Given the size of the plot and the range of opportunities for making good use of the garden space I decided it would be sensible to have a professional garden designer prepare an outline “master plan” for the whole site, together with some more detailed designs for the areas close to the house. The garden can then be developed in stages, as time and funding allows, but always with an understanding of what the final design is going to look like. My primary concern is to fix the location of some of the main features early on so that I don’t invest in landscaping an area only to later realise that something else needs to go in that place.
I did some research on local garden designers, their qualifications and their portfolios of successful projects. I also asked Justin for advice and he commented that projects where he had worked in conjunction with a professional garden designer always seemed to turn out better. Justin suggested a local garden designer, Sue Hayward, with whom he had worked before, and I had already placed Sue at the top of my shortlist based on my own research. I met Sue at the plot yesterday and I’m going to commission her to work up a design.
Sue’s website is http://www.suehayward.co.uk/