Garden designer in North somerset and Weston super mare

I have an opportunity for a self employed landscape gardener to take on leads in Bristol, Weston super mare, North Somerset and Somerset areas. information

My Hard landscaping company was formed about fifteen years ago. I soon recognised a need to employ my own Garden Design team of garden designers that not only designed attractive gardens, but also saw the importance of the practicalities like mobility, drainage and space for entertaining when designing garden makeovers, not filling every available inch with clutter, and to design safe retaining walls when terracing or levelling a garden.

 

I still remember attempting to replicate a large Victorian pond in a garden in Somerset. The design placed the pond in an area just one foot above the water table. The garden designer had not surveyed the area.

Or the expensive flagstone patio we built in August sunshine only to find it disappearing under water in October, despite the designer saying drainage wasn't necessary.


 

Garden design team

I work with a small team of self employed  individuals and select the garden designer most suited to your needs and budget, some are good with small garden designs, some with large gardens, one specialises in gardens where mobility is a key factor and another designs sensory gardens, cottage gardens and prepares planting plans.

One thing we all have in common, is together, we design and build lovely practical landscapes, by listening to your own ideas,  what you want from your garden and then discussing the practicalities.

 
  • If the proposed paved area is primarily for entertaining will it be large enough.
  • Do you prefer low maintenance or cottage garden style sweeping herbaceous borders.
  • In a terraced garden, will the steps be a mobility problem in the future or would ramps work better. 
  • Retaining wall design should take into account whether you are looking up or down the slope.
  • Will drainage need to be installed.
 

None of us use computer programs, all sketches, plans and construction drawings are hand drawn, take practicality into account and show how the finished design will look in your garden.

We arrange to meet you in your garden during a free consultation to discuss your thoughts, Ideas, preferred materials and design cost etc, and  produce an outline plan.  The next stage will be to produce the master plan which includes the structures, materials, specifications for footings and depth of sub base etc.  

Planting plans, If the garden design includes a planting plan, this would include plant names, quantities and planting positions.

The designer will have a portfolio of recent garden designs  and agree a fixed price and give a time promise for the garden design process.

We work with other trades like electricians for night lighting and connecting water features, and can price and supply almost any concrete or natural stone chosen by you.

This is how our garden design service works

 

Your's and our Ideas

First Visit is to meet up and talk over your ideas, have a look at your garden and agree a meeting to prepare a detailed brief and the basis of the design.

Site Survey. We will usually carry this out but for large scale changes in levels a report by a Land Surveyor may  be needed.

Design process

This meeting sets out the proposals for your garden, including areas of hard landscaping and planting plans. The plan is discussed and agreed with you and any changes will made at this stage.  

After agreeing the outline, a Layout Plan is drawn up  showing the position of the main features  and how the garden is to be set out and constructed. Its the basis for us or a landscape gardening contractor of your choice to build your Garden from.

Construction

Construction Drawings - if necessary, separate drawings can be provided of water features etc. 

 

 

Hard landscaping-  If you choose your own gardening contractor to do the work, we can monitor the work 

and visit the site on a regular basis to ensure that work is being carried out to our design.

Planting plans.

Planting  plans will detail the name of each plant, position, spacing for planting and quantities required. 

Supply and Planting - We can source the plants, and if required plant them. 

Maintenance gardening.

The services of a local maintenance gardener can also be arranged. 

We can also design a wild life area to compensate for the lost habitat and encourage birds and butterflies wildlife back into your garden.

Colours you have in your garden say a lot about you...

 So Don't forget the planting plan to bring colour and texture into your garden 

Dark blue commands respect and is the Police Green is relaxing and is used on the walls of hospitals get the ideal. The colours of leaves, flowers and berries not only change our mood but show personalities.
So next time you're in someone else's garden, take a look around If the garden has consciously been planted with lots of red flowers this can imply assertiveness and play down femininity by either sex.

Red shows physical strength, Liverpool and Manchester United play best in red,in a garden it could be used in a more active area, perhaps forming a barrier around the lawn or swimming pool. 
Use the tints, tones and shades they are stimulating and exciting and in extremes reds will actually raise the blood pressure. Crocosmia 'Lucifer', Papaver orientale 'Beauty of Livermere' and Potentilla 'Red ace' are all strong masculine red.

Yellow is for emotion, ego, optimism, self-esteem and spring, with daffodils, primroses, Fritillaria imperialis and skunk cabbage. It is bright and cheerful, the colour of sunshine and lifts the spirits. To much yellow may say that self esteem is not at its highest 

Blue is the colour of intellect and boys, soothing and calming and encourages reflection, lowers blood pressure. Its the sky and the sea and in the garden can have the same effects. Great swathes of forget-me-not, Anchusa and cornflowers to relax. Its peoples favourite colour maybe because we recognise the need for calm and logic in our lives. 

Green is the choice for a relaxing garden. Created by chlorophyll which is vital to life, in nature it shows water in abundance Think twice about ripping up your lawn and laying decking because when we are surrounded by plenty of green we are reassured. Hostas, ferns and rhododendrons all provide an excellent relaxing backdrop to other colours.

Violet is the colour of someone who prefers to be left to peaceful thought, someone who gardens just for themselves and isn't worried about shouting out their achievements to others, Lovely people. Wisteria, Syringa vulgaris and various delphiniums are all suitable.

Pink is an expression of femininity for those men in touch with their feminine sides. A hint of reddish pink like Cistus x purpureus and Filipendula palmata is soothing and brings out the feminine parenting instinct .Its flesh colour also make it sexy .

Orange is sexy too its the colour off physical enjoyment and fiery passion. It can create a feeling of physical comfort and can look very sensual. Try Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow', Lilium 'Enchantment'.
 
Our garden designer will hand-write a planting plan to suit your lifestyle and type of garden.
Is it the Wine or Design?
 
When you feel tired and low, wander into your garden with a bottle or two of red wine. Close the garden gate, and shut the world out for a while.

Pick a bunch of the sweet pea growing over the dry stonewall, sit and rest on the wooden bench we have placed on the crazy paving in the shade of the white Lilac, now take a sip of wine. It won't be long before you see how perfectly shaped and coloured the Hollyhocks and Wallflowers are, how cool the flagstones feel and how relaxing the scent from the crushed chamomile growing between the stone is. 


Family, friends, the bobby on his beat, the postman and the neighbourhood watch person will all linger a little longer inspired by your skills in creating such a peaceful landscape of colour, scent and texture.

Now, if you are feeling chilled and up for it, open the garden gate and let the world back in.

It is not the wine, it is your new garden design. Well maybe a bit of both and a little bit of help from the flowerpotman.

 

Garden designers, designing gardens and writing planting plans that work for you and your garden. 

 Bristol, Weston super mare, Clevedon, Portishead, Nailsea, North Somerset and Somerset

 

For mobility garden design and construction tips.