Garden design visits: from first site visit to the plan

A garden design project usually follows four appointments: a first site visit to see the garden and hear the wishes, a brief to agree on scope and budget, a presentation of the concept, and the work days themselves. Make the first site visit bookable online with a clear length and price, then book the following meetings yourself as the project moves forward. Plan design work for the quieter months, so the planting can happen at the right time of year.

Nothing replaces walking the garden: the light, the soil, the slopes, the views to keep or hide, the way the family uses the space. The first visit is where you see all this and listen to what the client imagines. It takes an hour to an hour and a half, and some garden designers charge it, with the fee sometimes deducted from the design if the client goes ahead. Whatever you choose, say it clearly.

On Book, create a service such as "Garden design: first site visit", with its length, its price and a description of what happens. Open slots on the days you can travel to that area.

The booking form asks for first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note. Put these questions in the service description so the client answers them in the note. You receive an email for each new booking, with the note, so you arrive with a first idea already forming.

Once the client agrees, the following meetings depend on the project, so book them yourself from your calendar using separate services, for example "Concept presentation" and "Design revision". They appear clearly in your bookings list, and the client receives a confirmation email for each one when you enter their email address.

The concept presentation is where the client decides. Holding it on site lets you walk the garden with the plan in hand and show exactly where the terrace, the beds or the new hedge will go. Holding it at your studio lets you spread out plans, samples and plant photos. Either way, send the key drawings a day or two before, so the client arrives with questions rather than discovering everything at once.

Say in the service description how long the presentation lasts, who should attend (both partners, if they decide together), and that the quote for the works will follow. If revisions are needed, book a shorter follow-up meeting rather than stretching the presentation.

Garden design has a natural calendar. Designs made in late autumn and winter are ready for planting in the right season, while maintenance rounds take up the growing months. Open more first-visit slots when your rounds are lighter, and fewer when they're full. A slot created once can be repeated on the weekdays you choose until an end date, so a winter design season takes a few minutes to set up.

If you also run maintenance rounds, keep design visits as their own services with their own days. A design visit in the middle of a mowing round rarely goes well: you arrive in work clothes, short on time, thinking about the next lawn. Dedicate a day or two a week to design when the season allows.

When a meeting has to move, reschedule it from your bookings list and tell the client yourself, since Book doesn't email them when a booking changes. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited bookings and services, no commission and no contract. It doesn't take payments; keep your usual quotes and invoices.