“To plant a garden is to dream of tomorrow.” —Audrey Hepburn
Garden Design
Why work with us?
We have a whole garden approach to designing. We understand how gardens function from the soil up and throughout the seasons.
We are committed to your satisfaction and will work with you to achieve an outcome you are happy with.
We have been practising designers across multiple disciplines for twenty years.
Garden Design
Custom Garden Design
Do you have an area of your garden that needs a revamp or are you looking for a whole garden approach? Working together with your preferences we can create and implement a design that will give structure and style to your garden. Any design created will be led by your desires and needs and will utilise existing garden planting that you like while integrating new plans. The different plans we can create are below.
Simple site Plan - This plan locates your existing main property features (such as boundaries, main feature trees, drains, etc) which need to be incorporated in the final design.
Garden Design Concept / Master Plan - High level overall plan of the garden including full site plan. This plan will allow you to to imagine your new garden. It includes details of features, materials used, and general ideas about plants. This plan has enough detail to start layout and construction of your garden. Addition plans may be needed.
Planting plan - Planting plans details the specific plants that will be used, their varieties, amounts, specific placing. This includes documentation of what the plants look like, a budget for the plants, soil work and site preparation that needs to be done. This can be done on its own if you only have a smaller area of the garden you’d like designed. Or after we have created the Master Plan to specify the planting details.
Hard Landscaping and Construction detailing - Hard landscaping plans include details needed for the hard landscaping contractors to create garden features. This plan is created to help contractors understand the details of the features in the master plan.
Design Consultations
Are you just a bit stuck and need some design advice and inspiration? We can do hourly consultations. We also do consultations & meetings with architects & contractors.
Plant Sourcing
We can order and organise all the new plants that are needed for your design.
Design Implementation
We can arrange all your design implementation needs from pre planting work, plant sourcing and final planting.
Our Approach
1. Initial Consultation and Garden Assessment
This is a garden visit and discussion to find out exactly what you want for your garden. It is important for us to know what you love, what you don’t like, your budget and timeframe.
2. Site Survey and Analysis
This includes a detailed assessment of your garden’s current condition, soil quality, sun and shade areas, and existing vegetation as well as measurements.
3. Design Work
Plans will be created with considerations from the site survey and information from the original consultation.
4. Design Consultation
Another consultation with the client will be scheduled to go over the plan and discuss any changes.
4. Implementation
Implication of the design will be scheduled. Plants are ordered with consideration for what is available due to the seasonality of nurseries. This may mean that planting is staggered as different varieties become available.
5. Ongoing Support
Regular garden care sessions can be scheduled to make sure the garden develops as envisioned.
Testimonials
“I engaged Crispin to revamp my garden. She was knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and I was delighted with the special feature she created. She organised the plants and completed the project on time. Crispin is professional and personable.” Elaine (Northland)
“I highly recommend Crispin for both garden design and ongoing gardening work. She is very knowledgeable about plants and gardens and she transformed a desolate area of my garden into something quite beautiful. She took the time to understand my ideas and preferences and she worked within my budget without compromising on quality. Crispin has continued to maintain my garden on a regular basis and it has been a pleasure for me to see the improvement. Her communication has always been excellent. I always know what is happening and what the plans are, and I feel confident that she is making good decisions for my garden.’ Rosemary (Ngaio)
"I can't say enough good things about the design and gardening work Crispin and Max did for us! Our garden was looking a bit neglected, and now it’s completely transformed. I’m loving watching the new planting grow and have appreciated Crispin and Max’s carefully considered edits that have showcased some of our interesting natural forms hidden by overgrowth. Highly, highly recommend them for anyone looking to transform their outdoor space!” Penny (Khandallah)
Faqs
-
It depends how much preparation needs to be done to the site beforehand as well as availability of plants. We should be able to implement a design within 3 to 4 weeks. However planting may be staggered due to the seasonal availability.
-
Have a think about your budget? Do you want to do parts of your garden over time or do it all at once?
Collect any pictures of gardens or plants that you like. Take photos when you’re out walking of gardens you like. This is really helpful to making sure we design a garden you love and for you to start getting clear about what you love.
Think about how much time you want to work in your garden or would you like to have someone do the work for you?
Think about how you want to use your garden. What you like and don’t like about it.
Any information on your micro climate is very helpful, wind, sun, shade.
-
Depending on the size of the project it can take 3 to 4 weeks.
-
First there are the design fees which are at an hourly rate. This will include the site analysis time, the design process and the design consultation.
Following that is the cost of the plants and any other materials needed, project management costs and the actual implementation costs.
If you want continuing support / garden care that will be an ongoing hourly charge.