Frequently Asked Questions

Every garden we design starts with a conversation. Not just about planting or layout, but about how you live, how you want to use the space, and what you want your garden to give back to you over time.

The questions below reflect the things clients most often ask us when considering a garden project. They cover practical topics such as cost, timescales, and process, as well as how we approach design, planting, and long term care.

They are here to give clarity and help you understand how we work, what to expect, and whether our approach feels right for you. A garden is a significant investment, and good decisions are made with good information. We believe an open and considered starting point leads to better outcomes and more enjoyable projects for everyone involved.

About our Garden Design Practice

We don’t just design gardens. We create outdoor spaces that transform the way you live. Our approach is personal, considered, and built around lasting value.
Every project is treated as a collaboration. We take time to understand your lifestyle, how you want to use your garden, and how the space should feel day to day. From there, we design gardens that are practical, beautiful, and closely connected to the way you live.
Our work is rooted in naturalistic planting and thoughtful spatial design, creating gardens that feel timeless rather than trend driven. We focus on balance, proportion, and longevity, ensuring each garden is not only visually strong but also easy to live with and built to last.
By working with a small number of clients at a time, each project receives the focus, creativity, and care it deserves. The result is a garden that feels personal, purposeful, and genuinely transformative.
We work across a range of garden styles, always responding to the property, the setting, and how you want to use the space.
Our designs are often influenced by European traditions, including English country gardens, cottage gardens, Mediterranean inspired spaces, and modern contemporary gardens. These styles allow us to combine strong structure with relaxed, natural planting.
Rather than imposing a fixed look, we shape each garden around the architecture, landscape, and client. The result is a garden that feels coherent, timeless, and right for its place.
We work with gardens of all sizes, from compact courtyards to large private gardens of 1000 square metres and beyond.
We also undertake commercial and semi commercial projects, including estates, hospitality settings, and development sites covering several thousand square metres.
Smaller gardens benefit from careful planning where every element has a clear purpose. Larger spaces allow for layered design and distinct areas for different uses.
What matters most is not the size of the site, but how the space is understood, structured, and designed to work well over time.

Garden Design Costs & Availability

The cost of a new garden varies depending on size, complexity, and level of finish. As a broad guide, some projects sit around £20k to £30k, while larger or bespoke gardens can exceed £100k.
We often compare garden investment to buying a car. You can choose something functional and well made, or invest in something more refined and carefully detailed. The difference is that gardens do not depreciate. A well designed garden usually adds value to your home and improves how you live day to day.
The overall cost typically includes design fees, construction, planting, lighting, and any additional features such as seating areas or garden buildings.
We guide you through all of this early on so expectations are clear and the design develops in line with your budget and priorities.
Garden design fees vary depending on the size of the garden and the level of detail required. As a guide, a full garden redesign typically starts from around £2k. Smaller gardens or more focused pieces of work can sometimes be less.
Design fees cover far more than a layout plan. They include time spent understanding your site and lifestyle, developing concepts, refining details, and producing drawings and visuals that allow the garden to be built properly.
Good design saves money later by avoiding costly mistakes, unclear briefs, and poorly thought through decisions. It also ensures the finished garden works well, looks right, and stands the test of time.
We will always talk through options openly so you understand what is involved and what level of service is right for your project.
It is always worth getting in touch as early as possible, especially if you have a particular season or deadline in mind.
Design takes time to do well. Starting early allows space to explore ideas properly, refine the details, and plan the next steps without rushing decisions. Availability can vary through the year, but even if your project is still at an early stage, an initial conversation is always useful.
If you are thinking about improving your garden, the best time to talk is usually before any work begins.

