However, you don’t necessarily need to employ two separate companies. Some Cheshire landscaping companies, including LK Luxury Landscapes Cheshire, provide both garden design and landscaping as a complete design-and-build service.
The right option depends on the size and complexity of your project.
What Does a Garden Designer Do?
A garden designer looks at the garden as a complete space rather than concentrating on one individual feature.
For a full garden redesign, this can involve deciding:
- How different areas of the garden will be used
- Where patios and seating areas should sit
- Which materials complement the house
- How paths connect different areas
- Where planting should provide structure or privacy
- How changes in level should be handled
- Where features such as pergolas, outdoor kitchens or firepits should go
- How the garden will look from inside the property
A good designer should also consider how the homeowner actually wants to use the garden.
A family wanting somewhere for children to play needs a different layout from a couple who primarily want somewhere to entertain. Someone who loves gardening may want extensive borders and planting, while another homeowner might prefer something much lower maintenance.
Garden design is therefore about considerably more than making a garden look attractive.
It should make the space work better too.
What Does a Landscape Gardener Do?
A landscape gardener is generally responsible for turning those ideas into a finished garden.
This is the physical construction side of the project and can include excavation, drainage, ground preparation, paving, retaining walls, steps, lawns, planting and installing garden features.
It’s also where a significant amount of the skill in a landscaping project lies.
A finished porcelain patio might look relatively simple once complete. Underneath it, however, could be substantial excavation, a properly constructed sub-base, drainage and careful preparation.
The same applies to retaining walls, pergolas, driveways and outdoor kitchens.
Much of the work that determines whether a garden lasts is eventually hidden.
That’s why we’d always recommend looking beyond attractive finished photographs when choosing a landscape gardener.
What Is a Landscape Designer?
The terms garden designer and landscape designer overlap considerably, particularly on residential projects.
Both may plan layouts, specify materials, consider planting and determine how different parts of the garden connect.
Rather than becoming too concerned about the job title, look at what the person or company actually provides.
If you’re searching for a landscape designer in Cheshire, for example, establish whether they provide designs only or whether they can also construct and manage the finished garden.
That distinction can have a big impact on how the project is organised.
Do You Need Both a Garden Designer and a Landscape Gardener?
For a substantial garden transformation, you’ll generally need both design and construction skills.
That doesn’t necessarily mean hiring two separate businesses.
There are three main approaches.
Use a Garden Designer, Then Find a Landscaper
You can employ an independent garden designer to develop the plans and then appoint a landscaping contractor to construct them.
This can work extremely well, particularly if you already have a designer whose style you like or the garden forms part of a larger architect-led property project.
Go Directly to a Landscape Gardener
For simpler projects, a separate design process may be unnecessary.
If you’re replacing an existing patio, installing a driveway or already know exactly what needs building, an experienced landscaper may be able to handle the project without producing a complete garden design first.
Use a Garden Design and Build Company
The third option is to use one company for the whole project.
A garden design-and-build company plans the garden and then carries out the landscaping required to create it.
This is the approach LK offers for complete garden transformations in Cheshire.
What Are the Benefits of Garden Design and Build?
The biggest advantage is that the design and construction aren’t treated as completely separate jobs.
The garden can be designed with the realities of building it in mind.
For example, a designer may have a great idea for a large entertaining terrace, but the landscaper also needs to consider drainage, levels, access and the groundwork underneath it.
Likewise, an outdoor kitchen might require electricity, water or drainage. A pergola may need substantial foundations. A sunken seating area could introduce additional drainage requirements.
When the design and construction are considered together, those practical issues can be identified earlier.
There’s also one team responsible for taking the project from the initial idea to the finished garden.
For homeowners who don’t want to coordinate several contractors themselves, that can make the process much easier.
Does Design and Build Help Control the Budget?
It can.
This becomes particularly important on larger garden transformations.
If you have £50,000 to invest in a garden, there’s little benefit in producing a design that will cost £100,000 to construct.
Knowing the approximate budget from the beginning allows the design to reflect it.
You might decide that a large porcelain entertaining area and quality planting are more important than having an outdoor kitchen immediately.
Alternatively, the pergola and outdoor kitchen might be the priorities, with other elements introduced later.
There isn’t necessarily a right answer.
The important thing is deciding where the money will make the biggest difference before construction begins.
When Is an Independent Garden Designer a Better Option?
Design and build isn’t automatically the right solution for every project.
Some homeowners specifically want to work with a particular garden designer. Highly complex schemes may involve landscape architects, architects, engineers and several specialist contractors.
An independent designer can also be a good option if you want to obtain several construction quotations from exactly the same completed design.
What’s important is that everybody understands their responsibilities.
If you’re using separate design and landscaping companies, ask how they will communicate once construction starts and who deals with any changes required on site.
When Do You Really Need a Garden Designer?
If you’re simply replacing a patio like-for-like, probably not.
But design becomes increasingly valuable when you’re changing how the whole garden works.
Imagine a large garden in Cheshire where the homeowner wants a porcelain terrace, pergola, outdoor kitchen, lawn, firepit and additional planting.
Each feature could be attractive individually.
That doesn’t mean they’ll create a good garden when they’re put together.
Someone needs to consider how you move between them, where the sun falls, what you see from the house, how much space each area needs and whether the overall design feels balanced.
That’s where the design stage earns its value.
Is Garden Design Important for Smaller Gardens?
Yes – sometimes even more so.
A large garden gives you room to make mistakes.
In a small garden, every metre counts.
An oversized patio can dominate the space. Too many materials can make it feel busy. Poorly positioned planting can make it feel enclosed.
Good design can make a relatively modest garden feel larger, more considered and more expensive without filling it with unnecessary features.
Should the Garden Design Match the House?
We believe it should complement it.
A contemporary Cheshire home with large areas of glass may suit clean porcelain, structured planting and simple architectural features.
An older property may call for something softer or more traditional.
That doesn’t mean everything has to match perfectly.
It’s about creating a relationship between the house and the garden so the outside doesn’t feel like an entirely separate project.
It’s also worth considering the garden from inside.
Views through kitchen windows, bifold doors and living areas can be just as important as the view looking back towards the house.
Do LK Luxury Landscapes Design as Well as Build Gardens?
Yes. LK Luxury Landscapes Cheshire provides both garden design and landscaping, allowing the same team to take a project from the initial ideas through to construction and completion.
Depending on the garden, this can include design, groundworks, drainage, porcelain paving, driveways, pergolas, outdoor kitchens, bespoke firepit areas, lawns and planting.
LK works on high-end garden transformations across Hale, Wilmslow, Alderley Edge, Prestbury and surrounding areas of Cheshire.
For homeowners planning a complete transformation, the aim is to design something that looks right for the property but is also practical to build, realistic for the available budget and suited to how the garden will actually be used.
Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener: Which Should You Choose?
If you already know exactly what you want and the work is relatively straightforward, a landscape gardener may be all you need.
If you’re unsure how the garden should be laid out or you’re planning a substantial transformation, bringing design into the process before construction is usually worthwhile.
And if you’d prefer one company to handle everything, look for a business offering both garden design and landscaping.
The most important thing isn’t the job title.
It’s making sure somebody has considered the whole garden before the building starts – and that the people carrying out the work have the experience to turn those ideas into a finished space.
Looking for a Garden Designer and Landscaper in Cheshire?
LK Luxury Landscapes Cheshire provides a complete garden design and build service for homeowners planning substantial garden transformations across Cheshire.
If you’re considering redesigning your garden, arrange a site visit to discuss the property, your ideas, how you want to use the space and what’s realistically achievable.