Why a garden designer pays for itself
The best time to get a garden right is before anyone picks up a spade.
Start with how you want to use the garden
Most people have a picture in their head of what they'd like. A designer turns that picture into a plan: where you'll sit, what you'll see from the kitchen window, how you want it to feel when you step outside.
Then comes the part that makes it work. Plants and materials that suit your soil, your light and the way you live, drawn up clearly enough that the build is simple to follow.
Planting is what makes a garden feel good
Plants are what turn a patch of ground into somewhere you want to be: somewhere to slow down, to watch the seasons change, to feel better for having been outside. Planting is Naomi's passion, and it shapes every garden she designs.
Plants chosen for a changing climate
Winters are getting wetter and summers are getting drier. A border that coped fine in the past can struggle with both. Naomi chooses plants, and especially trees, that will cope with wet winters and dry summers, because a tree is a decision you live with for a long time.
See how planting design works →Know what you're getting before work starts
With a finished design, you can see the whole plan before anything is dug up. The detailed drawings come with a written scope of works and a full list of materials and quantities, so your landscaper knows exactly what to build and can price it accurately.
If it's more than you'd like to spend, Naomi will work with you to scale it back, keeping what matters most to you. She can do the planting at the end too, and she's happy to keep an eye on the build if that helps.
See what Naomi's garden design service includes →
Naomi was excellent in her approach and presentation. She worked with us to understand what we needed and how best to achieve it, even within a limited budget. She was happy to allow freedom and flexibility enabling us to develop ideas with helpful input and suggestions.
Questions people ask
- Isn't it cheaper to get a landscaper to design and build it?
- A landscaper is brilliant at building. A designer gives the garden the thinking it needs first: how you'll use it, which plants will thrive, and drawings that show exactly what to build. Changing your mind is much easier on paper than halfway through a build.
- What if the design comes back over my budget?
- Tell Naomi. Scaling a design back to fit a budget is normal, and it's much easier to do on paper than halfway through a build.
- Can Naomi do the planting?
- Yes, if you'd like her to. The plants are sourced and planted to the design, so the garden finishes as it was drawn.
- Does Naomi stay involved once the build starts?
- If you'd like her to. Naomi is happy to keep an eye on the build, check the work against the design and answer questions as they come up.
Start with how you'd like to use your garden
Tell Naomi what you have in mind. She reads every enquiry herself.
- RHS Chelsea Silver-Gilt
- London College of Garden Design
