Planting-led design
Many garden designs start with the hard landscaping and treat planting as decoration. I work the other way round. The planting is the garden. Paths, edges and structure are there to frame it and let you get close to it.
How a design comes together
- A visit and a conversation.How you use the garden, what you love, what you can't stand, and how much time you want to give it.
- Survey.Soil, aspect, light, drainage, and the existing plants worth keeping.
- Concept.The layout and planting style, talked through together before anything is finalised.
- Planting plan.Every plant chosen, with quantities and positions.
- Planting.Plants sourced, set out and planted properly.
- Curation.Return visits to edit, divide, replace and adjust as the planting establishes.
One of my own projects: a woodland-edge border of multi-stem birches, rhododendrons and shade-loving perennials, from the day the plants were set out to the border settling in. I designed it, planted it and maintained it.
Why “curation”
A garden changes every year. Plants spread, die out, self-seed, or get shaded by trees that keep growing. A curator looks after a collection, knows every piece in it, and decides what stays, what goes and what comes next. That ongoing editing is what keeps a design alive, and it's the part most gardens never get.
Small spaces count
Design doesn't have to mean a whole garden. A single border, a front garden, a shady corner that nothing seems to grow in, or a planting plan you'd like to put in yourself are all welcome.
What's included
- Site visit and conversation
- Survey of soil, light and existing planting
- Layout and planting concept
- Planting plan with plant list and quantities
- Plant sourcing and planting
- Curation visits as the garden establishes
Questions
How much does a design cost?
It's priced to the job after the first visit. A planting plan for a single border costs a fraction of a whole-garden design.
Can you just draw a plan that I plant myself?
Yes. Plenty of clients like to do the planting themselves, and I can set the plants out for you on the day.
Do you do hard landscaping?
The work is planting-led, but edging, paths and small structural elements can be included where the design needs them.
When should I start?
Now is a good time. Planning through the winter means you're ready for bare-root planting before March and for perennials in spring.
