Testimonials
Stephanie and John
We have benefited greatly from the weekly attendance of Julia, our Garden Angel, for the last few years. Initailly she helped us to re-establish some control over our large, natural style garden, which has many established trees and shrubs, creating big shady areas that suffer from lack of natural light and water. Careful pruning, weeding and re-planting has helped to improve the overall situation and has given many plants a better hope for survival. Our own Garden Angel spent time getting to know us, our interests and our garden before helping us to have the courage to re-design the garden. We discussed the project thoroughly before engaging a local builder (on her recommendation) who would work with us and undertake the hard landscaping. It was exciting watching the plans grow into a reality as each day passed. The result has been a transformation of our garden which has taken on a new vista whilst still retaining much of it's original character - our shared commitment to preserving the environment and supporting wildlife has been maintained. We now look forward to commencing the next stage of planting which, in a while, will continue the transformation process. We are delighted with the new look of the garden which hopefully will be easier to maintain as it matures and continues to give us many years of pleasure.
We are indebted to our Garden Angel for all her sensitivity, help and support, advice and guidance through out this time and look forward to continuing to work with her in the future. We would highly recommend her services to anyone seeking a professional approach to caring for and maintaining or re-landscaping their garden. She is always cheerful, trustworthy and reliable and willing to share her knowledge. We look forward to her visits and appreciate her expertise.
Pattie and Jim
We commissioned Julia in the summer of 2010, to produce a design for our garden and to implement the work involved in the realisation of that design. Throughout the planning period Julia spent considerable time and effort in consulting with us to ensure that her design would incorporate all that we hoped to achieve. She also proved to be very flexible with regard to the aspects of the work we wished to do for ourselves. At all times we felt that Julia understood what we were asking for and was open, honest and more than reasonable in her estimation of costs. She was also very accommodating when we had to alter some plans slightly due to our limited budget.
Julia advised us on issues we had no knowledge of, such as relocating plants and shrubs and relocating a much loved tree which has happily survived the move. She was absolutely meticulous with regard to the preparation and laying of our new lawn. This required the removal of the old turf and the preparation of the very uneven, and in places extremely compacted, earth beneath it. The laying of the new turf demonstrated her expertise and a real familiarity with the behaviour of new grass. She advised us on how to care for the lawn and responded with great patience to my many requests for reassurance about my management of the new growth.
Julia's design has transformed our space and enabled us to have the flower and vegetable garden we planned. It has completed our home and enabled me to develop my increasing love of gardening in a space that is beautiful to inhabit. We would recommend her unreservedly to anyone who wants a hard working knowledgeable person to both design and transform their garden or to just advise on how plants behave in their environment.
Barbara
I have known Julia for several years and she has carried out various garden projects for me, from re-designing my front garden, to laying a new lawn in the back and sorting out the flowerbeds by replanting existing plants, as well as new, to balance out the chaos created by me! Julia has also carried out general pruning and garden maintenance. I can recommend Julia for her design experience as well as her knowledge of plants and the hard work she puts in to the job.
Jean
Picture a sad neglected garden where I never sat because I could only see what needed doing and I felt defeated! Now, thanks to the Garden Angel my garden has been brought to life and has the lovely rhododendron bed I always imagined but never got round to doing. The birds and butterflies love it and I am now able to sit and enjoy it. Bliss! Treat yourself to the Angel. You will never regret it.
Pat Clarke
I have worked with Julia Smith over the past two years. My garden wasn't a mess, but someone did look at it and observed casually, "Yes, there's rather a lot going on here... (I wonder if that was because it's sort of Japanese, sort of English bits-and-pieces with a little Mediterranean thrown in for luck. But tasteful, of course)!
Where to start. Julia came, had a look, kept her face neutral and we discussed what was working, what I wanted to keep, change, experiment with a bit. We looked at various plants on the web and then made a list and a simple plan. The next time she came we got down to work - clearing stuff and creating a mini-woodland in my tiny garden. Well, Julia worked and I hovered, making tea and appreciative noises.
Julia is a landscape designer and knows a lot about plants; more importantly for me she likes to get down and dirty, chopping, digging, planting. We started from what was already in the garden and didn't change all that much but we tidied, moved stuff around and built on what was already there and what we both thought might work. I learned a lot - e.g. whereas I would take two minutes to bung in a new plant, Julia took time - improving the soil, making the right size hole, spreading the roots, mulching. Julia's a tiny woman but OMG she's strong. She is also patient, delightful and fun and I can't wait for our spring session when we reassess and see what might still be alive after this freezing weather. Hopefully the two of us will be too.
