Services · Henley-on-Thames
Design, construction, and the years afterwards.
Seven things, all done by the same practice: a drawn design, the hard landscaping that builds it, the planting that finishes it, and the maintenance that keeps it. Everything is priced after a site visit — ring the Henley office on 01491 414358.
Service 01
Landscape Design
A measured survey, a drawn layout and a planting plan — by a garden designer who will also be the one building it.
Every project starts the same way: a walk round the garden, a proper brief, then a survey. From that comes a design — layout, levels, hard landscaping, and a planting plan chosen for the aspect and the soil you actually have. Stephen has worked with clients from the first consultation through to completion since 2005, so the drawings are made by someone who knows what a bricklayer, a digger and a delivery lorry can and cannot do in your garden. Design fees run from £350 to £1,000 depending on the size of the garden and the time involved, and are reduced by 25% if Stephen Davies Landscape Limited goes on to build the garden.
Service 02
Garden Maintenance
Regular visits shaped around your garden and your budget — or a single hard tidy to get it back under control.
Maintenance is a large part of what the company does, and it is arranged around each garden rather than sold as a package. Lawn mowing, strimming and edging, seasonal pruning, hedge trimming, topiary, deadheading, digging and weeding, all on a rhythm that suits the garden — weekly, fortnightly, monthly or a few key visits a year. One-off work is welcome too: full garden clearance for letting agents between tenancies, or for new owners who have inherited something that got away from the last one.
Service 03
Hardwood & Softwood Decking
Hardwood, softwood or composite decking, set out as part of the design rather than bolted on afterwards.
Decking earns its place where levels change, where a terrace wants to feel warmer underfoot than stone, or where a seating area needs to float out over a slope or a border. Stephen builds in hardwood, softwood and composite, working out the joist layout, the fall and the fixings so the finished deck sits level, drains properly and does not move. Because the decking is drawn into the design from the start, it lines up with the paving, the steps and the planting instead of fighting them.
Service 04
Paving & Terraces
Natural stone or reconstituted paving — Indian sandstone, York stone, limestone, slate and granite — laid to last.
Terraces, paths and steps in natural stone: Indian sandstone, English York stone, limestone, slate and granite, or good reconstituted stone where the budget calls for it. The stone is chosen against the house and the planting, then set out so the joints, the edges and the falls look deliberate. Sub-base, bedding and drainage matter more than anything you can see, which is why paving is priced and built properly rather than quickly — a terrace should still be flat and clean-jointed in twenty years.
Service 05
Planting Schemes
Planting chosen for colour, form, texture and scent — and for structure and height, so the garden works in winter too.
A planting plan is where a built garden turns into a garden. Plants are selected for colour, form, texture and scent, and arranged to give the structure and height that stop borders looking flat — evergreen bones for the winter, seasonal colour through the year, scent where you sit. Soil is prepared and improved before anything goes in, and the plan is written down, so you know what you have and how to look after it. Stephen can plant the scheme and then keep it — pruned, fed and thinned at the right time of year.
Service 06
Water Features & Ponds
Ponds, streams, rills and still water — built, planted and set up so they run clean and quiet.
Water changes how a garden sounds as much as how it looks. Stephen builds garden ponds, streams, rills and formal still-water features, working out the liner or the structure, the levels, the pump and the planting together so the water stays clear and the noise is right — a gentle movement rather than a fountain you have to talk over. Water is designed in with the paving and planting around it, and edges are detailed so a pond looks like part of the garden and not a bucket set into the lawn.
Service 07
Timber Garden Buildings
Bespoke timber garden rooms, summerhouses and shelters — or careful erection of a building you have already bought.
A garden building gives you somewhere to sit out of the rain, a workshop, or a room at the end of the garden. Stephen builds bespoke timber structures — garden buildings, shelters and seating pavilions — to suit the garden and the house, including the base, the levels and the way the path arrives at the door. If you have already bought a building, he will put it up properly on a base that is square, level and dry, which is usually the part that goes wrong when it is left to a flat-pack afternoon.
