See Your Future Garden Before You Build It
AI-powered garden design, refined by real experts,
delivered in as little as 48 hours.
How It Works:
1. Upload Your Garden
Photos + a few quick questions
2. Choose Your Style (Fill out the report)
Modern, Zen, Family, Low-maintenance. For example before the options and or between family and low maintenance.
3. Receive Your Design
Visual concepts + layout ideas in 48 hours
Why Healy Garden Design & co?
- Real landscaping experience (not just digital ideas)
- Designs that can actually be built
- Faster than traditional design
- Available worldwide
- Option to convert into full build (UK clients)
Designed Globally. Built Locally.
We work with clients worldwide to design beautiful outdoor spaces. For UK customers, we also offer full design & build services.
FAQ's
How much does garden design cost in Solihull?
Garden design prices in Solihull can vary considerably depending on the size of the garden, the level of detail required and the designer or company you choose. A professional garden design can typically range from around £500 to £3,500+, with independent designers often starting towards the lower end and larger or more comprehensive design practices charging considerably more.
However, not every homeowner needs a complete garden design.
At Healy Garden Design & Co, we’ve recognised that some homeowners simply want professional guidance before deciding where to invest their money. That’s why we offer Professional Garden Mapping for £80, helping you understand how sunlight, shade and the existing layout affect the potential of your garden.
For customers who want to take the next step, Garden Design services with Healy Garden Design & Co start from £170, providing an accessible way to professionally visualise and design specific areas of the garden before committing to larger changes.
Do I need garden design before hiring a landscaper?
Not always. For straightforward projects, such as replacing a fence or installing a simple patio, a full garden design may not be necessary. However, if you’re changing the layout or several elements of your garden, having a clear plan before landscaping begins can be extremely valuable.
Many problems during landscaping projects come from unclear expectations, changes being made once work has already started, or the homeowner and landscaper having different ideas about the finished result.
Planning beforehand gives everyone a clear reference point. It can establish where features will go, how different areas will be used and what the finished garden is intended to look like.
Even for relatively small areas, planning can help reduce miscommunication, avoid unnecessary changes and prevent costly decisions later in the project.
At Healy Garden Design & Co, we don’t believe every project needs an expensive, comprehensive design package. Depending on what you’re trying to achieve, something as simple as Garden Mapping, designing an individual area, or creating a full garden design may provide the level of planning you need.
How much does landscaping cost?
Landscaping costs can vary significantly depending on the size of the garden, the materials chosen, access to the property and the amount of work involved. A relatively small project may cost a few thousand pounds, while a complete garden transformation involving patios, walls, fencing, drainage, planting and other features can run into the tens of thousands.
Rather than focusing solely on the size of the garden, it’s useful to consider what is actually being built. Porcelain paving, retaining walls, raised beds, drainage, decking, fencing, artificial grass and planting all have different material and labour requirements.
Site conditions can also affect the final price. Difficult access, excavation, waste removal, ground conditions and significant level changes can all increase the amount of work required.
At Healy Garden Design & Co, we believe one of the best ways to control landscaping costs is to plan before construction begins. Having a clear understanding of the garden, the intended layout and your priorities allows the project to be designed around a realistic budget and can reduce expensive changes once work has started.
If you’re working to a particular budget, being open about it from the beginning doesn’t mean a landscaper has to spend every penny of it; it allows them to advise you on where your money is best invested.
What's the best fencing for a windy garden?
For gardens exposed to strong winds, we generally wouldn’t recommend traditional timber posts combined with standard waney-edge or lap fence panels as the first choice.
Instead, we recommend starting with a stronger post system such as concrete posts or DuraPost steel posts, combined with a more robust panel such as closeboard fencing. Closeboard panels generally have greater structural integrity than lightweight waney-edge or lap-style panels, making them better suited to more exposed gardens.
Where a garden is particularly exposed, shorter fence sections can also be considered as part of the design rather than automatically installing long runs of standard-sized panels.
