A garden designer will interpret their client's requirements for their garden, including how the site might be used by the client, the realistic skills and time available for ongoing maintenance of the site, the style and genre of garden that would suit both the site and the owners, and the budget constraints. They use their personal creativity to design the garden spaces, introducing features such as hard landscaping and planting plans to resolve the problems posed by both the site and the client’s requirements. They will consider the aspect, levels, soil conditions, microclimates, neighbouring sites, and work with any planning conditions and constraints such as tree preservation orders and conservation sites.

Initially you pay a garden designer to draw up a concept design based on the design brief. When this is agreed the designer should produce detailed construction drawings and planting plans to support the overall design. Once a design is accepted by the client, the garden designer usually continues to be associated with the project until completion. This can involve facilitating the tender process and selection of the landscape contractor best suited for the job or may in fact involve undertaking the hard landscaping as well as sourcing plants and planting them.

A hard landscaper will specify and carry out all the construction in your garden - paths, patios, walls, fences, ponds, drainage and irrigation systems etc. They will also level and/or terrace the garden and lay lawns. More usually they work with a garden designer or soft landscaper but they can also work directly with the customer in planning and designing construction work.

Expect a hard landscaper to have adequate training and insurance appropriate to the work being undertaken. This is particularly important for patio work and any electrical installations. Electrical installations must be undertaken by a qualified person and require an inspection certificate for the work completed.

A soft landscaper is your plant expert who will advise on all aspects of plants, planting and pest and disease control, from a one-off advisory visit to drawing up a complete planting plan, then sourcing and planting up. They will often work in association with a garden designer and/or a hard landscaper.

A jobbing gardener will have much more plant knowledge and a greater range of skills than a maintenance gardener and should be able to maintain your garden year-round, including planting, pruning and pest and disease control. They may work for you on a weekly basis or come in several times a year to prune, plant and edit your garden. They normally bring their own tools but may expect a lawnmower to be provided.

If you provide any machinery for the jobbing gardener you must make sure that the machinery is safe to use, properly maintained and that you are correctly insured.

A maintenance gardener will keep your site looking good throughout the year. Typically they will provide grass cutting, hedge trimming and basic border maintenance services. They should provide their own machinery and remove waste from the site.

If you provide the machinery for the maintenance gardener you must make sure that the machinery is safe to use, properly maintained and that you are correctly insured.

A tree surgeon or arboroculturist is a specialist involved in the in the entire life cycle of trees.

They will provide a complete service from soil preparation, advice on tree selection to planting and maintenance schedules for new trees.

For existing trees the tree surgeon will maintain the tree, treating pests and diseases and pruning. This may involve the removal of the lowest branches normally to give a uniform height from ground level or reducing the height and/or spread of the crown of a tree by the removal of the ends of branches whilst maintaining the tree’s natural shape and form according to species as far as practicable. They may also thin the density of the crown, remove any dead wood or branches that are dangerous to the public and/or pollard trees

For trees that need to be removed because they are dead, dangerous to the public or damaging property a tree surgeon will fell the tree and optionally grind the stump to below ground level. In some instances they may remove the entire root ball.

Legally to comply with planning trees often have to be protected during the development of properties while other trees may have preservation orders. A tree surgeon will provide you with reports relating to trees with issues relating to subsidence, planning consents, mortgages or litigation.

A tree surgeon must have adequate insurance and should be able to provide you with copies of the certificates of their training to do the job required. If the tree surgeon is working off the ground he must have a qualified groundsman in attendance. All people working for a tree surgeon must have appropriate and adequate protective clothing.