Small Garden Designers – What Type of Designer Should You Hire
In some ways a small garden is more difficult to design than a large one. Several very skilled designers on a large scale, accustomed to grand country houses with sweeps of lawn and parkland, come a cropper when faced with a tiny city garden. There is no place for the skills of a Capability Brown in a London courtyard garden.
A small garden has specific problems. The boundaries are only too evident and a good designer will tackle this straightaway, by suggesting, for example, climbers or screens of plants such as bamboo. So hire someone who shows an immediate awareness of this. Another problem is that a small garden lacks the hidden spaces of a larger area. You need a designer who will look at every square foot and decide what to do with it.
When hiring a designer for a small garden, therefore, concentrate on designers who specialise in city gardens. You need to give considerable thought as to what it is you actually want before looking for a designer. It is tempting to feel that this is the designer's job and all you want is someone to do something with this troublesome area outside for which you cannot, yourself, see a solution. A designer will find a solution, but it is only going to suit you if you have given the designer at least some guidance.
If what you want is a place to sit out with no actual gardening at all, then you need someone who basically designs with stone or other non-organic materials, an architectural approach rather than a plantsman's. There are some stunning gardens where the only "garden" element is a trouble- free lemon tree in a pot. (Trouble free because it is hired and replaced by other trees in pots when it needs attention.)
If, on the other hand, you want to be able to do some active digging and pruning and tending the garden yourself, it is important to choose a designer who is not just an artist but has a deep understanding of plants and their requirements and is able to analyse the type of soil and conditions in your garden. There is no point in having a designer who recommends acid loving plants because of their splendid colours if you are living on a limestone soil.
Above all, hire someone whose previous work has been sustainable. Chelsea Flower Show small gardens may look wonderful for the days of the show, but they do not need to look wonderful three years later. Your garden designer needs to have in his or her portfolio gardens that lasted!
A small garden has specific problems. The boundaries are only too evident and a good designer will tackle this straightaway, by suggesting, for example, climbers or screens of plants such as bamboo. So hire someone who shows an immediate awareness of this. Another problem is that a small garden lacks the hidden spaces of a larger area. You need a designer who will look at every square foot and decide what to do with it.
When hiring a designer for a small garden, therefore, concentrate on designers who specialise in city gardens. You need to give considerable thought as to what it is you actually want before looking for a designer. It is tempting to feel that this is the designer's job and all you want is someone to do something with this troublesome area outside for which you cannot, yourself, see a solution. A designer will find a solution, but it is only going to suit you if you have given the designer at least some guidance.
If what you want is a place to sit out with no actual gardening at all, then you need someone who basically designs with stone or other non-organic materials, an architectural approach rather than a plantsman's. There are some stunning gardens where the only "garden" element is a trouble- free lemon tree in a pot. (Trouble free because it is hired and replaced by other trees in pots when it needs attention.)
If, on the other hand, you want to be able to do some active digging and pruning and tending the garden yourself, it is important to choose a designer who is not just an artist but has a deep understanding of plants and their requirements and is able to analyse the type of soil and conditions in your garden. There is no point in having a designer who recommends acid loving plants because of their splendid colours if you are living on a limestone soil.
Above all, hire someone whose previous work has been sustainable. Chelsea Flower Show small gardens may look wonderful for the days of the show, but they do not need to look wonderful three years later. Your garden designer needs to have in his or her portfolio gardens that lasted!