Our Services - Leeds Garden Designer

Your garden and outdoor space is important to you. Essence Garden Design works to distil your needs for a garden; your lifestyle, the setting, environmental factors, future maintenance and budget. Our aim is to produce a garden that promotes your well-being and enhances your environment. Your new garden will also add value to your home and promote curb appeal in a future sale.

We offer the following services:

NEW- REMOTE WORKING GARDEN DESIGN SERVICES! ( Covid-19 Response)

Full Garden Design Service
Concept Garden Design
Planting Plans
Garden Report
Specific bespoke work

Full Garden Design Service: Please see below. For a small garden this would cost approximately £1000-£2000.

Concept Garden Design: Aimed at the DIY build, and small gardens only, a Concept Plan is produced which indicates the areas of planting and hard landscape but does not have the detail required for a contractor to price and build from. Approximate cost £500-£1000

Planting Plans: You may be happy with your garden layout but require the revamping of a border or wish for a particular planting style. A detailed planting plan can be produced showing labelled individual plants and cross-referenced with a plant list allowing easy ordering from a plant nursery. You may want do the planting yourselves or we could do this for you. Approximate cost (small garden) £500-£1000.

Garden Report: A consultation service in which a visit is followed by a report. This may be useful if you need suggestions on how to re-develop the garden yourselves, or add or takeaway plants to achieve a particular style or incorporate some features to make the garden more wildlife friendly etc. This costs £200 (1.5 hours) for visits within 10 miles of Horsforth.

Bespoke work: Garden Design covers a wide range of processes and projects. If you require a specific piece of Art, Sculpture or Feature for the garden we can source and supply this for you. We work with great construction teams as well as other specialists and craftspeople as required.

The Full Garden Design process consists of several stages:

Initial Consultation

This gives us the opportunity to view the area to be designed, assess your needs and discuss style, use, budget, construction and planting.
Survey and Site Analysis

Following our initial consultation, a detailed survey of the garden and its boundaries is undertaken, to produce a scaled plan. A photographic record is made to note views, garden character and setting. In situ sketches may be made to add to this assessment. Aspect, microclimate, soil type and drainage are also noted.
Engagement of a professional surveyor may be required for large or challenging sites.
Sketch Design

Concept plans and sketches and mood boards are made to explore different solutions. We can then discuss these, to allow you to consider the options, give thought to materials and give you the opportunity to contribute to the design.
Master Plan

A detailed Layout or Master Plan is produced to scale, showing the proposed paving or landscaped areas and extent and character of the planting. In addition we will produce some visuals such as perspective drawings to help interpretation of the Layout/Master Plan.
For the garden to become a reality, further detailed drawings are required (see below).
The Build and other Documents

We can recommend contractors we have worked with or leave you to find a landscaper yourself.
We can produce tender documents and specifications to enable you to select the right landscaper to construct the garden.
Detailed construction drawings, setting out plans, cross sections and elevations are produced as required to enable the construction team to build the garden or features within it.

If required we can monitor the construction phase and make sure the build is going to plan.
Planting

For the planting design, we produce scaled, detailed plans with supporting images and a list of the plants. We can then source and supply the plants, using tried and trusted suppliers. Trade discounts often make this more cost effective.

Depending on the scale of the project we can undertake the planting of herbaceous plants, grasses, smaller shrubs and trees or work directly with the contractors or yourselves if you want to get involved.
Maintenance

The garden is complete but you may be unsure how to manage the plants and their growth. We use an online plant care and maintenance programme that supports you or your gardener with the care of the garden. If you require further help with this I can offer seasonal visits to advise on the garden's development or with a colleague undertake seasonal garden maintenance.

OTHER SERVICES

Garden Designers and Landscapers:

Assistance or independent work on any stage of the design process including:
Survey, Design Concept, Sketch Design, Master Plans, Planting Plans, Construction Drawings, Setting out Plans, Planting Plans and Maintenance Schedules.
Hand drawn illustrations and rendering combined with Sketch Up and Photoshop imaging and 2D AutoCAD drawings can be produced.

FURTHER SERVICES

Construction of Willow or Hazel Plant Support Structures, in situ or off- site.
Pruning and Topiary services.
Delivery of Community Planting Schemes including all supportive documentation such as Health and Safety reports and Method Statements.
Delivery of Workshops in Willow Weaving, Topiary and Gardening Techniques.

Sourcing and Supply of plants.