Dawn Garden Design

My Husband and I were building a new house on a green build site so had a great opportunity to create our perfect garden. We met with a few local designers and chose Dawn because we felt we would get the garden that was right for us and not the one the garden designer felt would be right for them. Dawn listened to our requests, offered welcome advice and guidance and together we created a plan for a beautiful formal garden, pottage and woodland area. Dawn liaised with builders, landscapers and the site manager creating a harmonious working relationship in what could have been a rather combustable situation and after a year of planning and a year of building a planting we have a superb garden which has brought a tremendous amount of pleasure. Whether your project is small or large I would highly recommend a chat with Dawn as she really can manage your budget to create the garden space of your dreams.

Having spent some 6 years completely renovating our home, next on the agenda was to improve and enhance what was a reasonably large and established garden. Whilst we had a few ideas of our own, on this big scale project we were relative novices in gardening terms and so turned to Dawn for some professional guidance. On first meeting Dawn, we found her to be very pleasant and easy to get along with, she listened to our ideas and what we wanted from our garden and she gave us constructive advice on what she felt would or wouldn’t work. Several meetings followed and Dawn drew up basic plans showing the ideas we had discussed. She also offered various other great ideas that we would never have envisaged ourselves. She remained extremely patient, offering helpful and knowledgeable answers to any questions that arose during our decision process. Once the design decisions were made, Dawn produced an impressive colour plan and artists impression showing each aspect. She also provided a comprehensive planting plan, with suggestions and information on suitable plants, shrubs and trees. When we were ready to commence work, Dawn was able to recommend contractors she had worked with before and was also able to source good quality and competitively priced plants from a local nursery, always keeping us informed of different options and prices available. Dawn has been a pleasure to work with, professional, efficient and very knowledgeable, she is committed to achieving the best possible end result and our garden has been transformed. If you are considering changing or improving your garden, big or small, I would highly recommend her.

Dawn created a really special boutique garden with lots of interest and features in the small garden plot of my town house in York. She listened to all that was important to me about the design, and then produced a fantastic artistic drawing of the garden which really helped bring to life what the final result would look like. Dawn did a brilliant job sourcing the highest quality plants and her ideas on the decking, lighting and new patio shape really transformed the look of the whole garden making it feel so much larger. Dawn supported the management of the project throughout, and took care of everything to make sure the final result was the best it could be. Dawn was really good to work with on the new garden, and the design she created in such a small space exceeded all my expectations. I would thoroughly recommend her garden design service.

When we moved recently, we graduated from balcony gardening to tending a small city garden – a daunting prospect because the ground was scrubby, the flowerbeds were overgrown and tangled with ivy and it is mostly shady. We didn’t know where to start. But as soon as I saw Dawn’s design, I knew there was hope for our little outdoor space – she addressed every wish and concern of ours, while also respecting our budget. Her plans, which were presented clearly and beautifully, were full of interesting and attractive shade-loving planting ideas that we would never have thought of ourselves. And now halfway through it’s transformation, the garden already feels as though it has doubled in size, and we have enjoyed late-summer family meals out there. Plus it’s now a safe play area for our toddler.

We asked Dawn to produce a design and planting plan for our front garden. She produced a stunningly simple contemporary design whilst being sensitive to the architectural integrity of our Edwardian house. She was a delight to work with, always excercising true professionalism which manifested itself in numerous ways - most notably, always delivering on time and a refusal to accept anything but the best. This was particularly reassuring as she sourced all of the plants and ensured that all were in prime condition. She explained to us in great detail her plant selection and talked us through when each plant would flower and how the garden would evolve in terms of colour and growth. She has a friendly, assured manner which instills great confidence and a distinct feeling that we had chosen the right person for the job right from the outset! We are delighted with the result and so are our neighbours and passers-by if the number of complimentary comments is anything to go by. We would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Dawn, so much so that we are intending to commission her to redesign our much bigger rear garden in the near future.

Dawn was highly recommended to us and we are so thankful that we decided to contact her. She spent a great deal of time working with us to understand precisely what it was that we were looking for in our new garden. She then produced three very different working plans for us to consider. This really challenged our idea of what it was that we actually wanted! She happily worked within our budget and did not rush us into making any decisions. She suggested and sourced the landscapers, nurseries and greenhouse suppliers, all of which were highly professional and did a fantastic job. She liaised with them every step of the way and worked with them right through to the planting stage. She was professional, confident in her knowledge and so encouraging throughout the whole process, that it really was a pleasure to work with her. What Dawn has created for us is the most beautiful, exquisite garden. It is so much more than we ever thought possible and there is not a day when we do not look out in amazement at what she has achieved. We are forever thankful to her.