Garden Design Guru

We are delighted with the garden design provided by Barry Chambers (Garden Design Guru). We love the final result, which has exceeded our expectations. The garden has been admired by family and friends, when they were able, in these socially distanced times.Barry has completely transformed our garden which was a featureless and bare garden to a wonderful one with different spaces to relax and view the lovely plants and interesting features.From the initial contact through design selection to installation and completion Barry has clearly explained the design process and payment schedule. He took time to understand what we wanted and our expectations for the garden. This was translated into several design options. We made our selection and worked with Barry to refine the design to an agreed final design.All through the process Barry ensured that we were involved in the selection of the sub-contractors, i.e. hard landscaping and electricians.Barry excelled when it came to the planting, his choice of plants was spot on and always let us know when changes were made to the planting design.The budgetary aspects of the project is important consideration and Barry kept pretty well to the agreed budget but kept us informed when / if there were any changes.We would have no hesitation in recommending Barry’s garden design services.

We have been working with Barry for a little over a year on a large and complete redesign of our house gardens. He has been an absolute pleasure to deal from start to finish.He is highly professional and extremely knowledgable in both planting and general garden materials. He listened to our inputs and wish list and used it to design a spectacular garden via a masterplan.We are now on the next stage of providing the detail and specifying to the construction level. I have to say I am blown away by the level of detail provided by Barry and his willingness to go above and beyond to the point of sourcing individual components at the optimum cost.Barry's pricing is very fair given the extent of the work involved. Unlike some other garden designers that we interviewed, Barry is also very realistic and has the budget in mind when he specifies his design. This in in contrast to the others who tended to design first and consider the budget later.All in all we are very happy to have found Garden Design Guru and we would recommend their services to anyone.

We live in an exposed area very near the sea, which is frequently battered by strong winds and salty rain, and we engaged Barry to design a garden with a coastal theme that could withstand and flourish in such conditions. The area of our garden that we wished him to work on was a rather neglected area covered largely by pebbles and home to an unruly Pyracantha bush, as well as brambles and out of control Eau de Cologne mint.Having shared our thoughts with Barry, he produced his design, which would feature some lovely old groynes that he sourced from Pevensey Bay. He also suggested that we should have a new high fence and gate, constructed in the ‘ hit and miss’ style which would provide some protection for the plants, but would also be able to withstand the wind. The fence posts were metal cleverly clad in timber and are far more robust than timber on its own.Once he had constructed this, the laborious process of clearing the site began and we could see the garden taking shape. The groynes were put in place and planting began. Barry used many of the existing pebbles to help create the coastal effect we wanted. A myriad of plants have been placed and already, although it is early days, we can see them gradually establishing themselves and creating an interesting and colourful picture.We are delighted with the garden that Barry has created for us and it has been much admired by everyone who has seen it.We would thoroughly recommend Barry to anyone who wants a garden designed for them by someone who really knows his business and has a love of plants and a fantastic eye for design.Barry, thank you very much.

Barry has been a real inspiration with his help and advice for turning my newly acquired overgrown garden, into the wildlife area I can work towards.Kind regardsSue Piner

Having moved into a new build house with a fenced green lawn, we needed help transforming it into an interesting space. Barry provided us with three designs and planting, taking note of what we required and advising us as to what would work. He also advised us on sub contractors. After the raised bed construction was put in place, planting commenced in February. The beds are now filled with beautiful plants, grasses, bees and butterflies, supported by an automatic watering system installed by Barry. We are both really pleased with the overall result.

Barry has a wealth of plant and landscape knowledge. Delighted how Barry transformed our front garden. Looking forward to seeing how the plants establish and mature over the differing seasons. Would recommend Barry to any potential clients.

Great knowledge of plants and planting.Turned my general ideas of how I wanted the garden to look into a beautiful and colourful space.Consultations given all through the process and kept me up to date with progress on the work.Sourced beautiful planters in Corten steel and added a water feature.I now have a peaceful space to relax in, once the sunshine arrives

My garden was a blank canvas of grass when I moved in a year ago. Barry looked at the site and listened to my requirements. He came back with three possible designs and I chose one.He has built beautiful boundary fences that baffle rather than block the winds that can be strong at times.He rotovated the uneven, boggy lawn, raised the level where necessary to even it up and laid out the lawns, paths, borders and raised beds.To give hight and obscure windows in a neighbouring property he constructed a pergola on which are planted my choice of climbing roses and clematis.He has planted trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials and bulbs to give structure, all round interest and colour. It is also designed to be easy maintenance for me as gardening becomes more difficult in future.I’m greatly looking forward to seeing the garden mature and develop in the months and years to come.Barry has a great eye for design and is a very knowledgeable plantsman who’s work is meticulous. I’m very happy with the result!!