However, the strength of the panel is only part of the equation. Post installation, foundations, fence height, ground conditions and how exposed the garden is to prevailing winds all influence how well a fence will perform.
At Healy Garden Design & Co, we assess the location and intended use of the fence before recommending a system rather than simply using the same fencing specification for every garden.
How long should a new fence last?
The lifespan of a garden fence depends heavily on the materials used, how it has been installed and how exposed the garden is to the weather.
As a rough guide, a basic fence using timber posts and waney-edge/lap panels may last around 5 years, although good conditions and maintenance can extend this. Timber posts are particularly vulnerable where they meet the ground, as prolonged exposure to moisture can eventually lead to rot.
A more substantial fencing system can potentially last 15–25 years or more, depending on the specification. Using concrete posts or DuraPost steel posts, combined with good-quality closeboard fencing, removes or reduces some of the common weaknesses associated with basic timber-post systems.
However, no fence has a guaranteed lifespan simply because of the materials chosen. Installation quality, ground conditions, drainage, maintenance and exposure to strong winds and severe weather can all affect how long it lasts.
At Healy Garden Design & Co, we believe it’s worth considering the long-term cost of a fence rather than simply the initial installation price. A cheaper fence that needs replacing several times can ultimately cost considerably more than investing in a more substantial system from the beginning.
That final paragraph is particularly good commercially because it shifts the customer’s co
Is DuraPost worth it?
For many gardens, yes; DuraPost can be worth the additional investment, particularly if you’re looking for a fencing system designed with longevity, strength and appearance in mind.
Traditional timber posts are usually the cheaper option initially, but the section of timber sitting in or close to the ground can become vulnerable to moisture and rot over time. DuraPost uses galvanised steel posts, removing this particular weakness and providing a strong structural framework for the fence.
Compared with concrete posts, DuraPost also offers a slimmer and more contemporary appearance, while being significantly lighter to handle during installation.
However, DuraPost isn’t necessarily required for every garden. If your priority is simply achieving the lowest initial cost, traditional timber fencing may be more appropriate. Concrete posts can also provide a strong and long-lasting alternative where appearance and weight are less important.
At Healy Garden Design & Co, we particularly recommend considering DuraPost where a customer wants a long-term fencing solution, a cleaner appearance or additional confidence in more exposed gardens.
Ultimately, we’d recommend comparing fencing based on how long you want it to last and what you want it to look like not simply which option has the lowest installation price.
Porcelain vs sandstone patio?
Neither porcelain nor sandstone is automatically the better choice. The right option depends on the appearance you want, your budget, the level of maintenance you’re comfortable with and how the patio will be used.
Porcelain paving is manufactured to provide a consistent finish and is highly resistant to water absorption, staining and weathering. It generally requires less ongoing maintenance and is available in a wide variety of colours and finishes, making it particularly popular for modern and contemporary gardens.
Natural sandstone has more variation in colour, texture and character because every slab is naturally formed. This can create a softer, more traditional appearance that works particularly well in cottage-style and established gardens. However, sandstone is more porous than porcelain and will generally require more maintenance over its lifetime.
There are also differences when it comes to installation. Porcelain requires the correct preparation, cutting equipment, priming and installation methods, while natural stone has its own installation considerations. Whichever material you choose, the quality of the groundwork and installation is just as important as the paving itself.
At Healy Garden Design & Co, we don’t believe paving should be chosen simply because one material is currently more fashionable. We consider the style of the property, how the garden will be used, maintenance expectations and the overall garden design before recommending a material.
In simple terms: choose porcelain if you want a consistent, contemporary and lower-maintenance finish. Choose sandstone if you prefer the natural variation and character of real stone and are comfortable with a little more maintenance.
How much does a new patio cost?