How it works
A visit, a drawing, a build, a round.
No packages, and nothing quoted from photographs. Stephen comes and looks at the garden, says what it honestly needs, and prices that — whether it is a full design and build or a fortnightly visit.
01
A conversation on site
Ring the Henley office and Stephen comes out to walk the garden with you: what you want from it, how you use it, what has to stay, the soil, the levels, the light and the budget you have in mind. No obligation, and nothing gets drawn until that conversation has happened.
02
Survey and drawings
The garden is measured and surveyed, then designed — layout, levels, hard landscaping and a planting plan you can actually read. Design fees run from £350 to £1,000 depending on the size of the garden and the time involved, and are reduced by 25% if the same hands go on to build it.
03
Construction, by the man who drew it
Paving, decking, walls, steps, water features and timber buildings are built to the drawing, in the order that makes sense on the ground. Because the designer is the builder, a detail that does not work in reality gets solved on site instead of being argued over by email.
04
Planting, then keeping it
Planting goes in for colour, form, texture and scent, with structure and height planned in from the start. After handover most clients keep Stephen on for regular maintenance — mowing, pruning, hedges, topiary and seasonal work — so year three looks better than year one, not worse.
Before you ring
Questions Stephen is asked most.
Do I have to have a design drawn, or can you just build something?
Either. Most larger projects start with a design because it saves money later — it settles levels, drainage and materials before anyone digs. But if you know exactly what you want, or the job is a terrace, a deck or a garden building on its own, Stephen will price and build it without a full design package.
What does a garden design cost?
Design fees run from £350 to £1,000 depending on the size of the garden and the time the drawings take. If Stephen Davies Landscape Limited goes on to build the garden, the design fee is reduced by 25%. Construction and maintenance are quoted separately, per garden, after a site visit.
Who actually turns up to do the work?
Stephen. He has been the director of the limited company since it was registered in October 2005, and he takes the brief, draws the garden, prices it and is on site during the build. It is a deliberately small practice — you are not handed from a salesman to a crew you have never met.
Do you do maintenance on gardens you did not design?
Yes, and a good part of the round is exactly that. Regular maintenance is arranged to suit the garden and your budget — mowing, strimming and edging, pruning, hedge trimming, topiary, deadheading, digging and weeding — weekly, fortnightly, monthly or a handful of key visits a year.
Can you clear a garden that has completely got away from us?
That is a regular request. One-off garden clearance is offered for private owners who have inherited an overgrown plot and for letting agents needing a garden brought back between tenancies — cleared, cut back and tidied, then either left as a clean slate or picked up on a regular visit so it does not happen again.
Which paving materials do you work in?
Natural stone — Indian sandstone, English York stone, limestone, slate and granite — or good reconstituted stone where it suits the budget or the house. The stone is chosen against the building and the planting, and the sub-base and drainage are specified properly, because that is what decides whether a terrace still looks right in ten years.
Which areas do you cover?
The company is based in Henley-on-Thames and works across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey as well as the Oxfordshire side of the Thames. If you are on the edge of that, ring and ask — Stephen will say honestly whether he can look after your garden properly from Henley.
How long has the business been going?
Stephen Davies Landscape Limited has been on the Companies House register since 13 October 2005, company number 05592293, and is still active with Stephen as director. Stephen himself describes the business as a BALI member since 2006 — that is his own description rather than something we can show you a certificate for here, so treat it as such.
What is the quickest way to get a quote?
Phone 01491 414358 or email info@stephendaviesgardens.co.uk. Every job is priced after a visit — nothing serious can be quoted from photographs, and Stephen would rather come and look than guess.
Not sure which of those you need?
Most gardens need two or three of them in the right order. Ring Stephen and he will tell you which, and in which order, before anything is drawn.