Domestic Garden: Emily has a wonderfully creative, detailed, thoughtful and comprehensive approach to designing a garden.  She took into account a very disparate selection of requests from us all (from somewhere to play football to a habitat for amphibians) and worked them together in a seemingly effortless way.  We will have a garden so much better than anything we could have dreamt up ourselves, we are all absolutely delighted with the plans. Thank you Emily!

Ms Bannister, Lewes, E. Sussex

Domestic Garden: My wife and I have a small town house garden and wish to maximise our sunshine. We looked at work and projects undertaken by Emily and got in contact. She kindly agreed, over the phone, to send us a draft based on initial thoughts. This was followed by an on site visit to ascertain the scope and discuss with us what we wanted to keep. Following her visit we were sent some instructions to give to a surveyor who spent time plotting accurate measurements which were duly forwarded to Emily. We have since received detailed drawings on the construction work that needs to be done by garden builder and those for the landscape gardeners both for quotations. Whilst the project is in it’s infancy and we await tenders we cannot comment on the final outcome. We can comment on the care and meticulous attention Emily has given to planning and taking on board what we are looking for to transform our small garden, including a planting plan for us to consider, taking into account the colours we enjoy. Her depth of knowledge about planning, and possible pitfalls etc is exemplary. She cares about projects she takes on and stays in touch to see how we are getting on with the various stages

Arcadia Garden Design are to be highly recommended for consideration for both large or small scale projects

M. Arnell and D. Maynard, Cambridge.

Domestic Garden: ” If you need a beautiful garden design even when you face complicated challenges, worry no more. Emily took time to listen and understood what we wanted to achieve. Then contributed all of her heart and expertise into supporting the outcome. Emily strategised, outlined, drew up detailed instructions, carefully selected and ordered the plants and then got stuck in and planted the more challenging aspects of the garden design. Emily has helped to create a real treasure of a garden.”

M. Poland, Nr. Polgate, E. Sussex.

Domestic Garden: “I commissioned Emily to design and install a container-based planting scheme for my large empty terrace (7m x 4.5m)  in an urban setting in the centre of Lewes. The terrace is a storey up from ground level in a corner position at the top of an east-facing hill, so it’s exposed and gets quite a lot of wind, and screening was needed. Emily was enthusiastic about the challenge and the potential. I was impressed with the level of detail in the preparatory work, which included a detailed questionnaire about my preferences and budget that made me think about issues I hadn’t considered before.

“The stages of the project were clearly explained so I knew what to expect. I know very little about plants, but knew what I wanted in terms of colour and scale and a few favourites such as a particular type of rose. Emily gave clear advice from her experience on what would and wouldn’t work. The costings were detailed and Emily kept to my budget, while being able to include some practical extras such as watering systems within the containers, and wall hooks to hang folding chairs in winter. The installation was very efficient. I was very happy with the final result and feel the scheme complements the house’s architecture very well, and fulfils my brief. Even though it has only been installed for less than two months, there is already good coverage and the colour scheme I chose is well in evidence. I look forward to seeing it mature.”

Mrs Pearce, Lewes, E. Sussex.

Domestic Garden: “Emily had transformed our small walled garden in Lewes. As we were unsure about what we wanted Emily initially helped us clarify our ideas in order to create a space that would suit our needs. She then drew up designs to give us an idea of how the garden would look when completed and was happy to incorporate modifications when we decided to change some details. She was  brilliant at liaising with our builders during the hard landscaping phase coming  on site to see things were going according to plan. She then carried out the planting in person and has returned to give advise to our new gardener and help him with ongoing maintenance. One year on our garden is all we desired and we know Emily is on hand for any queries or problems we have. I cannot   recommend her services highly enough.

Mrs Ven, Lewes, E.Sussex.

Domestic Garden: “From Emily’s first visit she was able to see immediately the potential of the garden. She described what she would do and this was a great relief because we wanted someone with vision and knowledge. She took us through every step of the way, making it easy for us to make decisions. We are delighted with the garden and now every day we have the pleasure of watching it grow,

Very many thanks Emily. It has been our pleasure.

Mr and Mrs Mall, Ringmer E. Sussex.

Mr Brett, Hon Secretary, West Sussex

Public building: Clevelands: A garden for sheltered housing. “A garden which was planned and executed by Arcadia, some years ago and still continues to receive much praise, delighting both residents and visitors.”

N. Joyce, Clifden House, Seaford, Sussex.

Public building: “In particular the design of our end-garden, one of four at the home, exemplifies a dementia-centred approach, with a pathway leading away from the clear glass entrance/exit door and circulating around a central fish sculpture (which replaced the idea of a garden pond as a more risk-averse option) and returns back to the entrance spot, so ensuring that a mobile resident can wander freely at will and still return on any journey to where they began. Shaded bench positions provide a breathing space and a large waist high planting point allows activities to include residents planting their very own seasonal flowers. Residents and family now have a tranquil spot to spend calm time together whist the concerns of their condition are dealt with by nearby staff”

Mrs. Susan Cotter, Shoreham By Sea, West Sussex

Domestic garden: “I was completely bowled over by Emily’s portfolio of designs, which was why I commissioned her to design me a wildlife garden. her knowledge of plants is amazing, as is her imagination, my garden has been transformed and it’s the best value for money I have ever spent.”

