Garden designers (South East London)

[nooka]

I have just moved to a house with a very worn out garden. It's relatively large (for London that is) but basically pretty bare with a few trees and an interesting but rotting raised decking bit at the end. I'm a single mum now and can't physically take out the trees and the concrete patio, returf or repair the decking. I do enjoy gardening but I'm not that great at it so I am contemplating having someone in. I'm not sure whether to go the whole hog and get a designer + labourers, or to get a jobbing gardener to do the heavy stuff. Has anyone had a designer type person? Would you recommend it and what sort of costs does it entail? I'm not looking for something spectacular, just a nice shape, plants that are happy and space(s) for me and my two very active children to relax and play. Any advice gratefully received!

personally I'd have a think about how I'd really use it then wander round your local garden centres and talk to the people who own them .. they might know people or be labourers themselves

also have a look at other people's gardens and see what you can steal

when we re-did our garden (smallish London) I knew what I wanted .. I got a local garden centre to do all the hard work .. decking, re-turf, fence and gate on upper level and painting) .. then later I got a student horticulturist to recommend and plant plants under the strict instruction that I didn't want flowery plants just different evergreen foliage .. of course some of them flower

don't forget that gardens aren't ever finished

My DH is a Landscape Gardener, he doesn't do much garden design work as such, but has some really good ideas. He usually visits the garden and talks to the client about what they want and he gives them lots of ideas and sketches (not arty ones, very basic!) He then drops off samples of slabs/decking etc and generally guides the client, rather than designing the whole garden. People like the service he provides as they get what they want and what will work for them but he can give them the practical considerations and some new ideas which they may not have considered.

You can get a much more comprehensive service than this, which will be very expensive!! But if you don't want anything too fancy then try to get someone like my DH who can guide your design without the huge price tag!!

We are based in Kingston, Surrey- where in London are you?

SturdyAngel, that sounds exactly what I'd like. In an ideal world I would do it all myself, but it's too big a task, and I know it would take too long. Twiglett that's where I started (with the garden centre), but I'd much rather use someone that had been recommended by someone else. Dh and I did our old garden together, but a the first two years we just had a mud pile, and b I'd really like someone else's input (and preferably someone who knows what they are doing!). I'm in Beckenham.

Does your dh fit timber decking?