Garden Design Consultation

 The initial consultation is a chance for me to meet with you and have a good look around your existing garden and take a few notes. I will then have a chat with you about the type of garden you would like. It may be a cottage style, contemporary, formal, wildlife friendly etc.,
​I should already have received a completed questionnaire prior to my first visit so I will already have an idea of what you are looking for. I will then arrange to come back and take full detailed measurements for the site assessment.
​There is no fee for this initial consultation.
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Site Assessment & Base Plan

This is when I return and take full site details and measurements, this can be a fairly simple process if it is a small garden with little in it or a few hours if it is a large or complex garden. This allows me to draw an accurate to scale site plan which will be my template for the whole design as it shows what is already there, what will be removed, what will be kept in place & what will  be moved. This will be a 2D drawing either by hand or using Autocad.
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Bubble Plan & Concept Drawing

   This is where I take the Base Plan and start using my design ideas, I am likely to sketch numerous bubble plans until I get a design I am happy with. I will then move on to the Concept drawing and moodboard, this is the point where I will start to show you our design so that we can discuss it and amend anything following those discussions. The concept may be presented to you as a colour-rendered hand-drawn plan,  hand-sketched views or an Autocad drawing.  The concept plan shows the main features, suggested hard landscaping,  the planting style and maybe a mood board of images and hand written text to further describe the design.
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Example of a Moodboard

​Detailed Garden Design

After completing the garden concepts with you, I will produce your detailed garden design. This will be a 2D plan of your garden and will feature all aspects of the design in a format from which the garden can be constructed. We can include a full and detailed planting plan and aftercare instructions for each plant should you require it.

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There is a fee for getting to this process. Prices start from £250 and will be quoted depending on the size of the garden and the amount of work required.
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Implementation

​ After completion of the design stage for your garden, I will agree with you the best method of getting the garden constructed, whether building it all at once or on a phased basis. This is where About Thyme gardening is different to most other garden designers as we will also carry out the physical work and implement your garden from design right through to completition so this will ensure continuity and I can ensure the correct implementation of my design for you. 
I will complete much of the works but I have a team of highly skilled  local experts for things like electrical work, patio laying & brickwork. So we do not just hand you the plans and let you get landscapers and gardeners in to complete the work I will see it through from start to finish and maintenance after that if required.
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Post Completition & Maintenance

I view my gardens as long term projects that will take time to fully develop and I am pleased to offer you guidance in this regard. I would recommend 2 to 4 hours maintenance a week for a small garden, 4 to 6 hours a week for a medium size garden and 6 hours plus for a large garden.  I would be happy to carry out this regular maintenance for you, in fact I would recommend it and I already do this for several clients.
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Environmental Consideration/Sustainability

Wherever possible, I will try to retain existing garden features and incorporate these in to the new garden design. This is for two reasons: it will provide you with cost savings it is often better for the carbon-footprint of your garden design to leave materials in-situ rather than bring in new materials. Obviously if there is something that you feel simply must go, then I will remove it and, if it is salvageable, re-use it elsewhere.