At times, some of my clients are satisfied with their existing garden layout. Nevertheless, they might be uncertain about how to fill their flower beds, or on the other hand, they may wish to completely revamp an outdated design. In both instances, a complete Garden Design isn't required; rather, they simply need a Planting Design service which is represented by Planting Plans. The images in these pages are a typical example of this service.

Plants are the true protagonists of the outdooor space as they magically bring a garden project to life. When selecting plant combinations, the overall height and witdth, foliar texture, shape, habit, colour (of flowers and foliage) and general resilience of each species are taken into consideration.

Planting Design is a fusion of both art and science and demands meticulous groundwork and research to ensure the creation of a scheme that will breathe life and vitality into your garden. After almost 3 decades of working with plants I understand how they are significantly affected by elements like soil type, the orientation of the garden, prevailing wind direction, localised microclimate of specific garden areas and finally water availability and drainage.

The Planting Plan is an accurate blueprint that outlines the position of each individual plant within the garden, considering factors such as spacing, exposure to sunlight and aesthetic preferences. This plan serves as a guiding map during the garden's construction phase, ensuring that each plant finds its ideal location.

In tandem with the Planting Plan I create a Plant Palette that plays a complementary role by showing all the plants used in the scheme. This document is a sort of plant mood board, so that you can have a very good feel for how the final scheme will look like.

Finally, I prepare a plant schedule, i.e. a simple sheet that provides a comprehensive list of all plant species designated for the project. It includes essential details such as plant names, quantities, pot sizes and any other pertinent information. It serves as a vital tool in the procurement and planting process, ensuring that the right plant species, in the correct quantities and sizes, are acquired and installed according to the design specifications. This document is essential in maintaining the integrity and vision of the garden project.

As a separate service, often I personally offer to carry out the planting work. This is because the positioning (the "setting out", a rather time consuming process when done accurately) of every single plant may need some minor but essential adjustment on the ground. The minimum I recommend is that I do the setting out. Needless to say, as to the planting work, you could employ a contractor or do the job yourself but the setting out can be done properly only if the person is extremely familiar with the way the specified plants grow.