergola serves this purpose and I'm delighted with how it's turned out. Greg from Tranckle Landscapes is a master of pergola construction and has done a brilliant job considering he's had to work with straight sections of wood round a curved wall...



The other curved wall encloses a piece of lawn into which will be set a stainless steel water feature. It is the sort of area where you can sit on a rug with a picnic and a book without the feeling that all the neighbours are peeking at you. The curved walls also help focus the eye inside the garden.



Even though space is fairly limited, there are two other sitting/dining areas. One of them I've designated the breakfast terrace, it catches the morning sun and is a short walk from the back door - an ideal place to take your morning coffee. The other is just outside the conservatory doors. It will house a couple of loungers from which the person lounging can watch the cook prepare food on the barbeque. Speaking of the barbeque, it has it's own designated enclosure with two peripheral cupboards and slate worktops. A mini outdoor kitchen.





I'm almost through choosing the paint colour. I want a bold colour to contrast with the charcoal slate cladding and bring some vibrancy into the garden. It's all too easy to fall back on white, but I love colour and a carefully chosen bright colour helps define the character of the garden without costing a fortune. I always say that if the clients hate the colour I'll go back and repaint it myself - one day someone will take me up on this!

The planting and lighting have been designed and we're just waiting for Greg to finish so we can get on with these important finishing touches. I'm always disappointed when we get to the end of a project and don't have any budget left for the lighting. After all we spend so much of our time in this country inside looking out at our gardens it's a shame not to be able to see them.

The decorative lighting has been designed to brush over plants, skim up trees, graze down pergola posts and wash up over the surface of the walls and fences. Although these lights will also provide an amount of ambient light, there are some strategically placed lights that can be switched on to give higher light levels when needed.

I've ordered some fab planters from Livingreen Design and these will be stuffed with seasonal colour - bulbs for the spring, Agapanthus and Hemerocallis for the summer, as well as housing some climbers for the walls of the house and fences. I'll say more about the planting scheme once we get cracking with the planting.

If you need help with designing your garden please get in touch via my Web site, or email me at linsey@linseysgardens.com.

Garden Design Ideas - Small Shallow Garden - Update 2

The build for this small, shallow garden in Bracknell, Berkshire is well underway and can really get a sense of how the garden will feel when it's complete. Already, there is a greater sense of enclosure and you can see how different parts of the garden will be used. This design shows that it is possible to create an uncluttered, small garden with distinct areas which each have a different atmosphere and function.



The retaining walls for the raised borders are all in place and waiting for a coat of render, or cladding. I'm just mulling over what colour to paint the walls. It will definitely be a colour, I'm just not decided on which one yet. I shall go and retrieve my paint charts and colour swatches and examine them over a cup of tea later.



The paving has arrived and is being laid. I have chosen this silver blue which I use a lot as it goes well with almost any brick colour and helps to create a clean, crisp finish.



The walls of the barbeque enclosure are also nearly finished. This is just an alcove for the barbeque to slide into with peripheral cupboards. It's a very neat solution (if I say so myself) to storing the barbeque which often ends up standing folornly on the patio looking rather untidy. The two cupboards will be finished with a slab which will be sealed and function as worktops, turning a storage area into an outdoor kitchen.



The pergola over the shady seating area is due to go in next. Metal pins have been mortared into the footings for the retaining wall around the seating area, these are to hold in place the chunky 150mm square uprights. The retaining walls will be constructed around the uprights. The whole structure will be painted black, as will all other wood in the garden.



I am currently working on the lighting plan and planting plan for this garden, more of that in the next update.

If you need help designing your garden please visit my Web site for all contact details.

Garden Design Ideas - Small Shallow Garden - Update 1

The build has now started on this small garden in Warfield, Bracknell, Berkshire. The garden is small and shallow and a great challenge for a garden designer.

The saying goes that you have to break a few eggs to make an omlette and this is my garden design equivalent. The garden has been completely cleared to create a blank canvas for my new contemporary design.



The garden gets very boggy due to heavily compacted clay soil and an underground stream. To combat this, drains under the lawn will be channeled into a massive central soakaway.



Footings for the raised beds that will enclose the perimeter of the garden have already been excavated and concreted. These raised borders will give immediate height to the planting, and enclose the garden with a strong geometric structure giving personality to this rather featureless space.



The paved areas have been set out and are about to be excavated. They will then receive their 75mm sub-base of MOT Type 1 hardcore (scalpings). In places where some rather soggy blue clay has been found we are digging down a little deeper for the sub-base to ensure a really firm foundation for the paving.



Next week the garden will really start to take shape when the walls go up. The retaing walls that form the pergola seating area and curved grass alcove will be faced with this lovely slate cladding. The rest of the walls will be rendered and painted.



Have a look at this previous post to see the before photos and garden design plans.

If you need help designing your garden please visit my Web site for all contact details.

Case study - large, long garden in Caversham, Reading, Berkshire

This long garden in Caversham, Berkshire is one-third of an acre, backs onto a golf course and has great views over the surrounding countryside. The clients wanted to preserve the views and keep the garden natural. The garden attracts a variety of wildlife which the clients enjoy and want to encourage. The idea is to create a new garden where nature and people can live stylishly side-by-side. The clients had employed an architect to design an extension and therefore appreciate fully the benefits of working with garden designer on the outside space – what a nice change!



