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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.
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.
Other garden design FAQ's
How much does garden design work cost?
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.
When do I need planning permission for a garden design project?
You generally do not need planning permission for standard landscaping, but it is required if decking exceeds 30cm in height or covers more than half of your garden area. Restrictions also apply if fences, walls, or gates exceed 2 meters in height, or 1 meter if running alongside a public highway or vehicle path. Furthermore, you must consult your Local Planning Authority if your property is a listed building or if you plan to pave over a front garden.
What insurance should a garden designer have?
While it is not a strict legal requirement, you should always verify that your garden designer holds active public liability insurance before they begin any work on your property. This policy protects both you and the tradesperson against any costly financial claims resulting from accidental property damage or personal injuries during the project. Choosing an insured professional ensures complete peace of mind while your outdoor space is being transformed.
What questions should I ask a garden designer before hiring them?
Before starting your project, you should ask the designer to see a portfolio of their past work and request a scaled design drawing of the proposed layout. It is also important to clarify if their quote includes green waste disposal and whether they provide a workmanship guarantee alongside separate warranties for new plants. Finally, always confirm their level of public liability insurance and what specific damage it covers.
we are a company offering all building works, extensions, lofts, bespoke bathrooms and kitchens to suite your taste. We use only the highest quality products and materials for your job. Only the best design, materials and price will always be provided.
John Makkar and his incredible team have made the experience of renovating our whole 5 bedroomed house an absolute pleasure ! The enthusiasm and professionalism is outstanding as well as the quality of work and his excellent communication. I can’t rate John and the team highly enough! His ideas are brilliant and creative- always a problem solver and he deeply cares. Thank you so much John and the team!
L.M Landscaping & Paving
Garden Design
We are a family run business and we are proud off our company and the service we provide we have been in the business trade for 20 year. We like to bring our customers there luxury dream gardens
Hello, thank you for taking the time to read about a service that can help you with any situation regarding removal of unwanted materials ( including asbestos ). Fully vetted and registered waste carrier, I have over 7 thousand followers and 4 thousand likes on Facebook from happy customers ranging from Bristol right up to mid wales who have all left recommendations. We remove . Rubble-soil . Asbestos . Garden waste . Genral waste . Foliage . Garden bushes/grass . Office clear outs . Dismantling And so much more !!! I have a number of vans to help with any situation my 4 ton tipper will make short work of most jobs. What ever you need removed give me a text or a call for a virtual quote. You can be booked in with in 2/3 days. I’ll beat any like for like quote. Give me a text or call and let’s get started.
Tom O'shea
Garden Design
orchard manor gardens is a landscaping company dedicated to giving you a professional and enjoyable experience throughout with an end product you can be proud of.
A.D Rhodes
Garden Design
Local small business dealing with GROUNDWORKS drainage house and extension footings can provide our own machines diggers dumpers etc also machine available for self drive hire
We're a small firm with a wealth of experience.We're qualified and experienced plus fully insured for all types of landscaping,specialising in natural stone paving, give us a try for a top service at a good price.
We engaged with Patrick at Rose Paving to improve a desperately unkempt pathway in our rear garden. From his initial attendance to quote and then throughout the pre-works period, the standard of communication and planning were top notch. We were extremely happy with the quoted final price, the works (as we had a few issues to deal with which they handled excellently) and the sign off - and would recommend Rose Paving to any one.
The Gutter Company
Garden Design
The gutter company is a small family run guttering business with meany years experience that strives to provide the best possible service for our customers we believe communication is key to achieving the very best results for our customers we provide free quotes and advice and we’re always happy to help our work is always of the highest standards and we won’t be beaten on quality we believe that our guttering service is one of the best in Scotland and our work speaks for itself
Hi I’m Leon the owner of westmidlands trees & landscapes we have 10 plus years of experience me and our team are very reliable and very trustworthy we other a wide range of services we do full landscaping to tree work to garden clearance garden maintenance and a lot more if u would like to give our company a chance don’t hesitate to give me a call for a free quotation we have all the gear there’s no job to big or small
Here at Mercury Home Refurbishments we offer a wide range of building/Maintainance services. From full house builds to something as simple as changing a kitchen tap. All our work is finished to a top quality standard and at an affordable price. This can be seen at our Facebook page @mercuryhomerefurbishments With over 6 years of experience there is no job too big or small for us to carry out.
Landscaping company that specialises in low mantinance , astroturf ect.
We are a hard working company who have been around for many years now and we strive to be the best and to do the best for out clients , our aim is to make everyone happy to best of our abilty and put the customer first
Family run fabrication and welding business and construction company offering all types of manufacturing and installation that works closely with our clients our aim is to provide fabrication and welding solutions also building construction with honesty and quality also help to complete project on time
What an amazing job John did. He is a very talented ironworker . Our gate looks like it was made for our house . Would highly recommend .
Dana Logistics
Garden Design
We do most of all your needs from cleaning, gardening, painting and carpet cleaning as well as rubbish removal
Pegasus Property is a local based business that specialises as being a General Builder focusing on Kitchen & Bathroom supply and fitting but also general maintenance for both residential and commercial clients through to an Audio Visual Integrator installing PA systems, Digital Signage, CCTV and Access Control. With almost 20years experience of offering solutions to meet a clients budget but exceed their expectations we hope to work with you in the near future.
The Ground Mac
Garden Design
With over 15 years experience in the trade, with expertise in hard landscapes, we provide a friendly service willing to take on many aspects of external work ranging from driveways, patios and fencing, to re-pointing, to roofing and guttering repairs. All our work is carried out to the highest standard and we focus on building a long lasting relationship with customers! If the job needs doing then we’ll get it done!!! So please don’t hesitate to call for a free quote with no obligation!
My company has certified electrician,painter,plumber,joiner. We also do gardening and cleaning.
Did not turn up
Job Done has over 15 years experience providing a full range of services. We’re a one stop shop for garden renovations from design to completion. We employ a close team of specialists in their chosen fields,to cater to your specific needs.
Hardly worth commenting as no one contacted me.
Established in 1984 Anglia Property Maintenance is a family run business Covering all aspects of commercial & residential landscaping projects across Cambridge and Cambridgeshire. Fully insured & references to hand. We have a dedicated team to get the results you require. Feel free to arrange a free quotation or free advice on any projects you have in mind. Quality assured… We work really hard to deliver exceptionally high standards throughout all of our Landscaping and Grounds Maintenance services. You can be sure of an exceptional service when choosing Anglian Property Maintenance for your next project Here is a list of various trades we undertake. Patios Block paving Driveway’s Fencing Turfing Artificial grass Garden walls Grounds maintenance Please don’t hesitate to contact us for a free estimate or any advise regarding your landscaping project’s. Looking forward to hearing from you Also you can find us on Checkatrade & Bark Daniel
Really high standard of work. Took their time to maintain the quality. Would definitely recommend.
Ansell Arboriculture
Garden Design
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