Garden Design Services

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Excellent job done would recommend

Robert

James was responsive to our request for a quote, for felling a large ash tree we suspected had died. He replied to messages quickly, turned up when he said he would, and was correct that our tree had in fact died. James was professional the whole time and we would have no hesitation in hiring and recommending him to others in the future.

Joanne

Excellent service. Hard working, polite, professional team. Lovely job. Would recommend.

Anne

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.  

Cost of garden design work

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.

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.

Planning permission for garden design jobs

Planning permission only comes into play when you’re building or installing decking, fences, walls and gates. You’ll need to apply for planning permission if:

  • The decking would be higher than 30cm above the ground.
  • The decking or other raised platforms would cover more than half of the total area of the garden.
  • A fence, gate or wall would be over 2 metres high, or over 1 metre high near a highway that’s used by vehicles (or a footpath next to the highway).
  • The fence, gate or wall would form a boundary with a listed building or land.

If you live in a listed building or you have a front garden that you want to pave over, you should check with your Local Planning Authority as different rules may apply.

Insurance for garden design work

While it’s not a legal requirement, it’s a good idea for all garden designers to have public liability insurance so they’re covered for personal injuries or accidental damage to a property.

Questions you should ask your garden designer

  • How long have they been working as a garden designer for?
  • Can they show you examples of work they’ve carried out?
  • Can they give you a scaled design of what the finished garden will look like?
  • Do they have public liability insurance and what does this cover?
  • Will they give a guarantee for the work and how long does this last? Are there separate guarantees for different plants?
  • Does the quote for the work include waste disposal? If not, check with your local council how you would go about getting it taken away.

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Reviewed by Andrew on 15/11/2024

Speedy and efficient service. Thank you so much.

Im Dannys gardening service a gardening company with 14 years experience in gardening and tree work i specialise in giving your garden the best work possible im reliable hard working and aim to please i give all my work 110% of my attention i will guarantee to beat any given quote if it’s in your garden we do it find us on yell or our website dgsgardenservice

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Reviewed by Chrissie on 30/4/2024

Reliable and efficient. The garden is looking the best it's looked for a long time. Thank you Dan, I have already recommended you.

I am a manager of the company Ace Landscapes which has been running for 20 years. We specialize in garden designing.

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Reviewed by Neil on 3/4/2024

Well done guys, you did a great job despite numerous set backs. It is much appreciated.

We are a local dependable loyal family run business who have been in this trade for the past 30 years we can cover all types of landscaping services tree and building work always happy to help no jobs to big or small

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Reviewed by Christina on 17/1/2025

I hired AW Tree and Landscape Services to do a large hard landscaping job including rebuiling walls, rebuilding steps and a large area of paving and I'm completely satisfied with the work they have done. They turned up at first light (sometimes before) every day, were courteous and tidy. They work as a well-practised team and the quality of work is outstanding. Alec and Alexander had some brilliant problem-solving ideas. I'm very happy wit the job and would not hesitate to hire them again.

I’ve started up my business around 25yrs ago decided to expand my business to other sites were professional and we do gardening and we are a freindly family based business and we give our customers our time and effort we are honest and reliable and any job isn’t to much we will do our up most to make our customers smile ? We also do gardening garden maintenance fencing jet washing and garden clearances my sister is the cleaner I’ myself is the Gardner and landscaper we do both trades

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Reviewed by Anne-Marie on 13/4/2025

Page Developments undertake all aspects of building work, renovations and property maintenance across Cheshire.

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Reviewed by Caroline on 14/11/2024

Jack contacted me promptly this morning but I had already arranged for someone to view the job. Thanks for prompt contact anyway.

we are a construction company based in the north east with over 25 years experience in the construction industry. we have a fully trained time served team of employees who work to the highest of standards. Our speciality is extensions and house refurbishment and we also undertake insurance work i.e. fire, flood and impact damage, with customer satisfaction at the top of our list. we offer a full package, from the foundation excavation to final decoration, meaning we can efficiently complete jobs without waiting for outside tradesmen to turn up. Regards Colin, Mark and the team CAM construction Group ltd

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Reviewed by Katie on 29/11/2024

Colin from cam construction was extremely helpful with our quote for potential extension work to a home we were looking to purchase. He made himself available for a specific appointment at the property, gave us some great ideas for what would be possible then fully costed it up, and even accompanied it with a proposed planning drawing. The service we received was extremely professional. We haven't been able to go ahead with the purchase for unforeseen reasons, but would recommend cam thus far.

We are a family run building company operating for 5 years in construction industry. We are located in Kingston but we can offer our services around Surrey and southwest of London as well. Our services are: Extensions Loft conversions. Gardening and landscaping. Full refurbishment. We as a construction provide all the materials and other services according to clients requirements and we can assure that we would provide timely services be punctual with our clients.

