Heartwood Garden Design

We paid Judy to complete a garden design, planting and lighting plan and to specify materials for our front and rear garden. During the construction several adaptations had to be made as she made the beds too small and the planter too high. Also the landscapers followed her planting plan but a number of items had to be moved around. We also ended up with lots of ferns!! However what was most disappointing is that she specified self binding gravel for a path which is not fit for purpose. First she blamed the landscapers for not installing it right: then she blamed us for wanting to keep costs down. Her solution to the problem was to spray it twice a year with weed killer to keep the weeds and moss at bay. She didn’t have a solution for the fact that the gravel gets kicked everywhere only to blame the landscapers again for laying it incorrectly despite the supplier telling us otherwise. She then went on to blame the supplier. She offered to come round with a landscaper if we took down the review, but a couple of days later withdrew this offer too, saying she couldn’t do anything more. Not a pleasant experience, and not cheap either. Defends her design and material selection fiercely and nothing is ever her fault. Thank goodness we listened to our own instincts on the fences and didn’t paint them like she wanted to do. Requests you to take down negative reviews in exchange for offering to come out and look at the job, then withdraws this offer and blocks you from instagram as she doesn’t want the bad reputation. Cost us money as we are now having to redo the path just after a year of it being laid.

We moved to our current house three years ago. It has large front and back gardens and Judy has helped us to transform these from nothing into beautiful gardens filled with scent and colour throughout the year. She designed and planted the back garden complete with gravel areas, beautiful mixed planting, a large patio close to the house, pergola arches and sweeping paths. Each area of the garden has its own distinct character and we couldn’t be more delighted with the result. Judy recently designed a play area for our grandchildren which included a decked area with water play,a cup swing,log stepping stones all contained within lovely planting. Our grandchildren love it already and we are looking forward to warm summer days when we can fully enjoy it. Through the process Judy gave us clear advice on plants, garden lighting, tree conservation and she continues to give input into the care of our garden through our gardener as well as helping us to develop our own gardening knowledge. She has also designed the front garden, including a secondary drive, large timber garage, pergola and low maintenance planting, again her garden design and planting have been thorough. Our front garden looks stunning and will continue to develop beautifully with Judy’s input. Judy is easy to work with, has a can do approach and is both a skilled designer and knowledgeable plant person who we would highly recommend for any garden design projects.

Great job from start to finish. Innovative garden design with a highly creative and effective planting programme. There was no charge for the initial consultation and the cost of the project including the initial design was agreed in advance as was the timescale. 18 months on we now have an impressive, established garden giving full colour in the summer as well as a subtle winter display.

Judy has transformed our garden. Her design and plant choice was exactly what we wanted. We found her helpful and communicative and would thoroughly recommend Heartwood Garden Design.