Frequently Asked Questions

When you have a compact space to work with but still need use of the garden, a professional garden designer is trained to maximise the space and create ideas no matter whether it’s a balcony garden or a huge parkland project.

Engaging a designer will always save you money and mistakes in the long run. 

They will ensure your budget is used to its best effect, plants are correctly chosen for each section and designs are drafted to fit everything in that is possible.

We will advise you with the best value ideas based on the budget you give us.  We will also work out how you can do the work in stages, so that you can complete separate elements when you have saved a bit more budget.

We are transparent with our pricing which makes it easy for you to budget.

Yes absolutely. We are first and foremost a design studio.

We can simply prepare all the designs, drawings and documentation and share them with your landscaper.

We can be retained should your contractor have any questions before, during or after the build for advice or guidance on the design.

Yes absolutely. For a few plants, we encourage it.

You can either purchase them yourselves using quantities from the list supplied on our Planting Plans OR you can give them to your landscaper to order from their own sources.

Our clients use us when they want to secure trade discounts and take away the hassle of purchasing and checking a large quantity of plants.  Our suppliers deliver direct to your door.

We also supply quality pots and containers for the jobs that require them.

Garden makeover TV programmes show lovely gardens which are unrealistic to achieve on a normal person’s budget.

If you take into account the labour man hours, the size and volume of the large mature plants they bring in and the amount of work that goes into the hard and soft landscaping in a few short days, you will not see much change from £150,000. Anyone can do that given those unlimited resources.

The art of good garden design is to create magic with whatever budget the customer has available at the time, whether it’s £1,000 or many thousands more.

Designers will discuss ballpark costs with you in your initial consultation. This helps you to think about what is important and how much you want to spend.

We will be open with how much things cost these days, which things are worth investing in and which are not.

Spreading your project over time is also a good way to manage cashflow.

It depends on the nature of the project but as a general rule...

Gardens can be 'designed' at any time of year.

'Building' the garden can begin in early Spring when the weather improves.

'Planting up' any garden is best undertaken when the weather and soil are warming up.

Planning a full garden redesign from scratch, should therefore be undertaken in the Autumn and Winter prior, ready to start building or planting as the new season arrives and weather conditions improve.

For large projects where there is building work for a new house/extension, we recommend you get My Garden Designer involved as early as possible.

All domestic gardens are created based on the structure and architecture of the property. So the sooner the designer is able to see the plans, the earlier they can start working with you to consider ideas.

Waiting for a house to be built before thinking about the outside can lead to unnecessary delays.

Nowadays councils are asking for landscape designs as part of any new build home application.