The requirements included a herb garden between an existing summer house and shed, a paved area outside the summer house and planting to help integrate it into the garden. The existing patio was to be extended and the original gateposts, complete with decades of lichen, at the bottom of the garden were to be kept and incorporated into the design. Three ancient apple trees were to be retained and added to if possible. The greenhouse was to stay along with the Fig tree that lives behind it. At the front of the house a new driveway and front entrance to make the front garden more practical and beautiful were required.



I love flint, I was born and raised in Buckinghamshire where it is used everywhere. In this garden all retaining walls are faced with flint and stone. Flint is not only a beautiful construction material; it is widely used in this area as there was a huge flint quarry in Reading. I am going to use Limestone blocks as a frame for flint panels in all the walls. This will blend the garden in with local architecture and look stunning.



I really wanted break the garden up into different areas and give it more personality, impact and a sense of drama. The challenge was to do this without using too much hard landscaping. The new design uses a series of circles that delineate the transitions through the garden and mark out different areas. The circles are linked by 45 degree angle straight lines and asymmetric curves, which combine to give the garden a sense of movement and rhythym, a strong shape that directs attention inwards to various focal points, and also allows the eye to travel to the view beyond the gate.

There are grass paths entered and exited via Hornbeam arches and bounded by Hornbeam hedges. Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) is one of my favourite hedging plants. It’s tougher and more drought tolerant than Beech, but looks very similar. Hornbeam (like Beech) holds its dead leaves in winter and they make a lovely rustling sound when moved by the wind.




A sunken seating area at the bottom of the garden with built in seats and a fire pit at its centre will provide a sheltered area for a meal or a glass of wine at night. This area will be sunk 45cm below finished lawn level and accessed by three shallow steps. The retaining walls have a circular tower at one end; one wall has its tower at the entrance and the other at the exit. Each tower will be topped with a copper bowl and water will bubble up through the centre of the bowl. Bronze bio-ethanol torches will be placed opposite each entrance/exit tower. Retaining walls and towers will be faced with stone and flint. The outside face of the retaining walls will be finished with a turf mound to blend it into the landscape. These turf structures also give a natural, sculptural finish to this structure and blend it into the overall aesthetic of the garden.



Either side of the existing gateposts at the bottom of the garden there will be a raised bed 60cm high. The retaining walls will be faced with Limestone and flint.

Between the summer house and shed is a small, formal herb garden accessed through a simple wooden arch and screened with trellis panels. The paving in this area is self binding gravel and the beds are finished with a granite sett edging.

The shed is screened by a low wall 45cm high topped with a bespoke screen of 150mm x 25mm wooden planks set at an angle like a large Venetian blind. The wall will be faced with stone and flint. The redundant area to the rear of the shed and summer house will be cleared and widened to provide space and screening for compost bins and water butts.

The shapes from the rear garden are echoed in the front garden. More parking space and kerb appeal is provided by a gorgeous resin bonded gravel driveway. Planting and a new hedge along the front boundary will soften the new driveway. All planted areas are edged with black granite setts. A 60cm high stone and flint faced wall will form the boundary running up to the garage to give the front garden a more elegant look and tie in with the architecture of the rear garden. The front gatepost will be moved to widen the entrance. The gatepost will be faced with stone and flint. The front step and threshold will be paved with traditional Victorian tiles, an echo back to the original period of the house.



If you need help designing your garden please get in touch. You can email me at linsey@linseysgardens.com, all other contact details are on my Web site.

Garden Design Ideas - Long, Narrow Garden, Woking, Surrey

Here's the first update on the build of this long, narrow garden in Woking, Surrey. Despite the foul weather the guys at Tranckle Landscapes are making progress, albeit slower than we had hoped. Week one was mostly clearing and setting out.

The narrow side access meant using a mini digger which was used to remove some scrubby Hazels, a large overgrown Laurel, and a Holly which was not particularly attractive and definitely in the way. The left-hand boundary fence was also cleared of some Ivy infested old stumps to make way for our lovely new native hedge.



The curved shapes that comprise the borders, lawns and steps in the new garden have their springing points outside the garden boundaries. So, in order to mark the garden out accurately, Greg set up a string line from the house up the centre of the garden and used offsets to plot the curves.



The curved shapes of the borders were marked out onto the garden using Sprayline - a nifty aerosol of usually yellow paint that sprays upside down.



Even though the relentless rain has made the site horribly muddy, we're still making progress. Well, when I say 'we', I think you all know that I mean Greg, Matt and Jamie - I'm safely tucked away in the warm and dry most of the time.



The footings for the utility/compost area screening were dug. I think of this screen as an oversized, vertical Venetian blind. It's going to be made of railway sleepers on their ends and placed at an angle around the curve with a slight gap in between each one.



The sub-base for the patio was excavated.



I've used railway sleepers to create retaining walls throughout the garden. The main reason for this was to keep the costs down, but it also meets the client's requirement to keep the scheme as natural as possible without too much hard landscaping. This explains the huge pile of new Pine railway sleepers that arrived on site earlier this week.



Jamie & Matt are in the process of sawing up the railway sleepers into the various lengths needed to create step risers and retaining walls.



Here's a link to the first post about this long, narrow garden.

If you need help designing your garden, please visit my Web site for all contact details.