Your upcoming consultation with a member of our Landscape Design team is an wonderful opportunity for you to share your ideas for your garden and get feedback from a highly experienced garden design professional.
We want you to get the maximum benefit from it, so here are some tips and advice on how to prepare for it properly.
(We’ve done hundreds of these for our clients so we know what’s important to focus on and the most common mistakes to avoid.)
Like a lot of people, you might think your initial consultation with your landscape designer or landscape architect will involve them pulling out a pen and paper and sketching ideas for your garden on the spot. They might do this for some ideas but it’s not really what the session is about.
Ultimately, your consultation is about:
This is the foundation of every great landscaping relationship. And every successful landscape project.
Before your consultation, please think a little beyond what you think your garden should look like and focus on:
The more clearly that you can describe how you want your new garden to function, the more effectively we can design it around your lifestyle as well as plan how it is going to be built.
Nothing kills creativity more than budget constraint.
Feasibility is something we want to be aware of from the start.
A good initial design consultation should feel less like a meeting… and more like a strategic discussion.
Please come prepared to:
Our role is not just to listen – it is to guide you based on experience, design expertise, and practical construction knowledge.
Onsite - If you’ve booked an onsite consultation with us, please email us beforehand with any aspirational images of what you’d like to create.
Online – If you’ve booked an online consultation, it’s even more important that you send us pictures (and videos if necessary) of your entire property to help us grasp the full scope of your project.
Please don’t consider you can “just show the designer everything on my phone during the consultation!” Your garden designer will need to see everything, including plans, at least 24 hours before the session begins.
Speaking of phones, please don’t use your mobile for the session. A tablet is preferable or a laptop or desktop computer. (Mobile phone screens just aren’t big enough to see the detail each party needs to share!) if that is all you have, we suggest you change to an onsite consultation.
The gardens we create are built from quality materials, using highly skilled workmanship, and a high-end approach creatively. Our focus is not to work cheap or basic projects or work with DIY clients.
Our passion is to work with people who…
If this sounds like you, you’ll get significantly more value from our consultation than those who don’t.
When you meet with us at Whyte Gardens, you can expect to receive:
We don’t believe in generic solutions - every garden project we undertake is approached with a unique design tailored to your needs.
We have a simple guiding principle we work from:
“Provide the knowledge the client needs, when they need it, so they can make informed decisions that create better results”
After your consultation with us, you should leave with:
Just as importantly, we’ll also know whether you’re the right fit to move forward together, from our own point of view. We love working with people who want to create a garden that will elevate their way of living and are eager to bring it to life.
If your consultation reveals we are all aligned in our thinking, then we will move to the next stage of our unique Tandem Approach which establishing your New Garden Framework.
This is where we will:
We’ve found it’s always the clients who arrive most prepared for their consultation who tend to move through to this stage with clarity and confidence.
If you take the time to prepare yourself properly, your consultation will be far more than just a meeting.
It will become the moment where your new garden becomes more real to you.
Where you feel a sense of anticipation, excitement and direction.
Where uncertainty is replaced with clarity.
And where you can move head onto the next steps with real confidence.
At Whyte Gardens, we take on a limited number of projects each year to ensure every client receives the attention their project deserves.
If you’re ready to approach your landscape project sincerely, we look forward to meeting you.
Typically 30–60 minutes depending on the scope of your project.
Yes, if an online consultation. Any existing house plans are vitally necessary as are site photos and perhaps a video.
Inspiration images, ideas, and a general sense of your budget and priorities and ideal timeframes. Also any questions you’d like answered.
You’ll gain direction and insight, but the fully detailed design comes in the next stage. Your designer may of course sketch out some thoughts for you, make some initial design recommendations or give you some solid advice in the session.