Garden Designer In Hertfordshire
Your Outdoor Haven
Hand-Drawn Garden Designs by Sarah Hudson. I create bespoke garden designs that are beautiful, practical and tailored to the way you live.
Bespoke Gardens That Last A Lifetime
As an RHS qualified Horticulturist, I love helping homeowners transform their outdoor spaces through careful design, planting, and aftercare.
Are you in a new build and have a blank canvas? Or maybe you have an overgrown, established garden that doesn't work for you anymore.
Longing for a tranquil oasis of calm? A wildlife haven on your doorstep or a quirky labyrinth of garden rooms? I can help bring your garden dreams to life! Call me today and let's get this journey to your garden dreams started.
Scaled drawing plans and elevations of your new garden design can be created for you to decide whether to complete work in one go or schedule it in stages. It can evolve over time and literally grow into your dream.
What to expect
Initial Consultation
Meeting in person will enable me to see and feel how I can best help enhance your garden.
I will be able to give you a clearer understanding of what is achievable and the best route forward, whether you are considering a complete re-design or improvements to specific areas.
A fresh, experienced perspective can reveal possibilities you may not have considered, helping you maximise the potential of your outdoor space.
Good planning at the outset can help avoid costly mistakes and ensure positive future decisions.
Every garden has its unique constraints. An initial consultation helps identify and solve potential issues before the design process begins.
Most importantly,during our initial conversations, you will have the chance to get a feel of how I work, and ensure the design process is tailored to your individual needs and aspirations.
Site survey
This entails a full measure of your garden, detailing existing features, soil assessment and orientation, giving you the opportunity to discuss whether any of the existing features in the garden you would like to incorporate into the new design. note: For gardens that involve complex level changes or a very large scale a topographical survey may need to be instructed.
.png/:/rs=w:600,cg:true,m)
Mood Boards and concept sketches
I will create a mood board, helping you visualise the overall feel of your garden before any design work begins. It enables me to showcase colours, materials, planting styles, furniture, lighting and textures in one place , making it easier to see how everything will work as a cohesive scheme. Sharing a mood board early in the process helps to confirm that the proposed style reflects your taste, lifestyle and aspirations.
Detailed Scaled plans
Once the concept has been agreed, a detailed scaled plan is produced. This professional hand drawn drawing illustrates the layout of the garden, including patios, pathways, planting areas, lawns, structures and key features. The scaled plan provides a clear blueprint for the project and ensures that all elements work harmoniously together within the available space.
Planting Plans
A carefully considered planting plan brings the garden to life. Plants are selected to suit the site's conditions while reflecting your preferred style and level of maintenance. The plan considers year round interest, colour , texture, structure, and seasonal succession, creating a beautiful and balanced garden that continues to evolve throughout the years
Technical Drawings
Technical drawings provide the detailed information required for construction and implementation. These drawings may include dimensions, setting -out plans, levels, construction details, and specifications for features such as paving, walls, steps, ponds and raised beds.They ensure contractors have the information needed to accurately bring the design to life, helping the project run smoothly from concept to completion.
From the first consultation with me to the final planting plan, every stage of the process is carefully considered to create a garden that reflects your lifestyle, enhances your property, and brings lasting enjoyment for years to come.
Sarah
The brief was to design a layout for a new path to connect the existing patio to the garden room, to create two new seating areas, one in the shade and one in the sun. To inject some colour into the garden by introducing some new flower borders, to create a pond for wildlife, and to use reclaimed materials where possible.
I selected reclaimed red brick pavers for the path. My inclusion of a circular lawn within a brick edge was to enable the existing patio stones to blend with the brick pavers, using stepping stones of a similar colour to the patio. This created a seamless transition of materials and colours, blending old and new.
I continued the circular theme with the new patio in the shade, this was flanked by vertical oak posts, reducing in height as they cupped the edge of the patio, creating a cosy backdrop to the seating area, but also to use the same materials as the new garden room. The same colour stain was applied to the posts which blended well with the garden room.
They also added much needed height to the left hand side of the garden, balancing out the imposing garden room.
These posts were drilled with a design of bees and dragonflies. On the side of the posts were holes drilled for bees, at the correct depth and angle to provide shelter for solitary bees. Planting around the base of each post softened the look with shade loving perennials.
I introduced a wooden arbour of larger proportions than standard to the left hand side of the garden. Roses have been planted to grow gracefully over this in time. There is a bench positioned beyond this arbour which catches the last rays of sun during the day. From the other side of the garden, it creates a lovely focal point.
I chose the small stepping stones that run up the left hand side as an almost secret passageway up the garden, as it runs behind the newly created large flower border which incorporates a beautiful multi stemmed tree.