A local independent family run business that was fully established in 2012. We are based locally at Innsworth Gloucester, Gloucestershire Specialising in Tree Surgery - Hedge Reductions - Site Clearances and Maintenance. Southwest Landscapes are proud to offer a range of Tree surgery and Various Garden services covering the Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, Bristol, Stroud, Hereford, Ledbury, Ross on wye, Cirencester, Cotswold and Malvern Areas serving Residential, industrial and Commercial Clients. * Tree surgery, Crown Reductions, Pruning, Felling and Removal * Hedge Reductions, Trimming, Shaping and Removal services * Shrubs and Bushes - Trimmed and Shaped * Garden Clearances and Overgrown areas cleared * Site and Land Clearances * Cherry Picker works * Wood chipping services with Trained operator * Stump grinding - Removal * Mini Digger work * Tree waste and Green garden waste removal * Fencing and Decking services {New and repairs} * Garden Maintenance * Turfing and Decorative Gravel works * Patios and Paths laid * Pressure Washing and Moss Removal Service - Paths, Patios, Driveways * Outbuildings, Sheds, Greenhouses - Fully dismantled and disposed off Our skilled and experienced hard working team aim to provide a professional and personalised service to ensure the demands of our customer are met and all completed to the highest standard of work possible We aim to to offer a exceptional service from start to finish whilst building our reputation, gaining recommendations and receiving 5* Ratings - Please check out our previous Feedback - Ratings Be assured we have the knowledge, skills, experience and equipment to be able to undertake and complete your project from start to finish. We carry out many of our services for various homeowners, businesses, letting agents, housing associations, builders, land owners and public houses. We are Fully Registered with the Environment agency and hold a Upper Tier Waste Carriers license and dispose of all waste appropriately and recycle everything where possible to do so. We are Fully Insured and hold both Public Liability and Employee insurances. All of our team are fully trained, experienced and are fully competent of undertaking and completing the work that we undertake appropriately and safely. References are available on request. Free written Quotations and Invoices provided. We accept payments by All major Credit and Debit Cards, Cash and Bank transfers {BACS}.

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Reviewed by Brian on 9/11/2024

Frank and Shane were extremely professional from quotation to felling the tree to clearing up

We are a fast growing Driveway patio and roofing company based in oxfordshire. We are committed to providing a professional and efficient service at all times whilst maintaning the highest standards of our work. Our extensive experience in the industry make us the go to company for driveways patios landscaping gardening and roofing work throughout oxfordshire and the surrounding areas.

At Summer Gardens landscape and Building contractors,we’re perfectionists who pride ourselves on customer service! Just ask our clients! We offer hard and Soft Landscaping, Gardening, Extensions and Outbuildings, Property Maintenance and lots more! Send us a message to find out how we can help you!

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Reviewed by Jason on 30/3/2025

Had some decorating done by James and his team and the work was carried out quickly and to a good standard. Good communication from start to finish with no issues at all. Price was competitive and all the team were professional and very tidy. Would definitely recommend.

Welcome to CBB DESIGN & BUILD, where excellence meets integrity. We offer a wide range of construction services, ensuring quality and efficiency in every project. Discover our outstanding reviews and let us bring your vision to life! #CBBDesignAndBuild #TrustedBuilders #QualityCraftsmanship

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Reviewed by Farrukh on 10/10/2024

Ernest is a very hardworking tradesman. He replaced locks for us.

Its quality time! With over 10 years experience, tens of finished jobs and tens of happy clients, I am a landscaper who can manage any job. Big or small, easy or complicated is never a problem for me. For any details don't hesitate to contact me.

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Reviewed by Ketan on 6/4/2024

Work that took place was amazing and recommend IA trader to anyone that needs work done.

Methven Property Care Services MPC offers roofing & building roughcasting & plastering joinery & painting landscape designs property maintenance & much more. Whether it's for advise, a small repair to full transformation we would Be obliged to help.

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Reviewed by Siobhan on 1/12/2024

Lee and his team did a great job on replacing our roof - scaffolding was up and everything renewed within a few days. Communication was good and we got updates about when the work was happening and when the team would be arriving. They worked almost without stopping each day even though it was freezing weather, left everything tidy and disposed of waste, and showed us pictures of progress and the completed roof. Really happy with their work and it's good to have peace of mind with a big job done.

We are a reliable and trustworthy company. We carry out small and large scale domestic and commercial projects, covering all aspects of construction. We can also offer finance options.

Welcome to Architectural Landscapes Ltd. As a luxury family-run landscape business, based in Surry, Sussex & surrounding areas, we specialize in creating bespoke gardens that are truly remarkable. Our team of experts offers a wide range of services, including garden transformations, hard landscaping, and soft landscaping. With our passion for design and attention to detail, we are dedicated to crafting outdoor spaces that exceed your expectations. Whether you have a small courtyard or a sprawling estate, we have the expertise to bring your vision to life

Welcome to ashwood we are a professional company that provides in all types off tree work and hedge cutting we have over 15 years of experience

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Reviewed by Adam on 4/2/2025

Gabrica Ltd is a leading construction company renowned for its commitment to excellence, innovation, and client satisfaction. With a proven track record of delivering superior quality projects across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors, Gabrica Ltd stands out for its meticulous attention to detail, stringent adherence to timelines, and unwavering dedication to customer service. Equipped with a team of highly skilled professionals and state-of-the-art technology, Gabrica Ltd excels in every aspect of the construction process, from initial planning and design to construction management and final delivery. Committed to sustainability and environmental responsibility, Gabrica Ltd integrates eco-friendly practices into its projects, ensuring a lasting impact on the communities it serves. With Gabrica Ltd, clients can trust in a partner that consistently surpasses expectations, delivering exceptional results that stand the test of time.

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Reviewed by Malik on 7/2/2025

Very punctual hardworking and efficient person. Also a good sense of humour - made the experience better

KP Solutions, from imagination to reality. We are a small family run business with over 20 years experience & pride ourself in giving 100% on all our work. Specialising from grounds work, garden renovation, drive ways, soffits facias, guttering, drainage, repointing and much more.

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Reviewed by ANN on 30/11/2023

Job well done very nice and polite guys who came to do the job would book them again if I need them

I been doing this job for 18 years, Fencing Shed base Turfing Slabs Decking Walls Victorian tiles Trenches and ground levels (own digger) I take my job very seriously, most of the time I don’t ask for money in advance, client only pays if and when they are happy.

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