Fred and Sarah
We moved into this lovely home about twenty years ago. The garden was immaculate, clearly the pride and joy of the previous owner, who divided it equally between vegetable growing and recreation. Shortly after moving in, I was shipped off to Holland for the best part of a year.
By the time I returned, the garden exhibited unimaginable neglect. The vegetable area had disappeared in the undergrowth while the lawn was suffocating under ivy. The whole area was overcast by trees which had grown far beyond manageable limits. Instead of being able to sit outside to relax on a balmy summer's afternoon, it had become intimidating. The occasional effort expended on trying to make improvement naturally made no noticeable headway.
About two years ago, my daughter declared she'd had enough and was "getting someone in." Thankfully this "someone" was Julia Smith. Recovering quickly from the initial shock of surveying the garden, Julia produced an elegant initial design to meet three basic requirements. We agreed the garden was to be:
- bird friendly
- insect friendly, and
- minimum maintenance
As the implementation progressed, the initial design was occasionally amended to incorporate Julia's new ideas. Julia kept us informed, educated us, and involved us at every stage of the implementation of her design.
In transforming this garden into a beautiful , very special, place, Julia has transformed my life.
Jane and David
Our garden had been neglected for several years, partly because of the need for new fencing held up by a neighbour's building work.
A friend recommended Julia and we had discussions on what we wanted from her and she said she would be working with what we had while developing the planting. Our aim was to attract birds and insects, extend the lawn and to have much more colour. We wanted to break up the narrow Victorian garden into different areas.
Julia has created secluded areas where we can sit, a wild flower "meadow", a pond and rockery and a wider, grassy area with flowers and shrubs. Taking our favourite acanthus as an inspiration, Julia brought all these areas together with her choice of colourful plants. There is something for all seasons with lots of winter structure.
We enjoy working alongside Julia and Will and look forward to their regular visits. The birds seem happy too! We have never seen so many species in the garden as over the last few weeks.
Colin and Ros
Julia has done some project work in our garden in the last year and has carried it out with great enthusiasm, care and efficiency. She has a comprehensive knowledge of the needs of plants, gardens and gardeners and is always ready to give helpful suggestions without imposing her own views. I unhesitatingly recommend her to anyone looking for help with their garden. I say this as someone who has been gardening fairly seriously for more years than I care to remember and has used many garden professionals in this time.
Margit and Gary
Julia is absolutely passionate about gardens and plants. She is practical and resourceful and has a real depth of knowledge which she is always happy to pass on. We started out with a sadly neglected and overgrown garden and asked Julia to design a simple new garden layout with plants which are "bee friendly and easy to maintain". She was able to design and deliver our garden within a sensible budget, working with us all the way through the design, plant selection and planting out stages and now returns throughout the year in all weathers to maintain the garden which she has so thoughtfully created.
Three years from first meeting with Julia on we now have a delightful garden which is full of interest all year round. The plants provide a dynamic but natural mix of shapes, heights, colours and textures through the four seasons. Above all we now have a cheerful and relaxing place to spend our time outside enjoying nature, particularly when surrounded by the many bees and butterflies which now feel so at home amongst the wonderful plants Julia has chosen. It is obvious to us that Julia really cares about our garden and is always keen to find solutions to the problems we encounter which will cause minimal harm to the natural environment.
We are confident our garden is in very good hands and that it will continue to give the bees, butterflies and ourselves more enjoyment during the many years to come.
Judith and Deborah
When we moved into our house in St Margarets five years ago, we inherited a long narrow garden leading down to the River Crane. A friend had drawn up a very basic design for us, which Julia took and developed beautifully, using her in-depth knowledge of design and planting.
We pride ourselves in having a reasonable knowledge of gardening, but we have so much enjoyed learning from Julia, from the initial planting to the ongoing development of our beautiful garden. What we particularly like about working with Julia is the way she listens to what you as the client wants, but makes really interesting, informed, but also realistic and practical suggestions as to how to take your ideas further.
Julia was recommended to us by neighbours who liked how Julia embraced nature in her design for them, encouraging bees, butterflies and wildlife into their garden. We loved the idea of this.
We now take real pride and pleasure in being able to entertain friends and family in a garden that reflects us and our love of harmony and nature. Thank you Julia!
