Create a garden beyond your dreams
Imagine stepping out into a beautiful garden. You hear the sound of bees busy among the flowers. Birds hop between branches. A hedgehog rustles somewhere under the bushes. Time slows down. You are immersed in your own parallel universe, vibrating with life and nature. The pressures of everyday life disappear.
How would that feel?
- Is your garden your own sanctuary? Is it a place where you can relax, forget the demands of a busy life and recharge your energy?
- Does your garden make you feel safe and protected?
- Is your garden beautiful and sparks joy?
- Does your garden support your lifestyle in the best possible way?
- Does it reflect your ideals?
Or rather:
- Do you lack privacy in your garden?
- Do you have ugly views?
- Do you spend most of your time on a small terrace close to the house and the rest is a lawn with a few shrubs, so you rarely feel inspired to explore and experience the whole garden?
- Does your garden look empty and unstructured?
- Or is it an overgrown mess?
If so, do you want to do something about it? Do you want a place of subtle beauty, where you can live in a partnership with nature?
If the answer to any of these questions is “yes”, then I can help you to turn your garden dreams into a reality with a bespoke garden design.
Unique as you are
Everything on your garden wish list is there because you believe it will make you feel in a certain way. The garden design process begins with a thorough questionnaire and interview to help me understand your deep-rooted motivations and how you want to experience your garden.
Wish lists often exceed the space available in the garden. I will help you prioritise your wishes based on your deeper goals.
I try to capture my clients’ personalities, what they enjoy, how they like to experience the world around them and their relationship with nature and architecture. This makes gardens feel like a safe retreat that is unique to each person.
To create a calming feeling of harmony between the garden and its surroundings, the new garden should also match the style of the house and fit in with the character of the local area.
As a result, no two gardens are alike.
Independent garden design is a stepping stone to garden construction
Building a garden is a significant financial and emotional investment. It is difficult to be sure that you will like the result, because you can only ‘try out’ the new garden after it has been built. That is why paying special attention to the initial planning stage can help reduce some of the uncertainty.
I take the time to listen to your ideas and understand your needs. However, there is much more to consider: technical and legal requirements, budget, the surrounding landscape, the architecture of the house, the way that water moves through the property, and the existing conditions of the site. I use my analytical skills, honed in my scientific work, to combine all this information into an original garden plan that is also practical and reflects your wishes and perspectives. I am obsessed with details, so you can be sure that everything is well thought out.
A detailed plan with dimensions and specifications is the basis for an accurate quotation from landscaping companies. My role is to help you make decisions and guide you through the design and build process so that you are not left alone after the planning stage.
When the builders leave the site, the garden begins to grow. I want to make sure that the garden continues to thrive after the design has been completed. I will give you instructions on how to care for your plants throughout the year and will be on hand to give advice when you need it.
Do you want to take a first concrete step to make your garden dream come true?
Book your free Discovery Call to find out more.
Don’t just dream it – see it
Our experience of space is three-dimensional but garden plans are drawn on a two-dimensional paper. Few people can imagine their future garden just by looking at a flat plan. Garden design therefore includes 3D perspectives to accompany the 2D plan, either hand-drawn or photo-realistically rendered. These help to visualise the spatial organisation and atmosphere of the garden and therefore make informed decisions about modifications and construction.
Photorealistic models are useful for understanding how colour palettes or types of materials will affect the light and mood of the garden. Accurate 3D models can also be used to analyse the shade patterns in the planned garden throughout the year to ensure an optimal experience in each season.
A garden to live in
To really enjoy a garden, it needs to engage us. We need mystery, atmosphere and beautiful things to look at. We also need to create sheltered, comfortable spaces using plants and architectural elements. Finally, we need to feel invited on a journey: to walk around and discover the different views. The second journey is an imaginative one, where what we find in the garden connects the experience of the present with memories of the past.
Climate-resilient garden saves resources and money
The current rate of climate change means that garden styles that worked 10 years ago may not be comfortable or sustainable in the near future. When I design gardens, I consider issues such as:
- Avoiding heat build-up near the house.
- Creating shade in the garden while retaining light in winter and autumn.
- Maintaining or improving soil health for more resilient plants.
