Design
Rich Heathcote Gardens are able to offer a wide range of design services, which can be tailored to your needs to create a bespoke design service specific to your garden. The different options are outlined below - for more details please click the link to the relevant service or just keep scrolling down to read through all of the options in detail.
Garden Design - This covers the overall garden layout including seating areas, lawns and pathways, as well as features such as planting, water features and garden structures.
Planting Design - As the name suggests, this is designing the planting scheme for a garden or border. This can be done as part of a whole garden design, or a standalone project for an individual border.
Plant It Yourself - For clients wishing to plant up their own border, this is a cost effective way to get it right first time, with detailed plans and instructions to make it straight forward to do it yourself.
Consultancy - Sometimes you just need someone with planting and design knowledge to visit your garden and talk through ideas and find solutions to problems - our consultancy service is flexible and affordable to help you get the most out of your garden.
Although based in Leicestershire, we work nationally across the UK - in general we stay within 2 hours drive of Leicestershire, but we do make exceptions depending on the project size. Initial consultations can be held either online or in person, depending on the distance. Also, RHG have had projects where the whole design is done online, with the plans being planted up by the client - so even if your garden is not close enough for us to visit, there are still options for us to work together.
To find out more information, including costs and whether we work in your area, please get in touch using the Contact page.
Garden Design
The secret of a well designed garden is that it is beautiful yet functional - a seemingly effortless layout that looks natural and entices you to explore the whole garden. The key to achieving this is intelligent design, where all of the elements are incorporated in the most practical way to fulfil the brief whilst keeping on budget.
The main hesitation that clients have about starting the design process is the cost - given that the majority of people have never employed a Garden Designer this is completely understandable. Therefore at RHG we are very open about costs and budgets right from the outset, and no costs are incurred until budgets have been agreed and contracts signed. Therefore it doesn't cost anything to get in touch and enquire about how much your project might cost. We work on projects from £2000 to £50,000+, and are always realistic, open and honest about what your budget can achieve.
The first stage is a consultation, which usually involves a visit to your garden to walk around and discuss the client's ideas and needs for the garden, as well as an initial talk about budget. This is then followed by a full survey of the garden, measuring the whole site - this is not only for the design work, but also enables accurate costs to be proposed and agreed before contracts are signed. Clients are kept updated throughout the design process - it is a collaborative effort, with amendments and new proposals encouraged throughout.
Once we have collated all of this information, we spend time coming up with inspiration and ideas for the design. We can create your design in both 3D and 2D - the 3D drawings give you the chance to view your garden as it will look in real life, whilst the 2D scale drawings give you an overall plan of the layout and are also used for implementing the design
"Leave it to the Experts"
We understand that bringing in professionals for any project can be costly, but we believe that utilising somone's expertise is priceless when it comes to top level work. At RHG our expertise lies in design and planting - therefore we do not undertake any hard landscaping work ourselves, nor do we project manage third party contractors. Our contract is directly with you the client, which we find ensures the client is always in control of their project and up to date with everyone working on it with them.
We offer fully scaled drawings marked up with measurements that clients can use with contractors to create the gardens we design, and we are also happy to attend on-site meetings with contractors provided the client is present.
An optional extra, which is very popular with our clients, is a Maintenance Guide. This is tailored to your garden, and covers everything you need to know to keep your new planting scheme in the best condition.
No prior gardening knowledge is needed to be able to use our Maintenance Guides, and they start from as little as £40.
Planting Design
As a Planting Design specialist our focus is on creating the perfect pallette of plants for each border. This includes selecting the right plants for the specific conditions of that site, choosing plants that have a level of maintenance compatible with the lifestyle of the client, and of course creating a planting scheme adored by the client.
The first stage of planting design is usually a walk around the client's garden, discussing ideas, budget, and aspirations for the planting, followed by a site survey (measuring the areas to be planted). After this a final budget is proposed and agreed - it is only after this stage that contracts are signed and a commitment is made.
Once the planting design has been completed, it is up to the client whether they wish to plant up themselves (in which case full planting plans and a 'How to' guide are provided), or I offer a sourcing and planting up option too. Costs for all options are provided at the outset, before any paperwork is signed to proceed with the design work.
Please note that for planting up, the client is required to prepare (either themselves or using a contractor) the planting area - this basically means clearing and digging over the border. Full instructions can be given by RHG, but we do not carry out this work ourselves.
In a follow up meeting we discuss planting palettes, with images of suggested plants and styles to be incorporated in the design. We appreciate that all clients have a different level of knowledge about plants, so we tailor the discussion to the client - we will explain as much or as little as required about the plants including maintenance levels.
As the planting plans are created, there is plenty of scope for amendments and additions - all of the work we do at RHG is in collaboration with the client to ensure that they are happy at every stage of the work.
An optional extra, which is very popular with our clients, is a Maintenance Guide - click here for more information.
Plant It Yourself
In 2020, we all had to adapt - here at RHG that included producing planting plans remotely for people to plant themselves. This service worked so well for our clients (and us!) that we decided to make it a permanent offering - and so PIY (Plant it Yourself) was born!
PIY is ideal for clients who want to do the gardening themselves, but just need some guidance as to which plants to choose from the endless options available, and which plants will thrive in their borders. A PIY design saves time and money for the client - for example, the design work can cost as little as £160* for a 5m x 2m border. Purchasing a PIY plan often saves money by getting the planting scheme right first time rather than having to repeatedly buy new plants to replace those that have perished.
*Please note that this cost is for the design work only - it does not include the cost of the plants, as these are bought directly by the client.
4. RHG mark up on the client photos exactly where to measure. The client sends across these measurements for RHG to use when creating the plan.
5. RHG produce scale planting plans (as above) and sends a paper copy (usually A2 size) in the post, as well as a PDF via email.
6. The client also receives a diagram explaining how to work out the positioning of the plants, as well as a detailed instruction guide covering everything from preparing the bed, to planting and mulching.
PIY design works as follows:
1. Client takes photos and sends to RHG.
2. RHG confirm the cost of the design to the client before proceeding.
3. Online meeting to discuss planting area(s) and client requirements
An optional extra, which is very popular with our clients, is a Maintenance Guide - click here for more information.
At RHG we're increasingly approached by clients who just need some specialist advice to help with their plans. We're always happy to discuss ways that we can help with your project - and if it's not within our expertise, we'll always be honest and try to help you find another consultant who is more suited to your needs. Having worked across a broad range of projects and with a wide spectrum of different professionals, there's often someone we can personally recommend - and we don't charge any referral fees, so you literally have nothing to lose by getting in touch with us with your query.
Examples of previous consultancy work include:
- Kitchen garden planning including crop rotations and seed sowing schedules for the year
- Reports for planning permission applications, including detailed recommendations of new planting to sit within existing landscapes
- Advice on how to move forward with a garden that needs a whole new lease of life
- Problem solving from trees that have overgrown their space to simplifying a garden to make it more manageable
Consultancy