Having a garden border designed professionally?

[Wildwood6]

Hi,

I've got a border that's about 2m by 2m in my front garden and I'd love to have it professionally designed. Has anyone done this and could you advise how I'd go about it? Ideally I'd like to get a planting plan drawn up for me to plant myself.
I'm actually fairly green-fingered and have pretty clear ideas of the kind of things I'd like to incorporate, but I don't have that 'designer's brain' and whenever I actually try and plan out borders they look a complete mess! I'd love my own teensy tiny version of the 'proper' garden beds you see at stately homes that are packed with gorgeous flowers. I've done quite a bit of research online but garden designers generally seem to do complete garden redesigns and have huge prices to match, which just doesn't seem warranted for such a small space. All I can really seem to find for smaller scale projects are landscape gardeners who seem to be more about hard landscaping and maybe a few token shrubs, but I'd love something full of truly beautiful plants with proper year round interest. Can anyone advise at all?

No, but Crocus sell ready made borders

I'd love my own teensy tiny version of the 'proper' garden beds you see at stately homes that are packed with gorgeous flowers.
You only ever see them photographed in the summer, not in the winter.
Don't you want year-round interest?

@senua, yes I know- its probably why I'm struggling! Ideally what I'd like to achieve is a backbone structure with evergreens, or plants with interesting shapes in the winter just to keep things ticking over in the colder months, and then for the seasonal things to be more of the stars of the show in the summer. I heard a garden designer talking about this on TV once and was rather taken with the idea! I quite like gardens in which you have a sense of things changing with the seasons.

Go to the Library
take out all the old books on Garden design - especially anything by Hilliers or the RHS and do it yourself

2m by 2m is tiny by the way
things like the wide border at Wisley are 6m x 30 m
and Hilliers Centenary is 2 x 5m x 100 m

you need to look at planting schemes that have the aspect and drainage and viewpoints that are right for you

Lots of architects design small garden spaces as well. I’m sure if you browse their websites you’ll get an idea whether they have a style you might like. They’ll refer you to a colleague if your garden is too small for them

Look at books by Gertrude Jekyll who is the godmother of garden designs.

I'd like to achieve is a backbone structure with evergreens, or plants with interesting shapes in the winter just to keep things ticking over in the colder months, and then for the seasonal things to be more of the stars of the show in the summer.
Here's my two penn'orth:
Think like a designer, not a plantswoman. Think about how you would design a room in the house and use those principles (concentrate on the permanent / expensive things).
Have about 40% shrub / evergreen, to give shape and structure.
Consider shape / colour / texture of leaf, height, scent, berries.
Consider pruning some of the shrubs so that the first foot or so is just stem - it means you can underplant.
Double up your planting space by doubling up seasons - plant bulbs.
Don't try to cram too many different plants in, it will look bitty. Get harmony and unity by repeats (most effective at front of border) and sticking to a colour palette.
The obvious thing is have tall plants at the back but sometimes it's good to break the rules. Have 'see-through' tall plants like allium or verbena.
You can fill a lot of gaps with annuals whilst you are waiting for the border to mature.
Remember that it's a work-in-progress: apparently it will take seven years to get right!
Have fun experimenting

www.gardenonaroll.com/

?

@senua this is absolutely amazing, thank you!
Thank you so much everyone for all your suggestions and advice- lots of reading and research to do methinks!

It occurs to me, what are you searching/googling? You need the phrase "herbaceous border".
Here's a site I just found using that phrase.

This is so useful @senua, thank you so much!