Smart Landscape Design

I have been absolutely delighted with my experience dealing with Smart Landscape Design. From my first meeting with Al to discuss design possibilities and ways to overcome water logging problems due to a high water table in the area through to the finished garden. Al came up with a stunning, very innovative Zen courtyard type design. Although I loved the design, I was adamant that I wanted a lawn, but with some gentle persuasion and good advice from Al, he managed to convince me otherwise. Well, the result is just absolutely stunning and very easy maintenance. Communication all the way through has been exemplary and with every detail being explained as the project moved along. I now have a garden that I could never of dreamed of that is teaming with birds and wildlife, probably due to the beautiful granite water feature and very thoughtful planting scheme that is at one with nature. It’s definitely a garden to be enjoyed throughout the year, both day and night with wonderful well placed lighting. Al has an amazing natural flair in design and my garden has far exceeded my expectations and is an absolute winner! It is quite simply beautiful……I love it! My grateful thanks to Al, Zak and the team.Moreexpand_more

We have really been impressed with Smart Landscape Design. Al was able to take our vague ideas and create something we would never have thought of but ended up being exactly what we wanted. We couldn't recommend Al and his team highly enough.

I highly recommend Al and his team. They transformed my garden into a wonderful, beautiful, calm and serene space to be in. I had seen Smart Landscape Design’s work in public and private spaces and really liked what they had created. The whole process from arranging a visit for a quote to the finished result was really easy. Al is excellent at listening to what you want to achieve and designing a garden to match your vision - and way beyond! He responds to any queries quickly and keeps you updated with progress and costs at all times. I absolutely love my garden now and can’t thank Al and his team enough.

Our garden was a sad and unwelcoming space until it was transformed through Al’s innovative and creative design. His professional approach to turning his ideas into the completed project has achieved more than we could have hoped for. Thanks to Al and his team, we now have a garden where it is a joy to spend time and to entertain friends and family alike. A garden that can be appreciated every day from both inside and outside the house ‘’.

Our garden was overgrown, sad and not really a nice place to be. So we took advice from a few landscape companies, but their ideas didn't work for us. Then we were recommended to Al and from our first meeting we knew his ideas were creative, exciting and unique. His eye catching designs are inspirational and he turns ordinary into extraordinary! We now have a fantastic place to entertain friends and to sit wonder at it's beauty. Thanks for everything Al!

When I downsized to my new little house and garden, I had specific needs and wishes for both: mainly they had to be low-maintenance and aesthetically-pleasing because of my health restrictions and spending a lot of my days house-bound. Looking out at my garden through the patio doors, I saw a 5m. Square patch, surrounded by two red-brick walls and one rickety fence, closed in by other houses, so no outlook beyond. It was essential for me therefore to have my garden transformed into something beautiful and constantly changing, my outlook on the outside world. I had a few ideas and put them to a few landscapers, but was told that: it wouldn’t be possible to construct the garden on one level because of the slope of the land; it wouldn’t work to paint the red brick white; they couldn’t build a curved wall for the raised flowerbeds; and one insisted on a circular patch of grass in the middle, even though I had been adamant on having no grass to mow! Then Al Smart came and looked at the space, listened to my ideas and needs and said: “We can turn this into something special”. And he did! As well as the curved raised flowerbed, he created both a round planter and a semi-circular planter made of Korten steel, a stunning trellised fence, wooden curved decking - that doesn’t become slippery in the rain! - and my seating area in the middle of the garden is on Cotswold shale, which looks like a pebble beach! The garden is completely flat, the brick walls are white, which makes the garden seem bigger, and there is not a blade of grass to mow!Al was efficient, easy to communicate with, and everything was finished to a very high standard. Without his vision and design ideas and knowledge I would not have the stunning garden I now enjoy and which elicits a “wow” from all my family and friends who see it.Moreexpand_more

Al transformed our small Victorian garden. He carefully considered the different materials; their texture, colour, shape and size, and how they interact with each other, to create a beautiful space. Al's craftsmanship was uncompromising in quality, as were the materials he sourced to work with. The garden feels more part of our home than it has ever done so. It is on three levels; each with a different purpose and interest, but seamlessly flowing into one another. The garden renovation met my high expectations but, as a professional, Al exceeded all expectations.

Having designed and delivered an excellent service to completely transform my garden space I then approached Al a few years later to come up with an idea for a 'structure' that would join parts of the garden/ provide a focal point from different viewpoints in the garden as well as being viewed from above from my home office window . We did not want a solid structure because it is adjacent to a tree and we needed dappled shade/ sunlight and we wanted to sit under a a focal point which was not a roofed structure or a traditional pergola so we could sit underneath it. We also didn't want something 'off the peg' not take out a second mortgage to pay for it ! He came up with an innovative, surprising but ideal design solution of stainless steel with a spiral/ spoke effect which is fantastic , greatly admired and fitted the brief. It is known as florence because I misremembered the snail's name in Magic roundabout! It is very modern in concept but fits in perfectly to my garden planting scheme which is loose and almost cottage garden with my house being an old quarry goods station house made from grit and limestone. He also took a great deal of trouble to source how it could be constructed at a reasonable price but with quality finish - he succeeded.

