Richard Cussons

How A Garden Designer Can Transform Your Garden

If you are thinking of employing a garden designer then this article will help you make the right decision...

Many fine gardens evolve gradually  through the  loving attention of their owners with little or no outside help.  But when it comes to creating a new garden, or taking over an existing one that  has fallen on hard times or that  does not suit your taste or needs, it is well worth seeking  advice from a professional garden designer.

The issues involved  can be surprisingly complex, from drainage and construction through to siting trees and planting a border. How to deal with slopes and levels? How to forge a harmonious relationship between house, garden and surrounding landscape? What materials to use?  How large to make a patio or pergola, how to site a water feature, pond or lake?   How and where  to incorporate outdoor lighting? Might planning permission be needed for any of this, and what order of costs might be involved?

Some of these questions might be answered by a knowledgeable gardener, others by a landscaper or builder, but for professional advice covering the whole process of planning and making a garden it is best to consult a qualified garden designer.  Of course, before engaging any professional advisor you should first check their credentials and satisfy yourself that they are someone you can trust to interpret your brief in a sympathetic manner.  The Society of Garden Designers, now celebrating its 25th year, is the only professional body in the UK devoted solely to garden design.  Registered members have had their work individually assessed  and must adhere to a code of professional practice. In the United States the equivalent body is the APLD (Association of Professional Landscape Designers).

A professional garden designer will listen carefully to your wishes  before making any detailed proposals; time spent discussing  practical needs and your likes and dislikes will help achieve a result that both you and the designer can be excited by.  The  hoped-for reaction from a client when they see that first presentation plan is “I never imagined anything quite like that, but it's exactly what I want”.

Beautifully drawn plans are all very well, but can they be put into practice?  A garden designer will have thought through the practical implications of his proposals, including  cost.  He will be able to provide detailed working drawings and to source  materials and plants, giving you a much wider choice than could be found at your local garden centre or builder's merchant.  He will be able to find or recommend  contractors to carry out the work, with costs and specifications agreed beforehand.

There is no denying  that creating a garden  can be  expensive: expect to spend  about the same on a new garden as on a complete new kitchen. Having detailed plans puts you in control and reduces the risk of unforeseen extra costs.  A well designed garden makes good use of space that might have been wasted, making a small plot seem bigger and a large uninteresting space more intimate.  The benefits of a new garden go on improving over time - planting typically takes three to five years to mature, for a larger garden ten years or more.  Research shows that  patients who have access to a garden, even if they can only look at it from a hospital bed, recover more quickly than those who do not, confirming  what gardeners have known all along: gardens are good for you.

Article Tags: Garden Designer

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