Landscape Design
At PGS Landscaping, our garden designs are the perfect way to create your dream outdoor space. We listen to your needs and work with you every step of the way to ensure complete customer satisfaction. Using our hand-drawn full colour 2-dimensional drawings to complement the CAD 3D and walkthrough simulator we can create a plan that perfectly suits your lifestyle and budget, bring your garden to life!
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What is Landscaping?
Landscaping is the design and transformation of an outdoor space, with the aim of enhancing its functionality and aesthetic appeal. It includes categories such as hardscape, softscape and waterscape. Let's explore these different aspects and help you understand some of the principles involved in Landscape Design...
Hardscape
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Hardscape refers to the non-living, structural elements of a landscape, including patios and pathways, walls, fences and decking, and outdoor structures such as raised beds and pergolas. These features provide physical shape and form to the garden, create zones and define the overall layout, to create visually appealing and functional environments.
Successful hardscaped areas would normally consist of a number of these elements designed in a way to balance and compliment each other. However a garden usually needs to be softened which is where Softscape elements can be introduced..
Softscape
Softscape elements involve living, horticultural components of a landscape, such as plants, trees, shrubs, flowers, and grass. The correct selection and arrangement of the softscaping elements are essential, for achieving a beautifully aesthetic and functional outdoor space.
Waterscape
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Simply put, Waterscape includes everything involving water, such as ponds, waterfalls, waterfeatures and even irrigation systems. They offer a great dynamic feature, and a focal point to any garden design.
How to design a garden?
With any landscaping project, thorough planning and design is essential. Consideration needs to be given to principles such as balance, symmetry, focal points and colour, to create a visually appealing and harmonious outdoor space.
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Firstly take precise measurements of your garden perimeter. Take note of the location of any fixed structure, such as the house, the shed, a tree, anything that is not going to move. Ensure you include any manholes, grates, pipes, electrical sockets and cables. Plot all this onto graph, rather than plain, paper. This allows you to easily calculate area, and also visualise the space. It is essential to take accurate measurements, as even the smallest miscalculation at this stage, can result in costly mistakes during the construction process.
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During any landscaping project emphasis must be placed on the grading and drainage of your garden, to ensure that water drains effectively, and away from, buildings and structures. This prevents issues such as erosion and water accumulation. Indicate any high and low points of the area and draw them on the graph paper.
Once all this has been sketched, place a sheet of tracing paper on top and draw out your plan. This lets you see the permanent structures underneath, and allows you to design around them.
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This design process is a great opportunity to experiment with sizes,
materials, shapes and textures, as well as different zones within
the garden. You can adopt different layouts until you find that perfect balance, and if things go wrong you don't have to start again from the beginning.
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Remember to consider other aspects of the garden. Outdoor Lighting for example, is becoming an important feature in modern gardens. This enhances the visual appeal of the garden, whilst increasing safety and security.​​
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If all this seems a bit complex and somewhat daunting, perhaps the help of landscape designer
would be a good idea. So lets look at the advantages of using a Professional Landscape Designer.
Why use a Professional Landscape Designer ?
Hiring a landscape designer can bring several benefits to your garden project. Like any profession, Landscape Designers bring expertise, knowledge and skills that has been developed over many years. This maybe your first garden renovation project, or perhaps your second, but Landscape designer produce dozens of designs each year, developing there craft with experience. They can offer unique design ideas that perhaps you hadn't even thought about and offer tailored made solutions based on your preferences and budget.
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Designers can plan and execute projects efficiently, saving you time and effort, and a well-designed and executed project not only can save you from costly mistake in the long run.
According to a 2020 study carried out by the Post Office, they stated that..."a nicely presented garden alone can be seen to add 20% to the value of your house, also adding that "research has shown approximately 70% of home buyers would pay more for a garden with an outdoor green space"....showing that a well designed and execute outdoor living space can be a great investment.
PGS Landscaping bespoke design service
Our bespoke landscape garden designs are the perfect way to create your dream outdoor space. We listen to your needs and work with you every step of the way to ensure complete customer satisfaction.
Using our hand-drawn full colour 2-dimensional drawings to complement the CAD 3D and walkthrough simulator we can create a plan that perfectly suits your lifestyle and budget, bring your garden to life!
Designing a garden landscape can be complicated and tackling it somewhat daunting. However, whether it's a small garden courtyard or large-scale re-modelling project, PGS Landscaping can help you by providing a bespoke design service specific to your needs and budget.​