Having never owned a garden before, we did not know where to start when we bought our first property in 2009. We could not have chosen a better person to help us out than Al at Smart Landscape Design. Al really listened to what we wanted our garden to be and created a design that suited us, is sympathetic to the house, manageable (given our limited gardening knowledge and experience) and can evolve over time. It has been a joy to see the garden change and the design come to life. Al works very hard, is very professional and a good communicator; always talking through changes to the design and keeping us informed of the costs along the way. It has been great to work with someone whose standards and attention to detail match ours. Al has not only given us a garden to be proud of but has inspired us to be gardeners; our new hobby! We would not hesitate to recommend Smart Landscape Design to anyone.

Smart Landscape Design transformed our small (12m x 6m) building site into a truly wonderful living space. The restricted space was a major design challenge, but Al has created three separate and distinct areas that provide the perfect space for sitting, eating and entertaining (really clever use of walls, screens and plants). The whole place just seems a lot larger than we thought possible. We ‘opened’ the garden with a BBQ for 20 and everyone found space to sit/stand/eat, and it was just the perfect place to be. Including ‘low maintenance’ plants was another challenge, and we are delighted with the result, year round interest with minimal input from us. Al was a joy to work with from start to finish. The design phase was particularly interesting as Al tried to understand our very broad wants and needs (I think he called it traditional contemporary) and tried to incorporate our ‘essentials’ into the new design (we are pleased that the statue remained, and very pleased that the shed did not). Highlights for us are the battened fence (everyone loves it - you have to see it to appreciate the beauty, especially at night with the uplighters), the semi-circular seat (David Watkins is a genius with wood), and the water feature (something that we would not have found without Al’s experience and contacts). We have recommended Smart Landscape Design to many of our friends, and have no hesitation in recommending Al to anyone who is looking for the ‘perfect’ garden.Moreexpand_more

Smart Landscape Design was recommended to me by a friend and I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Al to others. My centre of town garden is a relatively small space and I was unsure that it could be transformed to feel bigger and a real extension of living space. Al produced a design that incorporated local materials to ensure that it is true to its location, and I was really impressed with Al's creativity and flexibility to incorporate changes when work on the garden commenced and I decided I'd like make adjustments to the design. Al was incredibly professional throughout the whole process, selecting high quality and unusual materials and choosing an amazing selection of plants; he definitely loves what he does and is incredibly good at it, with a total commitment to quality and attention to detail. Investing in my garden and choosing Smart Landscape Design is one of the wisest things I've done in the last year, the garden is a real joy to be in and puts a huge smile on your face!

From start to finish the service, quality, attention to detail and personal approach from Smart Landscape Designs has been outstanding. I have been genuinely impressed with Al's design ideas and quality, his understanding of my requirements and budget, and his patience in my moving expectations. I could not be more pleased with the garden, a wonderful space to spend time, and the experience was a faultless one thanks to Al's dedication to high standards. I would not hesitate to strongly recommend Smart Landscape designs for anyone, of all budgets, in the future.

Smart Landscape Designs have transformed our garden to somewhere we now like spending time in. The Design proposed captured the perfect mix of style and functionality we were aiming for. The use of quality materials, craftsmanship and pure hard work meant that the finished garden exceeded our expectations on all levelsWe would not hesitate to recommend Smart Landscape Design;- highly creative, exceptional attention to detail, a great investment.

My first experience of Smart Landscape Design was a friends garden being completely transformed from a two dimensional bland space to a three dimensional delight which invited you to explore each of the different areas within. This was a normal sized suburban garden which Al Smart developed into being an extension to the living area of the house. When it came to my own garden I knew that I wanted the same level of inspiration but also that my budget was smaller than my friends had been and I wondered whether I could afford something similar. My first meeting with Al consisted of me explaining what I wanted from my garden, how I envisaged using it and the types of plants and materials I liked. Step one was to commission a plan from Al – what he produced was far more engaging than I had imagined it would be, even though I had already seen what Al was capable of. Al knew that I was working to a tight budget and produced a complete breakdown of costs, highlighting areas which could be implemented in stages to spread the cost and where I could save money on labour or sourcing materials. This was brilliant as I was in complete control of the process at every stage and never had the experience of finding costs out of my control – vital when operating on a limited budget. As each area of my new garden unfolded the pleasure I felt when I returned home just kept on increasing. I now smiled every single time I come home and see my garden – the living representation of what I wanted brought to life. Al’s skill at turning my poorly described desires of how I wanted to use my garden into a surprise and delight reality is the key for me. I could have created my own garden design which would have functioned adequately, but now I have an area which is a true extension of my house and such a wonderful addition. I have had several parties outdoors both in winter and summer where friends have gathered to enjoy the space, especially sitting around the wonderful fire pit area Al created. Each time I get amazing pleasure at seeing the reality that was my garden dream.It is easy for anyone to get the same pleasure from their garden as I do from mine – tap into the imagination and creativity that is Smart Landscape Design. I not only have achieved more than I thought possible from my garden, but I thoroughly enjoyed the journey.Moreexpand_more