C. Cosby, Ashington, West Sussex

Domestic garden: “The brief I gave to Emily was to design, build and plant a traditional Jekyl English garden. The site was within a new walled garden, attached to a 17C Sussex Farmhouse. The site is sloping and the base soil very heavy Sussex clay. The top layer of clay was dug out and a herring bone pattern drainage system was laid. Then new soil was bought in and the building part of the project started with the garden divided into three distinct ‘gardens’ sloping down towards a Sussex five bay barn which is an integral part of the garden design.

Emily’s approach was totally professional from the initial design ideas to the detailed construction and planting plans. She then carried out the planting in the autumn of 2003 and now the garden is reaching a maturity and is looking magnificent. Emily spends a couple of days in the autumn and spring working with my gardener on pruning and re-planting, where necessary. It now is looking magnificent!

Mr and Mrs Bell, Eastbourne, East Sussex

Domestic garden: “Emily had a design brief that was full of constraints. Most of the original hard landscaping had to be retained as it would have been too expensive to remove, the garden was on a steep downland slope over a shallow chalk pan and we did not want any grass. In addition we required a low maintenance approach. Emily used gravel and shingle throughout and designed a beautiful green oak pergola which is a major feature of the garden. Her planting scheme takes full advantage of the sunny, chalk slope and we have a succession of colour and interest. All of Emily’s designs were delivered on time and she worked long and hard to get the planting right.”

D. Cox, East Preston, West Sussex

Domestic garden: “A festering neglected mess of old sheds and rotting rubble and concrete, looking like an atomic incident covered by mutant vegetation, otherwise known as our garden, has been transformed by Arcadia Garden Design into something, well, arcadian with hard landscaping. A place to be shunned has been transformed by Emily into a place to delight in. Sort of Art Deco in design and planting it reflects the feeling of our sort of Art Deco house (actually its more down market Black Sea Dacha but Emily’s treatment of the garden has lent it a bit of style). Besides a great end product she gave us vision in the design stage and meticulous attention to detail in the contract period. Most impressive was Emily’s contract management-merciless to subcontractors and clients alike-she has taken us from the wilderness to the promised-land.

Should we move once more it’s a journey we would happily make with Arcadia Garden Design again.”

Mrs Bloom, East Sussex

Domestic garden: “Emily inspired complete confidence since our first meeting with her professionalism and original creative ideas. The contract was clearly laid out with charges and costs and adhered to throughout. Work commenced on time with experienced builders carrying out the work with minimum fuss and disruption. The finished design was exactly as shown on the original drawings and we were thoroughly satisfied with the whole service provided by Arcadia.”

Mr Gill and Miss Keer, East Sussex

Domestic garden: “Our priorities were for our garden to be practical and low maintenance and this was achieved by a mixture of hard landscaping and clever planting. The whole process, from design and construction to planting was managed by Arcadia Garden Design which has transformed our garden from lifeless and little used into a vibrant and exciting area with all year round colour and interest that is great outdoor dining and entertaining in the summer.”

Mr and Mrs Soulsby, East Sussex

Domestic garden: “We moved into a new house-there was a patio, but the rest of the ‘garden’ was a builder’s tip: mounds of clay and masses of weeds. We asked Arcadia to design us a low maintenance garden that would look good all year. Emily talked to us about our lifestyle, budget and what we wanted: listened carefully, and then came up with detailed plans that took in our initial ideas but went beyond them, considering colour, texture of foliage, flowering times, shapes of spaces, trees and hedges, and several other aspects. We agreed the plans, and she then produced an action sheet, with dates for implementation. Her two subcontractors (earthmoving/paving/trellis; lawn) were both of very high quality and finished in time for planting; she supervised their work most carefully. She herself did all the stocking and planting-again to a very high standard. Now it is spring, and we are seeing the full effect take shape. Emily’s commitment to the work was unfailing, and her energy unflagging; she did exactly what she said she would do, and the results are excellent. We are delighted that we chose her to design and realise our garden.”

Mr Nichols and Mr Duncan, East Sussex

Domestic garden: “An excellent design: A complete rebuild from scratch executed quickly and efficiently. The result has been superb and we’ve had many admiring and envious remarks. The planting is informal and creative and has grown quickly to give a dense and natural look, which combines well with the hard landscaping. We enjoy being out there at almost any time of year. We have recommended Arcadia in the past and would do so again.”

Mr and Mrs Lowe, West Sussex

Domestic garden: “Your brilliant design: we have already taken great pleasure from the amazing diversity of colours and textures blooming.”

Mr Hill, London

Domestic garden: “The transformation from an urban concrete postage stamp to an inviting area offering tranquillity and function has been remarkable. The diversity of textures has been an outstanding success and is a changing spectacle as plants mature, wood weathers and, just occasionally, the smog lifts and the sun shines.”