Initial Visit
Every garden needs an free initial visit to discuss the requirements of the client. How do they want to use the garden? What is needed ?- big flower beds - a vegetable area - outside eating area - a space for entertaining. I need to get a clear idea of exactly what you are expecting and how much you are prepared to spend.

Site Survey
After both the client and I feel happy that we understand each other then we can progress to the second stage - the site survey. I will need to take accurate measurements of the site before any decisions can be made. This can take anything from 1 hour to a whole day. If the garden is very large I may use a professional landscape surveyor. The survey involves taking pictures, measuring the site, plotting the position of features that are to remain (eg trees), assessing levels for sloping sites and doing soil tests. A site plan will be drawn on an A1 sheet (equivalent to 8 pieces of normal A4 paper) at a scale that depends on garden size. This plan will show all the relevant details of the existing garden.

Draft plan
With the survey completed and a full understanding of your needs I will produce a draft layout plan. This will show the proposed areas of hard landscaping (paving, walls, steps), areas of planting, pools, pergolas etc.. I will bring this to you and explain my proposed design. At this point alterations can easily be made so you may want time to reflect on it. We will also discuss details of the materials to be used such as paving, gravel, fencing, walls.

Detailed Design
Once the draft plan is agreed then I will then draw up the design in detail. This will contain both a drawing for you to understand the design ( which can be coloured) and a construction drawing with all the necessary measurements shown and details where necessary. These plans will now be ready to hand to a contractor for an estimate.
Planting Plan
A detailed planting plan can be provided for a further fee. It will include any plants you wish to keep (possibly re-sited). The plants will be chosen for colour, shape and texture of foliage. Approximately one third of the plants should be evergreen to give structure, especially for winter months. As some shrubs and most perennial plants are quite fast growing you can expect a new garden beginning to look mature after four years. A few large garden specimen plants can be planted initially to give the garden a more mature feel. With interplanting of annuals and bulbs your garden can look good even in its first year. Latin names will be used on the plan - this has to be done for accuracy.