- Choosing plants that are compatible with the new climatic conditions.
These considerations maximise comfort, save water and reduce maintenance. Such gardens stand the test of time. And in the long run, climate-resilient garden design simply helps save money.
Choose the level of service that suits your priorities
Designing a new garden involves several stages. The first steps are conceptual, where the idea for the garden is conceived and then communicated through mood boards, hand-drawn sketches and a basic garden plan. This concept plan defines the architecture of the garden, how it will be used and the atmosphere it will have, in much the same way as the concept for a new house allows a dream home to be captured in a concrete image.
The second stage is to decide on the details. These include specific materials, the exact dimensions of terraces and paths, the heights of steps and walls, and the types of plants and their positions in planting beds. If there are specific bespoke elements, such as a made-to-order water feature, ornamental pergola or bespoke metal panels, the design may include construction details for these elements.
The third stage is the implementation of the plan. This includes communicating with contractors, obtaining quotes and inspecting the site during the construction.
Because the design process flows from the general idea to the fine details, you can decide how much control you want over the details and how much freedom you want to give your landscaper to implement the concept plan. You can decide whether you want off-the-shelf products or something made specifically for your garden. You can also supervise the construction process and communicate with the contractors entirely on your own. These decisions will affect the time taken to design and the total fee for the service.
In most cases, the Standard Garden Design package contains all the steps necessary to produce a garden plan that can be implemented by an experienced landscaper of your choice.
Garden planning is the first step in transforming your garden from a boring outdoor space into your own sanctuary. A place where you can immerse yourself in nature and leave the stresses of modern life behind.
Book your free Discovery Call to find out how it could work for you.
Standard Garden Design Package
The Basic Garden Design Package covers essential planning steps that are sufficient to produce realistic concept and planting plans for most gardens. The package is offered for a fixed, affordable fee. Standard Garden Design is also available as a remote service, with meetings held online via Zoom.
Standard Garden Design Package includes:
- Free online discovery meeting. This is a 30 minute meeting via Zoom. You can book your initial consultation here.
- Questionnaire. A comprehensive questionnaire is used as a checklist to find out as much as possible about your preferences and the conditions in the garden.
- Garden consultation with site evaluation. This is a 1-3 hour meeting that can take place in your garden or online depending on your location.
- Garden Design Brief.
- Site analysis. Evaluation of the garden’s qualities to determine the best strategy for achieving the brief.
- Moodboards. A selection of photographs that represent the mood of the garden, materials or specific design solutions for architectural features.
- Sketch Plan. A conceptual plan of the garden drawn to a scale of 1:100.
- 3D perspective sketches. Hand-drawn perspective views of the garden plan along key lines of sight for a better visual understanding of the plan concept.
- Plan presentation meeting. Approximately 2 hour meeting where I explain the garden plan and listen to your feedback. This can be at your home or online depending on your location and preferences.
- One round of changes to the garden plan.
- Planting proposal showing key plant species for the garden. Planting proposal includes an online meeting and one round of changes.
- Detailed planting plans. This includes trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs. You will receive a list of species with quantities to order and plans showing the exact position of the plants in the beds.
- Annual maintenance plan for your plants to ensure the garden thrives for a long time.
Fees
A full fee for the Standard Garden Design package will depend on the size of the garden and the complexity of the site and brief. Below are some examples:
- 2000 m 2 garden: 2460 EUR
- 800 m 2 garden: 1700 EUR
- 600 m 2 garden on a slope: 1800 EUR
- A small garden or front garden less than 50 m 2: 860 EUR
After the initial consultation on site, you will receive a quotation for the design of your garden. For locations outside of Dresden I also charge 45 EUR for travel expenses.
According to the small business regulation (§19 UStG), I am exempt from paying VAT. All services charged by me do not include VAT.
Would you like to turn your thoughts about the glorious possibilities for your garden into an actual plan? Do you want to create a garden with subtle natural beauty and the luxurious feel of a well-designed space? Do you want to attract more wild bees, butterflies and birds? Are you ready for your garden to become part of the network of wildlife habitats within the human landscape? Or are you still not sure if this is for you?
Book your free Discovery Call to find out more.
