Your Garden Planning

You are finally in your new home - and at last you have a clear head for planning your outside space. Here I answer FAQs about garden planning and garden design.

I get it: You just want to get started. Finally something green instead of a building site - I know that feeling well. However, as a garden designer with over 10 years‘ experience, I advise investing significant time and energy in the planning stage before actually starting.

There are two reasons for this:

Firstly, we work out together how your aspirations can best be met. How do you want your garden to feel? Where are the best places for all the different things you want? Which colours, which materials? If everything is right, it will be a garden that fits both you and your lifestyle.

Then we have to check the site's technical aspects. Where is the water going to drain away after a heavy shower? Which natural stones are suitable for a north-facing terrace? How dense can the planting be and which plants can tolerate long dry summers when you are on holiday?

If all these things are thought through properly, expensive mistakes are avoided, the construction phase runs smoother and the end result will be something truly special.

Design and plant knowledge are my areas of expertise. For a landscaper the expertise normally lies in constructing with designs and plants being secondary.

I work independently from manufacturers and suppliers, so am able to suggest the best possible product for the client. Sometimes, landscapers are tied to certain manufacturers so have limited product selections.

The main focus of my work is the planning process. Once the plan is ready, I’m happy to help you find a suitable landscaping company and accompany the implementation and planting on site. 

Depending on the option you choose, I can either work with you to provide a garden concept or a detailed garden plan for your dream garden or accompany you along the whole journey until the garden is built. I also offer a planting service that can be added to these packages. To find out more about my different design packages click below.

The best way to get started on the path towards your garden is a 20-minute telephone consultation - in English or German as you wish. This is free of charge and there is no commitment. 

Sometimes the garden concept is ready four weeks after the site visit and the garden plan, with all the details, is complete after ten. However, I've had complex projects lasting much longer - up to six months - depending on how much there is to be discussed and decided.

For each step I give you plenty of time so you can make the right decision rather than simply a quick decision. Your garden is being designed for decades and will add to your happiness for a long time to come so it pays to take the time to get it just right.

The traditional planning time is the winter months between November and February so that as soon as the ground thaws in the spring, you can get straight to work.

However, garden designers and construction companies are often booked up months in advance. Therefore, it is worthwhile to start planning your garden as soon as possible so you can book the contractors before someone else does! 

The cost of a garden design varies depending on the size and complexity of the project. As a rough guide, for a detailed garden plan 10-15% of the construction costs are often quoted for the design work.

In most cases, the Garden Design option costs between 2,700€ and 4,200€ - depending on the details of the design brief and the challenges of the site. For the Garden Concept you can expect to pay around half of what the Garden Design would cost. 

In addition to the planting ideas given in the Garden Design and Garden Concept, the Planting Plan defines the number and exact place of plants in the border, including ready-to-shop lists and links to my favorite local and online plant nurseries. Planning a 50m² border would cost roughly 400€. 

Costs vary massively and it is easy to see why - planting wild flower meadows is far cheaper than building natural stone walls, putting up a fence requires different work to planting a hedge.

Often smaller gardens are not much cheaper than larger gardens as they have a similar number of elements, just in a smaller space. For the projects I have worked on since 2009 the construction costs have been between 32,000€ and 75,000€. 

Making sure you stay inside your budget is part of my job. I also use my expertise to ensure you get the most for your money. I can help you decide where splashing out is worth it and where going for the cheaper option makes more sense.

Plant pots, perennials, grasses, entire trees, decoration, lighting and furniture - you have just as much choice on your roof terrace as in a garden. 

Depending on the size of the terrace, the choice of products & materials and the extent of the planting, the costs for planning and installation normally range from 3,000€ to 35,000€. 

Your ideas for your garden are based on you, your tastes and your lifestyle and it is exactly these things that I gear my service towards. Good garden design does not mean that your garden or roof terrace ends up looking exactly like an #instagarden - but that it fits you, your aspirations and your requirements. 

It’s also important that the chemistry is right. The collaboration between us lasts months and we work very closely together to find the best possible formula for your garden. You can find out more about me in the link below or make a telephone appointment to start to get to know me. 

The most important thing to think about is: How do I want to feel when I open the patio door and enter my new favourite place? Or when I come home and open the garden gate? What will be there? How will it sound? How will it smell?

To make it easier for me to understand your vision, collect ideas and images that you like from books or magazines, on Pinterest or, my personal favourite, in an ideabook on Houzz.