Our Garden Design Process

Our process is structured but collaborative, giving you clarity at each stage while allowing space for ideas to develop naturally.
We begin with a conversation to understand your garden, your home, and how you want to use the space. This is followed by a site visit and survey to understand levels, orientation, and existing features.
From there we develop a concept that sets the overall layout and feel of the garden. Once agreed, the design is refined into detailed drawings and visuals that allow the garden to be built accurately.
Throughout the process we stay in close contact, guiding decisions and ensuring the design evolves in line with your brief, budget, and priorities.
We focus on garden design, but we work closely with a trusted network of landscape contractors to bring our projects to life.
Contractor pricing, experience, and quality can vary widely. Our role is to act as your advocate, helping you identify the right contractor for your project and ensuring the design is delivered properly.
We can assist with briefing contractors, reviewing quotes, and staying involved during construction to protect the integrity of the design. This approach gives you flexibility, transparency, and confidence that the finished garden reflects the original vision.
Timescales vary depending on the size and complexity of the project, but most gardens follow a similar pattern.
The design phase can take several weeks or a few months, depending on the level of detail required and how decisions are made. This includes developing the concept, refining the layout, and producing drawings ready for construction.
The build phase can range from a few weeks for smaller gardens to several months for larger or more complex projects.
We focus on getting the design and delivery right rather than rushing the process. Clear planning early on helps everything run more smoothly once work begins.

Our Design Approach & Expertise

We specialise in naturalistic planting schemes that feel relaxed, layered, and grounded in the landscape.
Our planting focuses on structure, texture, and seasonal change rather than short lived displays. By layering trees, shrubs, perennials, and grasses, we create gardens that develop character over time and feel established rather than newly planted.
Plant choices are always guided by the site, soil, light, and how much maintenance you want to take on. The aim is planting that looks generous and considered while remaining practical and easy to live with.
Naturalistic planting creates gardens that feel calm, generous, and connected to nature.
Because plants are layered closely together, this approach helps reduce weeds, improves soil health, and creates a more resilient planting scheme over time. Once established, it often requires less intervention than more formal planting or large areas of lawn.
Naturalistic planting also brings strong seasonal interest and supports wildlife, creating gardens that change through the year rather than peaking for a short period. The result is a garden that feels alive, balanced, and easier to live with long term.
We use technology to support good design, not to replace it. Everything begins with core design principles such as proportion, flow, balance, and how a space is experienced.
Our process includes accurate site information, scaled plans, and detailed drawings to ensure clarity and buildability. We also use advanced visual tools to create realistic three dimensional imagery, allowing you to understand the space, materials, and planting before work begins.
Where appropriate, we use intelligent software tools to improve efficiency and visual clarity, but creative decisions are always led by experience and judgement rather than automation.
The aim is simple. To give you confidence in the design and remove uncertainty before the garden is built.

Designing Gardens for Everyday Living

We begin by understanding how you want to use your garden and how it should support your day to day life. This might include space for entertaining, quiet areas to relax, places for children to play, or simply a view that brings calm and enjoyment.
From layout to planting choices, every element is shaped around how you move through the space, how much maintenance you want, and how the garden connects to your home. We consider privacy, light, access, and practical needs alongside how the garden should feel.
A well designed garden becomes an extension of your living space. It supports wellbeing, encourages time outdoors, and adds value to everyday life rather than simply looking good.
Yes. Many clients want gardens that look generous and considered without demanding constant attention.
Our naturalistic planting approach uses layered planting that covers the soil well. Once established, this helps reduce weeds and limits the need for frequent intervention. Thoughtful plant choice also means the garden is better suited to its conditions and more resilient over time.
In many cases, a well designed and properly planted garden requires less ongoing effort than regularly mowing a lawn. The focus is on creating a garden that is enjoyable to live with, not one that becomes a chore.
We offer ongoing aftercare and maintenance support for gardens we have designed, subject to availability and the needs of the project.
For some clients, this may involve seasonal visits or guidance to help the garden establish and develop as intended. For others, we may provide advice and handover information, or help connect you with a trusted maintenance gardener who understands the design.
Our aim is always to ensure the garden is looked after in a way that respects the original design and planting, even where ongoing maintenance is carried out by others.

Start Your Garden Design Journey

At Gregson-Brown Design, we create bespoke gardens that are timeless, sustainable, and deeply personal. Whether you're ready to begin or simply exploring what's possible, we'd love to hear from you.

Tell us a little about your space and your vision—we’ll be in touch to arrange your complimentary consultation.

hello@gregsonbrowndesign.com
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“A truly collaborative process, we felt understood from the first conversation.” – Daniel, York