Questions, answered

Good garden design isn’t really about drawings. Plans and visualisations help us share ideas, but the design itself is the thinking behind them, and that starts with understanding you: how you live, how you’d like to use your garden, and what matters most to you.

Much of that comes from listening closely. The way someone describes their home, a passing comment, what they hesitate over. What people ask for and how they actually want to live aren’t always the same, and my career in user experience design was built on noticing that difference.

Most people only transform a garden once or twice in their lives. I bring experience from many gardens and a lifetime of growing plants, so we can avoid costly mistakes, spend your budget where it counts, and choose plants that will thrive in your soil, light and Guernsey’s wind and salt. The result is a garden that works as a whole and gets better every year.

I’m based in Guernsey and work across all ten parishes: St Peter Port, St Sampson, the Vale, the Castel, St Saviour, St Pierre du Bois, Torteval, the Forest, St Andrew and St Martin.

I’m also happy to take on design work further afield, and have designed gardens in England and Wales. For projects off the island I provide the design and planting plans only, as I can’t carry out the planting or oversee the build in person. Get in touch to talk about what’s possible.

I charge fixed fees rather than hourly rates, so you’ll know exactly what the design will cost before any work begins. The fee depends on the size and complexity of the garden and the service you choose.

Garden design advice visits start from £150. For a guide to design and build costs, see Services & costs.

Every garden is different. Size matters, but so do slopes, access, the soil and what you’d like from the space. As a guide, planting projects typically cost £1,000 – £10,000+, garden transformations £15,000 – £50,000+, and larger gardens £50,000 – £150,000+.

I’ll always help you spend your budget wisely and give you a clear idea of costs early on, so there are no surprises. There’s more detail on Services & costs.

Both. I don’t hand over a plan and walk away. On larger gardens I work with trusted hard landscaping teams on the island and stay involved through the build, so the finished garden matches the design.

For planting projects I do it all myself: the planting plan, sourcing every plant, preparing the ground, planting and aftercare.

Yes. If your hard landscaping works but the planting has lost its way, a planting plan is ideal. I’ll select and position every plant for your soil, aspect and light, with seasonal interest notes and care advice.

Yes. My soft landscaping service covers the complete job: sourcing the plants, preparing the ground, setting out and planting, then aftercare and follow-up visits while the garden establishes.

Yes. Alongside hand-drawn plans, I create visualisations that show your garden and planting across the seasons, and on some projects a fly-through, so you can see the design and refine it together before anything is built or planted. You can see examples in my work.

A planting plan normally takes around two weeks. A full garden design depends on your requirements and the size and nature of the site, but allow four to eight weeks, including time for us to refine the ideas together.

Building then depends on the landscapers’ schedules, which can be booked up months ahead, so it pays to start early.

Design can happen at any time of year. Autumn and spring are the best seasons for planting, so planning over the summer or winter means you’re ready to plant when conditions are right.

If you’ve just moved in, it can help to watch the garden through a season first, to see where the sun falls and what’s already there.

Guernsey’s mild climate means a wide range of plants will grow here, but many gardens are exposed to strong winds and salt spray, so the right choices matter. On exposed and coastal sites I use tough, salt-tolerant plants such as grasses, sea holly, Phormium and Agave; in sheltered gardens there’s room for softer, more exuberant planting.

Every plan is based on a site visit, where I look at your soil, light, aspect and exposure before choosing a single plant.

Every garden needs some care, but I’ll design around how much time you’d like to spend on it. That might mean more evergreen structure, longer-lived perennials and plants suited to your conditions, so there’s less to replace.

Yes. Every planting project comes with aftercare guidance, and I offer regular planting and maintenance visits to help gardens establish and keep them looking their best.

Yes. A garden design advice visit is a chance to walk your garden together, talk through ideas and leave you with clear, practical next steps. Visits start from £150.

Get in touch by phone, email or the enquiry form. I’ll usually reply within two days to arrange a free initial conversation, then visit to see the garden in person before sending a clear, fixed-fee proposal.