Garden Design Consultation — The Ideal First Step
Not every garden question needs a full design commission to answer it. Perhaps you are weighing up what your plot could become, unsure where to begin, or simply want an experienced eye and an honest opinion before committing to anything larger. A garden design consultation gives you exactly that: an hour of focused, professional advice about your garden, followed by a written report you can act on in your own time.
There is no obligation to take a design any further. Many clients do — but the consultation stands on its own as a genuinely useful piece of work.
What a Consultation Covers
Every garden consultation is shaped around your questions, but a typical hour together might include:
- How the space could be laid out to suit the way you live — entertaining, relaxing, growing, family life
- Which existing features are worth keeping, and which are holding the garden back
- Planting advice: what will thrive in your soil, aspect and conditions, and what is quietly failing
- Practical matters — drainage, levels, boundaries, privacy and screening
- An honest view on scope: what a project like yours involves, and how it could be phased
Photographs and site notes are taken throughout, so nothing discussed is lost. These become the foundation of your written report — and, should you go further, of the design itself.
At Your Home, or Anywhere via Zoom
| Home visit | Zoom consultation | |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | Around one hour | Around one hour |
| Where | Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire & surrounding counties | Anywhere in the world |
| How it works | Steve walks the garden with you, taking photos and notes | You share photos and video of the garden in advance and on the call |
| Best for | Local projects likely to involve construction | Remote plots, design-only projects, or an early sounding-board |
| Written report | Included | Included |
Both routes are led personally by Steve Andrews — a pre-registered member of the Society of Garden Designers with over a decade of horticultural and design experience. Home visits are priced according to location; simply tell us where you are and we will confirm everything before you book.
The Written Report
A conversation is easy to forget; a report is not. Within days of your consultation you receive a written summary covering the advice discussed, recommendations for the space, and suggested next steps. It is yours to keep whether or not we ever work together again — a small document that many clients tell us repays the consultation on its own.
One recent client, new to gardening, told us they felt genuinely listened to throughout — and that the advice, both on the day and afterwards, gave them the confidence to take on a garden they had found daunting.
What Happens Next — Only If You Want It To
- You digest the report. No follow-up pressure; take whatever time you need.
- If you'd like to proceed, we prepare a design proposal setting out the key elements discussed, with a clear quotation for the design work.
- The design begins — survey, master layout, 3D visuals and planting plans, whether yours is a compact courtyard or a country plot.
- After planting, our Seasonal Aftercare helps the garden — and your confidence — grow.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a garden design consultation cost?
Home-visit consultations are priced according to your location, and we will always confirm the fee before anything is booked — no surprises, no obligation. Send us your postcode and a little about your garden and we will come back to you promptly with a quote.
Do I need a consultation before commissioning a design?
Yes — and deliberately so. The consultation is where we understand your garden, your priorities and your ambitions, which is what makes the eventual design genuinely bespoke rather than off the shelf.
Is the Zoom consultation as useful as a home visit?
For advice, inspiration and design-only projects, very much so. With good photographs and a walk-round video, we can assess layout, planting and potential remarkably well — it is how we work with clients far beyond the Cotswolds.
What should I prepare beforehand?
Nothing is essential, but it helps to think about how you want to use the garden, what you like and dislike about it now, and any photographs of gardens that inspire you.
Book Your Consultation
An hour in your garden could save you years of trial and error. Get in touch to arrange a garden design consultation — at your home in the Cotswolds or via Zoom from anywhere — or browse our other services first.
