Services
Full Garden Design
Your garden, designed around your life. From first conversation to finished space, we’re with you every step of the way.
A garden that works for you and your family takes time, expertise and a genuine understanding of how you live; the way you use your home through the seasons, the people you want to share it with and the space you’re starting from.
From the initial site survey to the final planting, we bring together the right specialists at each stage and stay involved through the build to make sure your finished garden matches your vision perfectly.
The result is an outdoor space that feels like it was always meant to be there and one that will grow more beautiful with every passing year.
Discover how we can help you with your garden design project
Whether you’re starting with a blank canvas, working around an existing garden that never quite came together or building a new home and want your outdoor space to feel as considered and refined as the interior, our full design service is built around your specific needs.
You can expect a dedicated design team who listen first and design second. A process that keeps you informed and in control. Artistic and technical drawings to help you visualise the end result. Honest advice about materials, costs and timelines. A network of trusted specialist contractors. And a finished garden that reflects who you are, not just what looked good on paper.
What we bring to your Garden Design project
We’ve been designing gardens across Yorkshire, Northern England and beyond since 2016, building a reputation for work that is design-led, detail-focussed and built to last. Whether we’re working on a walled garden in the Yorkshire Dales or a contemporary space in Leeds, Manchester or London, we bring the same thinking to every project.
Our work has been recognised at the highest level, including at RHS Tatton Park and a place at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026, where we designed the Trussell’s Together Garden.
Every project we take on is different from show gardens to private homes. But they all begin from the same place, the trust our clients place in us when they hand over their space, their budget and their vision. That trust is something we take seriously. It shapes how we work, how we communicate and the standard we hold ourselves to on every project.
“Rob Hardy & Co have been absolutely first-class since my very first contact with them. Experts in their field, truly passionate about what they do and have provided incredible service over the many months my project has taken from conception to delivery. The end result has been superb, so I would not hesitate to recommend them.”
- James Merrett
The Garden Design Process
Every garden is different but our process is consistent. The process begins with a visit to your home, an hour or so spent getting to know you, your garden and your vision for the space. Don’t worry if you’re not sure exactly what you want yet; helping you articulate that is part of what we do. Following our meeting, we’ll prepare a written proposal and design quotation for the project.
01 Garden survey & site analysis
Once you’re happy to proceed, we carry out a detailed survey of the garden, taking accurate measurements of existing features and recording level changes. You’ll receive a base plan of the existing space before we move to the next stage, so you can see exactly what we’re working with.
02 Concept design
This is where the vision takes shape. With a clear understanding of the brief we develop an initial concept that captures the character and direction of your garden. We present this through hand drawn sketches, 3D models and animation so you can explore the space from multiple viewpoints and really picture how it will feel. We talk it through together, make any refinements and move forward only when you’re happy with the design.
03 Master PLAN
The concept becomes a detailed plan, a precise document setting out every element of the garden, from the layout of paths and planting beds to the choice of materials, levels and construction details. This is the document that guides everything that follows and forms the basis for contractor quotes.
04 Planting plan
Planting is where a garden comes alive. We develop a detailed planting scheme that works with your soil, your aspect and your aesthetic, choosing plants that will perform through every season and improve year on year. You’ll receive a full plant schedule, allowing us or your landscaper to request nursery quotes quickly and accurately. Where needed, we can also provide a monthly maintenance schedule to help you or your gardener keep the space looking its best as it matures.
05 Detailed drawings & tendering
We can prepare detailed technical specifications for contractors to follow, ensuring the work is carried out to the highest standard. We then manage the tendering process on your behalf, identifying the right contractors for the project, preparing the necessary paperwork and helping you make a confident, informed decision about who to appoint.
06 Build & project monitoring
We like to stay in touch but if you would like us to monitor the construction work as it progresses, we do offer a service for this. Our skilled horticulturalist team can also carry out the planting once the hard landscaping is complete, ensuring every plant goes in exactly as designed and preparing a maintenance schedule and advising on keeping your garden looking its best for years to come.
