Why do I need a garden designer and not a landscaper?

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The truth is, you need both!

 

A garden designer is usually the creative force behind visualising and then drawing to scale your perfect garden, tailored exactly to your needs so that it looks beautiful and functions properly. They are much more plant-focused and should have a thorough understanding of horticulture with a minimum of a basic understanding of construction. Garden designers usually rely on landscapers and builders to undertake the hardscaping aspects of the garden.

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A landscaper is usually the building force behind your new garden. They are mostly from a construction background and focus primarily on hard landscaping, with design possibly (but not always) being their secondary skill. A landscaper is usually less horticultural and designs may feature more general layouts, with more hard landscaping elements. 

 

​​​What are the benefits of having my garden designed by

Karen Davis Garden Design?​​​

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• With over 25 years’ experience in the horticulture industry, Karen has a wealth of knowledge and experience in sustainable planting - helping you save money on the right plants for the right place, and reducing the need for maintenance.

• Working alongside conservation charities, Karen has built a strong knowledge of the natural world and has the potential to enhance your garden, creating a more sustainable and environmentally friendly space.

• You will have peace of mind knowing that you are taking positive steps towards helping biodiversity, and helping create a positive future for our children.

• Having come from an artistic background, Karen is able to find the right balance between creating naturalistic designs that appeal to nature, and increased aesthetic appeal.

• Scaled designs provided by Karen make it easier and more accurate for contractors or landscapers to quote from which avoids costly mistakes.

 

What if I only want a small area of my garden designed?

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Designs can be created for particular areas of your garden without the need to design the garden in its entirety, if you wish. Please feel free to contact us to discuss your requirements. 

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​​What does Karen Davis Garden Design provide me with?

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If you have decided to proceed with a garden online consultation, a short 1-page report will be provided, outlining our discussions. This may include general information regarding layout, plants or soil preparation for example. 

For full garden and planting designs, you will be provided with digital plans in PDF and DWG format. The plans will help you to quickly obtain comparable quotes from your chosen landscapers. 

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How much will my new garden cost?

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The biggest portion of the budget question relates to the cost of the garden build itself, with the design fees being a small part of the overall cost. Some designers like to use a percentage of the overall budget for their fees, but we prefer to work on the amount of time and complexity. It often saves you money, rather than a one size fits all percentage of the overall cost.

The cost of each project will depend on a number of factors including the size of your garden, the work involved and the complexity of the design (see below). Please refer to services for starting prices for our design fees.

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OK, so what should I account for in my budget?

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As every garden is different, so too is every client’s wish list.

Below are factors to consider in your budget. If you do not want to compromise on your wish list, you could also consider working in stages over a period of time, which we can work through together and plan accordingly.

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• Your wish list –The more features on your list, the higher the installation costs.

• Topography – level ground is easier to work on than sloping sites, and retaining walls are not a cheap undertaking. 

• Access - Is there easy access into your garden or is there minimal access requiring a more time-consuming/labour intensive approach?

• Size of the garden – The scale of your garden affects the costs considerably.

• Labour costs, materials and plant hire – It takes a skilled workforce and a host of materials and equipment to create your design. The average rate of a labourer alone can cost between £200-£300 per day for example.

• Planting – the square meterage of ground to be planted has a strong correlation with costs.

 

In summary, estimated costs from various websites suggests the average garden landscape project within the UK typically ranges between £8-£10k for an 100m2 garden, but can vary significantly depending on some of the factors mentioned above. 

 

How can Karen Davis Garden Design help to reduce costs?

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• As part of the sustainable approach to all designs, Karen offers advice and design solutions by retaining as many of the existing features of the garden as possible, thus reducing costs of hard and soft landscaping.

• Karen works with the existing soil type, where possible, and creates planting schemes that will suit your garden, reducing the need for soil amendments. 

• Karen's designs provide a clear vision of the garden you are creating, which avoids guesswork in materials and saves you money in the long run.

•  Karen can help to find design solutions and suggest alternative ways to keep within your budget.

 

Sounds great, how do we start working together?

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Please make contact to discuss your requirements so we can establish which service best suits your needs. Depending on which service you require, we will then be in touch following acceptance of the quotation, to arrange a suitable date to visit your garden, or to meet online via Zoom or Teams.​​

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