The cost of a new patio depends on its size, the paving material chosen, access to the garden and the amount of preparation required. As a general starting point, a professionally installed patio can cost upwards of £3,000, with larger or more complex installations costing considerably more.
The paving itself is only one part of the cost. A patio built correctly may require excavation, waste removal, a suitable sub-base, compaction, drainage considerations, falls for water management, mortar, paving installation and jointing.
Existing ground conditions can also make a significant difference. Poor access, substantial excavation, drainage problems, level changes or the removal of an existing patio can all increase the labour and materials required.
At Healy Garden Design & Co, we believe the most important consideration isn’t simply how cheaply a patio can be installed, but whether the groundwork underneath it has been constructed correctly. The parts you can’t see once the patio is finished are often just as important as the paving you can.
A properly constructed patio should be viewed as a long-term investment in the garden, rather than simply the cost of laying paving slabs.
What plants work in a north-facing garden?
A north-facing garden doesn’t mean you can’t create a beautiful planting scheme. It simply means you need to choose plants that are comfortable with lower light levels and understand which parts of the garden receive the most sunlight.
Shade-tolerant plants such as ferns, hostas, heucheras, hellebores, bergenias, astilbes and hydrangeas can all work well in north-facing gardens, depending on the soil conditions and the amount of light available.
For larger structure, plants such as Fatsia japonica, Skimmia, Sarcococca and some varieties of Viburnum can provide height, evergreen foliage and seasonal interest.
However, north-facing doesn’t necessarily mean the entire garden is shaded. The length of the garden, surrounding buildings, fences, trees and the movement of the sun throughout the year can create areas receiving very different amounts of light.
At Healy Garden Design & Co, this is one of the reasons we developed our Garden Mapping service. Rather than choosing plants based solely on which direction a garden faces, we can look at how sunlight and shade actually move through the space and use that information when planning different areas of the garden.
The key isn’t finding plants that tolerate a north-facing garden; It’s putting the right plant in the right part of it.
Can I design my garden before deciding whether to landscape it?
Absolutely. In fact, designing your garden before committing to landscaping can be one of the best ways to understand what you actually want and what may be achievable within your budget.
A garden design allows you to explore different layouts, materials, planting areas and features without committing to the cost of construction. It can also help you identify which elements are most important to you and which could potentially be completed at a later date.
You don’t have to landscape the entire garden at once either. A good design can provide an overall direction for the space while allowing the work to be completed in stages as your budget and circumstances allow.
At Healy Garden Design & Co, our design services can be used independently of our landscaping services. There is no obligation to have the garden built by us after having it designed.
For homeowners who aren’t ready for a complete design, our Garden Mapping service can be an earlier step, helping you understand your existing garden, sunlight and shade before deciding what you would like to change.
Design doesn’t have to be the start of a landscaping project — it can simply be the first step towards understanding what’s possible.
How do I know where the sun falls in my garden?
The easiest way to understand where the sun falls in your garden is to observe it at different times throughout the day.
Start by identifying which direction your garden faces using a compass or your phone. Then check your garden at intervals. For example 9am, 12pm, 3pm and 6pm and make a note of which areas are receiving direct sunlight and which are in shade.
It’s important not to rely solely on whether your garden is described as north, south, east or west-facing. Your house, neighbouring properties, fences, trees and other structures can all affect how sunlight actually moves through the space.
Sunlight also changes throughout the year as the sun sits higher or lower in the sky, so an area that’s sunny during summer may receive considerably less direct light during winter.
At Healy Garden Design & Co, we’ve developed Garden Mapping specifically to help homeowners understand this before making decisions about patios, seating areas, planting and the wider garden layout.
You can map your garden yourself using our £8 DIY Garden Mapping Template, or our Professional Garden Mapping service starts from £80 if you’d prefer us to analyse it for you.
Understanding where the sun falls before you design the garden can help you decide not just what to put in your garden but where to put it.
Your Garden Transformation Starts Here
See it. Refine it. Build it.