"We love our contemporary house but Rachel longed for a cottage garden. The builders had left us with a new terrace that seemed too small to house our furniture, and the lawn was always wet underfoot. Sunken trenches ran across the grass and it was impossible to plant anything underneath the trees. Louisa and Steve advised us to lift the terrace and relay a much larger area of hard landscaping. They also recommended removing some of the large trees that cast shade over the garden. After our initial shock at these drastic proposals, we became excited at the prospect of having a 'proper' garden and began to embrace the changes. We love the huge planted areas and something new seems to flower every day. Steve's team were a pleasure to have around, and we felt part of the whole process with regular site visits and work in progress reports explaining each part of the project. The awful weather did not deter the team's determination to finish the garden for our Christmas party, and the planting looked great from day one. We are so glad that we trusted Louisa and Steve. They knew implicitly what would work for the site and have delivered a fantastic space. We've been outside at every opportunity and can't wait to share our garden with our friends."