Inside Your Garden Design

A garden designed around the way you live.

A considered garden begins long before the first plant is chosen.

It starts with understanding you, your home and the possibilities of your property. How you want to spend time outdoors. What isn't working in your current garden. What you hope to create, both now and in the years to come.

My design process brings these pieces together to create a garden that feels connected to your home, reflects your personal style and works beautifully through the seasons.

Here's how we get there.

First, we get to know you and your garden.

Every project begins with a conversation.

Before we meet, I'll share my Preparing for Your Garden Design document to help you think through your goals, preferences and wish list. Then we'll meet virtually or in person to discuss how you want to use your outdoor space, what's working, what's missing and what you'd love to change.

We'll talk about everything from your preferred colour palette and planting style to the practical details that will shape the design. Perhaps you're planning a new pool, dreaming of a vegetable garden or looking for somewhere to entertain friends. We might discuss privacy, difficult areas, existing plants you want to keep or the things that frustrate you about your garden today.

This is where I get to know not just what you want your garden to look like, but how you want it to feel and function.

“I am amazed how you understood my goals so clearly.”

- Kelly G., garden design client

Understanding your property

A successful design responds to the realities of your site, not just its possibilities.

I'll study the property to understand the conditions that will influence the design, including drainage, sun exposure, the orientation of your home, sightlines, access and existing features. Where appropriate, I'll also consider available soil survey information and other site-specific data.

For in-person projects, this includes taking measurements and a soil sample. For virtual projects, we can work from an existing survey or site plan, arrange a formal survey if needed, or I'll guide you through collecting the measurements and photographs required to get started.

The goal is to understand the opportunities and constraints of your property before making design decisions.

Establishing a shared vision

Before moving into detailed design, I'll bring everything we've discussed into a client brief.

This is where your goals, the site's conditions and the design direction come together. The brief establishes how we want the garden to evolve, what it needs to accomplish and the overall look and feel we're working toward.

It includes a preliminary plant palette and mood boards to communicate the design direction and help you picture the possibilities. You'll have something tangible to respond to, with an opportunity to clarify preferences and make sure we're aligned before the detailed work begins.

This step is important. It gives us a shared understanding of what we're creating and why, so the design that follows has a clear purpose.

Your design direction includes:

A written client brief outlining your goals and priorities

Mood boards that establish the look and feel of the garden

A preliminary plant palette to explore colour, texture and form

Developing the detailed design

With the brief approved, I move into detailed design.

I refine the layout around how you will move through the space, the views you want to enjoy, the areas that need to connect and the relationship between the garden and your home's architecture. Every decision is considered in the context of the overall vision, from the arrangement of planting beds to the balance of open space and greenery.

Only once the layout is resolved do I finalize the planting plan.

This is where the garden's layers come together. Plant selections are considered not only individually, but in relation to one another, creating a cohesive composition of foliage, form, texture and seasonal interest.

Every planting plan includes a strategy for year-round structure. I want your garden to look considered in spring, feel full and alive in summer, offer interest in autumn and retain its shape and presence through winter. The aim is a garden that rewards you well beyond its peak flowering season.

Your finished garden design

Your final design brings the vision and the practical details together in a coordinated package you can use to move forward with confidence.

Depending on your project scope, your design package may include:

Scaled planting plans showing the proposed layout and plant placement.
A curated plant palette illustrating the plants selected for your garden.
A plant schedule with selections, quantities, seasonal interest and each plant's role in the design.
A seasonal bloom calendar showing how flowering interest unfolds through the growing season.
Supporting design notes explaining proposed changes to existing planting and other relevant implementation details.

Your architectural-style drawings are prepared in your preferred paper size, with a clear legend to help you interpret the plan. Whether you're installing the garden yourself or handing the documents to your preferred landscape contractor, you'll have a practical reference to guide the work.

We'll review the finished design together, and one round of revisions is included so I can make the necessary adjustments before finalizing your package.

For clients in Ontario, I can also help source and supply plant material.

Thoughtful design. Practical plans. A garden that feels like home.

The best gardens are not simply collections of beautiful plants. They're spaces that respond to the people who use them, the homes they surround and the conditions in which they grow.

My approach brings those elements together to create gardens that feel intentional, work in everyday life and become more rewarding as they mature.

Ready to plan your garden?

If you're considering a garden transformation for Spring 2027, now is a good time to start the conversation.

Full garden design packages start at $1,500, with pricing based on the scope and complexity of your project.

Let's create a garden that feels like it belongs.

Inquire Now