“I am absolutely thrilled with my garden - thank you for your efforts to provide me with such an amazing space. I will certainly have no hesitation in recommending you to all my friends and family.”
Lesley, St Albans
Garden Design Services
The process we use to bring your ideal garden to life
Garden designers often separate the process into 5 key stages, taking you from your initial ideas and inspiration through to the fully planted space you’ve been waiting for. These videos and the descriptions below reflect these phases of an average garden renovation project. However, exact steps are determined by the scope and scale of individual plots.
The stages of garden design
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Stage 1 - The Concept
We will visit you at your site and discuss initial thoughts for your garden redesign. This will likely involve a questionnaire, an appraisal of the site and an initial site survey (including soil test). From our discussions, we will draw up concept sketches for your outdoor space. We then meet to present these. Click here to watch a video about this stage.
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Stage 2 - The Plan
Incorporating any amendments or alterations to the concept plan, we will then draw up detailed drawings from which to implement the chosen garden design. These will include plans for any changes to the site and hard landscaping dimensions if required. Click here to watch a video about this stage.
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Stage 3 - The Build
Clients often prefer that we meet with the chosen contractor on site to discuss the project. We are able to offer regular contact to help ensure our design is implemented as intended. For some garden design projects, we can also provide regular scheduled site meetings. Usually, this is charged at an hourly rate. Click here to watch a video about this stage.
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Stage 4 - The Plant Plan
A comprehensive and bespoke planting scheme will be drawn up according to the final plans. This will include any maintenance advice for clients who wish to maintain their own gardens once implemented. Click here to watch a video about this stage.
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Stage 5 - The Plants
We order and deliver all plants from our specialist nurseries. By working directly with nurseries and growers, we can supply excellent quality plants at an economical rate. We usually undertake the setting out of plants ourselves in order to facilitate the best possible positioning and establishment of each plant. Click here to watch a video about this stage.
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Maintenance
There is no such thing as a ‘no-maintenance’ garden. Your new garden will need to be looked after as it matures (either by yourself, or a paid professional). This is something we can help with, signposting to our ever growing network of professional gardeners.
If you’re feeling inspired and ready to get started on your new garden, get in touch.
Garden Styles
Cottage gardens, modern gardens, oriental gardens, urban gardens… there are a number of different terms people use when describing a garden. It may feel a little overwhelming.
Do you want to know more about different garden styles, or would you like to get some garden design inspiration?
Click the link below to take a look at some of the basics.
— Peter, Norfolk
“We are so glad we found Joe and Laura to design our front and rear garden. They spent considerable time listening to our requirements and ideas to fully understand our needs and vision for our garden. We were really impressed with their knowledge of all aspects of the garden design process”
— Emily, London
“I can't rate Carey Garden Design Studio highly enough! Their knowledge, sustainable, and environmentally conscious approach, coupled with their curiosity for finding the ideal plant and material to be the best fit for the job, really marks them out as the truly excellent designers they are.”
— Mel, Norfolk
“Joe and Laura are an absolute pleasure to work with. Joe made sense of our rather awkward site and Laura's planting schemes are lovely (and practical). Having worked with other garden designers in the past, we can honestly say that this collaboration was by far the most enjoyable we've had.”
— Tina, Essex
“I’m looking out over the amazing garden area Joe and Laura designed and it looks wonderful even pre-Spring.They are gloriously creative, knowledgeable, collaborative and jolly nice to boot! I can’t recommend this couple highly enough.”
— Penelope, Norfolk
“Joe and Laura created a design for my garden - actually several designs, that were at once creative and practical. They took a lot of trouble to listen to my parameters and the results way exceeded my expectations.”
— Ken, Norfolk
“Joe and Laura have an eye for detail and a great passion for their work; it was both a pleasure and a privilege to work with them on this project. It was never too much trouble to take a phone call, reply to a message or meet up to help ensure their vision became a reality.”
— Diarmuid Gavin
“They’ve tamed a challenging slope. The design and choice of materials is just right and the planting is gorgeous”
— Alan Titchmarsh
“You wouldn’t expect to find a garden like this behind an ordinary house. The planting is very restrained.”
— Monty Don
“It looks incredible, you’ve achieved an amazing sense of poise - it really is wonderful .”
