Garden design options

[Prawnofthepatriarchy]

I've lived in the same house for 28 years. The garden design that worked so well 20 years ago has been completely impractical for at least five. I have chronic severe pain and other health problems. Gardening, apart from in containers, is far too much for me. Over the years my garden became almost incredibly overgrown.

A few weeks ago my neighbour recommended a labouring gardener who has done a spectacular job of basically stripping it back to bare earth, paths and walls. So now I have a blank canvas. But I'm totally ignorant of planting, etc. I think I probably want to include membrane, paving, possibly decking. I can cope with hanging baskets and large, deep pots. My wonderful labourer is happy to do the work but couldn't plan it.

I think I need an expert plan, whether it's built by the designer or the bloke who's currently working for me.

I'm hoping someone will be able to advise me. How pricey is a garden designer? How best to find one? What to look for in a garden designer? Do garden centres offer this service? Or is there some good software I could use?

I'm gazing out at my bare garden in delight, but I'm all too aware that unless I take rapid action it'll grow back over night.

I'd be grateful for any advice.

No advice on garden designers but some thoughts ...

You could buy time by covering the whole thing with well weighted down black plastic, cardboard, old carpet to inhibit re-growth while you think and plan.

Decking = slipperiness and rats if you're not careful.

It's easy to find people to mow lawns, cut hedges. Not so easy to find gardeners who know their plants and will prune appropriately. So think about how much you want to maintain yourself and how much you will get someone else to deal with and design accordingly.

Consider installing an automatic watering system for the containers. And think about raised beds (with retaining walls) rather than individual containers - less of a watering problem. That would also provide perching points throughout the garden which might be useful in the future.

Looking to the hopefully long distant future, gravel and wheelchairs don't mix well.

Thank you so much for your useful insights. These are exactly the sort of tips I was hoping for.