If I buy a flat with 100ft garden that is only grass.....

[IlanaK]

would it make sense to hire a landscape gardener? I do not want 100ft of grass which is what is there now. I would like paths, decking (there is currently a slab patio area), an area for the kids, an area for growing veg etc. And I want it low maintenance!

How much would a landscape gardener cost?

I think you can just get people to do specific jobs, eg decking. It's pretty easy to dig up an area of turf for a veg patch. Kids area is better as grass - you can put garden toys etc there. Paths could be done by most normal gardeners. Don't know how much it would all actually cost but to save money I'd do it like that, rather then get a landscaper in and say "Pimp my whole garden!", IYSWIM.

Also you can take your time with a garden, it's not as if it's something you have to get done immediately - so you can get lots of options and quotes in.

Does this mean you are actually buying something???

Maybe! We put an offer in on something tonight (we are guzumping......shhhhh) that I think will be accepted. I wanted a big garden, but 100 ft! Not sure what to do with it!

It depends rather on what you mean by a landscape gardener, and what you're thinking of asking someone to do.

The advantage of getting a professional garden designer to do a design is that they would probably have a better chance of designing a garden and planting plan that's both genuinely low maintenance and attractive year round.

To be honest, Jane Austen summed it up as follows (not in so many words, but you get the giste): if you pay someone to do it, it will look a lot more stylish, but if you do it yourself, it will be more personal and (probably) cost less.

The easy compromise is to do what Pannacotta and I suggested on the last garden-related thread: go to the library, get out books of ready-made garden plans (e.g. one called 'The Small Garden' - 100ft is still small by many garden standards) and hire individual contractors to implement one of the garden plans given in the book. I think you may need a separate book with planting plans to choose the plants. Do choose plants that will suit your soil type, amount of water and light levels, or you'll spend the summer watching them die slowly, before paying out for more.

Thanks. What I think I want is someone to design the garden based on what I tell them I want. So maybe a garden designer is what I meant rather than a landscaper.

You can buy software to do this! Much cheaper than a landscape bod. They take into account the soil, the direction etc. You can play for hours!

Ooooo - excellent! That sounds more like it! Do you recommend one in particular?

Sell off 60' of it to a developer.

I used to have an Alan Titchmarsh one years ago. I would look at Amazon and read the up to date reviews. The one I had, you could design it all, stick all the plants in then do a walk through.

I must admit I used to get carried away a bit and design outside spaces, with fancy lighting and posh furniture that corresponded not a jot with the 18 x 30 ft space that was MY garden.

Not that I want to get rid of any of it, but we couldn't anyway as it is in a conservation area.