Working with architects.
When a garden is designed alongside a building rather than as an afterthought, the result is a property that feels genuinely cohesive, inside and outside growing from the same idea.
We join architect-led projects early, working as part of the wider design team from the outset to bring clarity and confidence to the external scheme. We understand how to operate within an existing design vision, deliver to tight timescales and produce work that enhances rather than competes with the architecture around it.
Our role is to make the outdoor space feel inevitable, as though it could only ever have looked this way. But inevitable rarely means expected. A considered, unhurried approach to each of our projects has a way of uncovering something distinctive, a quality or detail that belongs entirely to that garden and couldn’t have come from anywhere else.
Frequently asked questions
Here are a few frequently asked questions about how we collaborate with Architects. Please do get in touch with the studio if you have more questions about how we can help you with your project.
-
A garden designer takes your ideas and shapes them into a coherent vision for your outdoor space. That means thinking carefully about layout, levels, materials, planting, lighting and the relationship between your garden and your home. It means asking the right questions, listening to how you actually live and translating all of that into a design that feels both beautiful and entirely right for its setting. And it means staying involved through the process to make sure that vision is realised properly, not just on paper but in the finished garden itself.
-
We're based on the Harewood Estate in Yorkshire and work primarily across the North of England - Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, the North East and beyond. We'll always consider projects further afield where the brief is the right fit including central London.
-
Design fees are tailored to the scope and complexity of your project. As a proportion of the overall investment, design is typically modest, yet it's the element that has the greatest influence on the quality and longevity of what gets built. A well-considered design reduces risk, avoids costly decisions during construction and ensures every element of the finished garden earns its place. We'll always be upfront about fees before any work begins.
-
Build costs vary depending on size, access, materials and specification, so it's difficult to give a meaningful figure without understanding your project. We will guide you on costs throughout the design process, working with you to make sure the budget is used where it matters most. For bespoke, high-quality gardens, costs are broadly comparable to other premium areas of home improvement, reflecting the craftsmanship and materials involved. We'll always be honest about what's achievable within your budget.
-
Every project is different, but as a guide, concept design typically takes four to eight weeks, followed by a detailed design and technical phase of similar length. Where projects involve architects or specialist consultants, additional time may be needed to ensure everything is fully coordinated. From initial consultation to completed build, most projects take between six months and a year. And because planting can take two to three years to fully establish, the garden continues to evolve long after the build is finished. We'll give you a clear, realistic timeline at the outset so you always know where you are in the process.
-
We don't carry out the physical build ourselves, but our involvement doesn't end at the drawing stage. We work with a trusted network of landscapers whose work we know well, and we're always happy to recommend the right people for your project or work with your own contractors. We can also oversee the build on your behalf, monitoring progress and remaining available to support the build, ensuring the finished garden is executed to the standard the design requires.
-
We work on gardens of all sizes. What matters more than square footage is having the right budget to deliver the quality of design and build the space deserves. If you're unsure whether your project is the right fit, get in touch and we'll have an honest conversation.
-
Our expert consultation service might be a better starting point. Take a look at what that involves, or get in touch and we'll point you in the right direction.
-
As early as possible and ideally alongside any architectural work if you're renovating or extending at the same time. Getting the garden into the conversation early means we can influence key decisions about levels, thresholds and sightlines before they're fixed. For standalone garden projects, autumn or winter is an ideal start. It gives us enough time to work through the design properly and coordinate contractors ahead of a spring or summer build.
-
A garden is a living thing, it changes with every season. We're happy to advise on ongoing maintenance and can provide a monthly schedule to help you or your gardener keep the space looking its best as it matures. We also offer site visits, enabling us to continue to advise on the evolution of your garden and discuss design intentions. These are charged at our hourly rate plus travel.
Get in touch