Nicola’s design service can be easily tailored to fit around any project, but usually creating a new garden is a four-stage process, and will involve you right from the start.
One – meeting you and understanding the project
At the start of your journey to a beautiful new garden, Nicola begins with a visit to get a feel for your existing outdoor space. She’ll find out what you have in mind- how you might want your new garden to look and function. Don’t worry if you haven’t had a lot of ideas about what you want; Nicola is great at understanding your likes and dislikes and will be able to suggest different possibilities.
Shortly afterwards you will receive by post Nicola’s initial thoughts and a breakdown of the design fees. These are split into stages and relate to the natural stages of the design process.
Two – developing the master plan
If you wish to proceed, Nicola will then arrange a comprehensive survey of the garden.
The design work gets underway with the drawing of the masterplan. These plans detail the overall garden layout, including the garden’s key features and initial suggestions of materials. Nicola pays particular attention to ensuring that the garden connects coherently with the house and the wider surrounding landscape.
She uses a combination of computer-generated plans, hand-drawn visualisations and moodboards to present her concepts. She will talk through the plans with you in person. At this stage there is still plenty of flexibility and adjustments are easily made.
Three – producing technical drawings
Once the masterplan has been agreed and finalised, Nicola will then produce the technical drawings. These important plans provide key details of the design, such as measurements, levels, construction specifics, lighting, electrics, and irrigation. A landscaper will use these plans (along with the masterplan) to price the garden and to build the garden too.
Four – all about the plants
The exciting final stage is when Nicola produces planting plans to complement your new garden. Tailored to your garden’s aspect, soil conditions and style, the plans provide precise plant/tree varieties, their position on the masterplan and quantities. There is also a separate plan that details how spring and summer bulbs can be incorporated through your borders. All plants are detailed on accompanying moodboards too.
Nicola can also assist with plant sourcing, setting out and planting on site when the garden has been constructed. She can also produce plant maintenance guides to help you look after your new garden once it is complete.