A garden designer oversees the design of outdoor spaces. A garden designer will help avoid these issues by looking at the bigger picture. Why should you employ a garden designer or landscape architect? First and foremost is the fact that few people have the time it takes to re-design a garden. This is more time-consuming that some will imagine. Dealing with contractors and project managing is also an element a client doesn’t want to deal with, or time-wise may not be able to commit to. Add on to this consideration the need to understand your plot fully. Which part gets the most sunlight? Which gets least? What is the soil structure and pH? Furthermore, a garden designer or landscape architect brings substantial plant knowledge the individual may not have. How tall will that tree grow? Which species of plant would thrive in the dry shade at the far end of the plot? Which appropriate plants will flower in succession as well as combination to give year-round interest? Alongside this plant knowledge is an expertise in hard landscaping and design features, such as paving, walls, steps and water features. How best to construct that retaining wall for the level change? Where best to position the piece of art as a focal point? Which stone will best complement the house and the proposed planting? The garden designer is inherently creative. They will look at your outside space with the eye of a painter before a canvas, or the sculptor with their hunk of rock. On top of these is the objectivity of the garden designer. The owner of the land will have firm ideas on what they like and dislike, and these will then be passed onto the designer. The designer will then utilise and adapt these preferences fittingly. They can make tough choices the owner would rather avoid, to benefit the finished design. Other services include planning applications for landscape conditions and condition discharge for the hard and soft landscaping.