Our Services

Garden Mentoring

We have started up a brand new service for those who are feeling daunted by looking after their garden, whether or not it has been designed by us.

Increasingly we are asked by our clients to provide a checklist on many aspects of the aftercare of the garden including shrub and herbaceous borders, hedges, trees, lawns and meadows, water features and above all, pruning. We can provide such a list of does and don’ts but have discovered that our one-to-one mentoring service gives most benefit to the client. It is the ideal chance to get to grips with the garden and actually enjoy looking after it yourself.

Usually this service would involve about four seasonal visits to the garden to carry out and demonstrate techniques with the client. By the end of this and armed with a set of personalised instructions we are no longer needed.

So whatever state your garden is in we are ready to come and help you learn the skills to keep it in good order and looking its best.

Consultation

We offer a Consultation service which may be just to provide advice on a specific problem. We can follow this up with an optional Report outlining our discussions and recommendations.

Often however, it becomes apparent that a Design or Planting Plan is required and we will brief you accordingly during the Consultation. Consultations are generally charged at an hourly rate of £35

Design

Should a Design be recommended, having discussed your preferences and requirements fully, we will produce a written Brief and send this to you with a quotation for a Survey and the Design.

On acceptance of the quote we will carry out a comprehensive Survey of the site. This includes plotting existing features and taking levels.

We then begin the creative process. Depending on the complexity of the project we may provide the Design in one stage or provide concept ideas to discuss with you before concluding the design.

Planting

Planting Plans may be provided whether or not you have commissioned a Design. Individual plants are specified on the Planting Plan with full Latin names, sizes and positions.

The Plan can be implemented by yourselves, an experienced contractor or alternatively we can provide and plant the plants for you. However if we have been working on a Design, sometimes it may be appropriate for us to bypass the formal Planting Plan stage.

We can devise a plant list using plants that will evoke the atmosphere we are trying to create.

We can then arrange (and rearrange) the plants on site until the perfect effect is achieved. The outcome is often more pleasing than rigid adherence to a Planting Plan!

Implementation

We work closely with selected contractors and would be happy to put the job out to tender or recommend one suitable for your project. To ensure that the design is interpreted correctly, the contractor may require Construction Details.

For simple projects these may be included as notes on the design drawings while for more intricate projects some separate drawings may be required.
Once a contractor has been chosen, we offer a Project Management service whereby we monitor the work by making regular site visits and liaising between you and the contractor. This can ensure that the project runs smoothly and is completed to a high standard.
Some clients will of course wish to complete projects themselves or employ contractors of their own choice.

Garden Care

In the first years of a newly planted garden you may wish us to revisit to check that everything is developing as it should and to advise on maintenance requirements. We are always delighted to return to your garden to assess the results of our efforts and hopefully to learn in the process!