How did you get into garden design?

Since qualifying in June 2020 with a postgraduate in garden design, I’ve been running my own design business on the Norfolk/Suffolk border near Beccles. Within a year, I've taken on becoming a renovator, business owner and garden designer - so it's been pretty busy! Initially, I studied Zoology and had no idea what to do with it so I retrained as a medical professional and after a while felt like I needed a more creative job which led me to garden design.

Why is garden design on the rise and what can it add to an outdoor space?

Garden design has had a huge uplift over the past few years as a direct result of the lockdowns and people wanting to have their own piece of outdoors that’s useable and that they can really enjoy. People haven’t been spending money where they normally would, like holidays for example, so have instead, decided to use it to have a garden makeover. It’s really an extra room for your house so I like to create a space that clients can have as a multi-use environment.

What kind of design inspires your signature style?

I love more traditional designs while being able to re-use materials like old bricks and railway sleepers but I also like to blend these with more modern elements of design too. Some more contemporary designs can be a little harsh so I find that blending the two gives a beautiful softness. I base my designs on the area, the house and the family that live within it so each design is really different depending on what the client is looking for.

On Average, how much should I be saving for a garden transformation?

It’s a tricky one that depends on lots of factors like the size of the garden, the materials used and how labour intensive it is to achieve. The design of the garden is a relatively small expense in the bigger picture but simply the landscaping for a medium-sized garden in a town or city (assuming there are groundworks to prepare) would be around £300-£500 per square metre. If the garden is mainly laid to lawn, there’s probably less groundwork to do so the average price comes down. As a very rough average for a medium-sized standard garden, you’re looking at a budget of between £20,000-£50,000+ depending on what needs doing and what style you’re going for. If your wish list is big, you’re going to pay more but I work with clients to establish what they definitely want and need along with what's achievable within their garden and their budget.

What’s the most challenging space you’ve worked with so far?

Probably the smallest garden that I've ever designed, which was a 4.5m x 4.5m courtyard garden based in a town centre for clients who were design-orientated so we needed design sharpness but also functionality for this pitch to work. It’s a lovely little garden with a more contemporary feel so the materials we used really lent themselves to this design and gave a more modern look with a simple colour palette.

Talk us through how the consultation and design process works.

From the initial consultation, I start by sending clients a questionnaire to gather some information regarding their general wish list, ideas and expectations around having their garden designed. I also include a rough guide to what kind of budget they are estimating for their garden. Once it's been sent back, I'll arrange a phone call to discuss ideas and pricing with hopefully a go-ahead to book in a consultation that involves me going on-site to see the space in real life while laying down what the clients really want from their new garden. After this, I'll create a client brief and with their approval and make a concept design from this. The proposal shows a 2D plan view and 3D drawings so that clients can see the space from each angle and from this, the client can make changes. I’ll then create detailed drawings for the landscapers to work from with details on planting, measurements and materials.

How long can a project take from beginning to end?

There’s been a rise of people wanting to have their gardens re-designed so over the last few months, landscapers have had a lead time of around 3-4 months as they have many projects on the go. From the initial consultation, a project can take over a year to complete depending on landscapers’ lead times, the delivery of materials from overseas and any setbacks at the concept stage. It’s a long process but one that’s really worth it.

What are your favourite features that work well in any outdoor design? 

There are so many amazing features you can add to a garden to make it pop but I love soft landscaping with plants so I would choose trees. A tree to me makes a garden: they bring interest all year round, they look beautiful uplit in the evenings and all of us need more green in our lives. They’re also a really affordable way of adding texture, height and interest to your garden that’s achievable for anyone with outside space whether it’s amongst other plants or in a large pot.

Give us some insight into the top trends for outside spaces in 2022?

Sustainability will be one of the top priorities this year with a move towards more natural materials like terracotta and less hard landscaping to encourage and embrace nature. While we’ve been sitting in our homes for a lot of the last 2 years, we’ve become closer to wildlife, even if it’s in our back gardens so we’ll look at ways to nurture them and keep our connection with wildlife going forward. 

Are there some more sustainable methods you can start using in your garden?

Make sure that you try to use peat-free soil and use plants that are good for wildlife like birds and insects as they’re really beneficial to the environment. One key thing is watering your garden for wildlife so that your plants contain lots of goodness and provide shelter or hiding places. Some great examples could be bushes, shrubs and leafy plants and grasses. Think about re-considering how much hard landscaping you need and try to leave areas for water to drain away like swapping paving for gravel.

Do you have any favourite flowers?

I live a stone's throw from a river and surrounding it are beautiful grasses that catch the light and just look gorgeous. I actually had my wedding bouquet created using grasses and it was designed with a very naturalistic style. It was quite muted but stunning in its’ elegance at the same time. Grasses are definitely my favourite plants as they have so much character, are understated and can give a more informal feel.