Up the Garden Path
about us
Up the Garden Path for award winning, innovative garden design in Lichfield. Let David turn your dreams into reality with his forward thinking designs and implementation.
"Never regret the things in life you've done, only the things you haven't"
At 45, David Robinson left his successful management career to follow his dream, and after gaining his diploma "with distinction" at horticultural college he went....Up the Garden Path.
Up the Garden Path is David's award winning garden design company, based in Burntwood near Lichfield and transforming gardens in Lichfield and beyond.
David was awarded Silver and Bronze medals by the Royal Horticultural Society for his innovative garden design and he is a Registered Member of the Society of Garden Designers - meaning he is in the elite company of the best garden designers in the country.
Such is David's passion for garden design that he now lectures in the subject at Nottingham University. He is the resident garden design expert on Saga FM, he is the designer of the only garden at the Grand Design Live Show at the NEC, he lectures for the BBC at the Good Homes Show, Gardener's World Live, and at the Grand Design Live show.
What he is most passionate about however,is bringing his skills and expertise into the gardens of Lichfield and Burntwood.
Up the Garden Path garden design services are tailored to you:
CONSULTATIONS
If you want to sort a particular part of your garden without committing to full garden design our garden planners will spend half a day with drawing board and pencils and provide you with solutions.
GARDEN DESIGN
We will visit you to find out your plans and thoughts, carry out an on-site survey, produce a garden design draft for discussion and then provide a detailed garden design proposal with complete notes for construction
IMPLEMENTATION
Having worked with you to achieve your perfect garden design you can relax while we construct your new garden exactly to plan
PLANTS AND PLANTING
Allow us to source plants and materials for your new garden design from our carefully selected suppliers. Your borders and beds will reflect your style and personality and will be perfectly positioned for aspect, soil, light and shade.
Up the Garden Path welcome any project. We can design for large or small gardens, modern or traditional, courtyards or country estates. We provide plans and perspectives, plants and features, implementation and follow up advice.
Let your garden become one of the best in the Lichfield and Burntwood area with Up The Garden Path, based near Lichfield; one of the best garden design companies in the UK
Call us on 01543 401039
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latest reviews
Keen plants-people, we have one of the larger gardens on a 1970s' development. Despite years of reshaping and tweaking we had not been able to change the layout of the garden to give emphasis and support to the planting scheme. The plants were wonderful in the summer but in winter the garden lacked shape and character. We met David Robinson at Grand Designs Live in 2011 and after talking to him liked his realistic approach to planning a garden. When he came to see the garden and drew up some ideas we never doubted that this was the answer we had been searching for. David respected our budget and wishes to keep as much as possible already in the garden. David recommended landscapers and we chose one who was a busy man! The rain in 2012 didn't help him get to us quickly either but finally the work began mid-summer and he worked with his team through everything but the hardest downpour. We found them polite, helpful, efficient, and very knowledgeable. Up the Garden Path sent a plant specialist to work with us, and he suggested where our own plants would look their best and additions: trees, bushes, grasses and perennials. We preferred to plant everything ourselves but could have had it done for us if we wished. Visitors are bowled away by the difference and can't get over how much bigger the plot looks now. Throughout the winter we have been so pleased with the planning and work done and it has been a pleasure to look out of the windows and see the shape and structure of the garden.
We met David a year ago at the Home Improvement and Renovation Show at the NEC. Having listened to one of his seminars we headed off to find his stand. David listened to what we wanted and came up with instant ideas and solutions. We booked a home visit and he came out to see us where we discussed ideas both with the garden and the house. His imput was perfect and gave us far more than the allotted time slot we'd booked. Once we'd finalised the house plans David came out to see us again to draw up final schemes for the garden, again spending lots of time and patience. We would thoroughly recommend David and Up the Garden Path, who offered us a first class service and the end results looked fantastic. Thanks for everything - Andy and Sarah (South Derbyshire).
We had a long thin neglected garden that needed a total redesign. David worked with us really flexibly to meet our brief, came up with lots of ideas, a final design and a price we were happy with. Despite the dreadful rain over the summer, we managed to get the work done through landscapers David recommended, and they too were really professional and did a high quality job. We would happily recommend David, particularly for his creativity, customer service, professionalism and transparency in the way he works. We just need some sun now to enjoy our new garden!
Our garden was functional, but lacked impact. The addition of a sunroom only proved this, so I contacted Up The Garden Path to seek their advice. It was explained to David that there was not a bottomless money pit to improve things, but this failed to put him off. In fact he saw it as a challenge and succeeded in putting a range of designs to us. The ensuing work was carried out in a very professional, friendly and timely manner with the final result being just what we wanted. Now we are able to sit in the sunroom and watch the newly added plants mature to give us the garden we have always wanted, but could only dream of. If you want help obtaining your dream garden then we would strongly recommend that you contact Up The Garden Path.
David managed to make my very small garden full of interest. I had to be persuaded on some of his ideas but they worked very well. He also helped suggest some money saving ideas to my builder for th front drive and garden. Rachel was also a great help.
David worked on designs for our courtyard, pond and overall garden. He came up with fantastic ideas to transform our initial thoughts. We were extremely impressed with his enthusiasm and thoroughness through all aspects of the projects.
We are thrilled to bits with our new garden and are the envy of our friends and family. Re-designing our very old and tired garden has given us exactly what we need - a fantastic decking area for relaxing, with plenty of other features and planted areas for easy maintenance. From the day that David came for an initial discussion about what we wanted, to the day that the final plants went in, we received nothing but the best service and attention to detail. Thank you!
When faced with a blank canvas and a number of issues to be addressed we turned to 'up the garden path' for guidance. What we got was an inspired design that far exceeded our expectations. David resolved issues in our garden in ways we would never have thought of. On top of all that they are a professional yet friendly company, who we would recommend in a heartbeat.
We are extremely pleased with our new garden. The design from, Up the Garden Path, was creative, imaginative and worked perfectly for our needs. The landscape gardeners employed to carry out the design were hard working and very conscientious. Everyone was very helpful from the beginning of the project to the end, including the secretary who sent out emails or phoned to keep us updated. Would have no hesitation in recommending them
David gave us lots of great ideas. He is so enthusiastic and listened to what we wanted from our garden. He spent a lot of time outside looking at what we already had and how it related to the gardens around us. We loved the plan we ended up with and our time with David has definitely helped us to know how we want our garden to develop with lots of useful design tips and ideas for plants and trees.
We'd already got a good idea on paper about what we wanted to do with our garden. Dave visited, took a look at our sketches, and commented that he thought we had the ability to finish the job off ourselves with the work we had done so far. So, no business for him really.............nevertheless he spent an hour with us, giving us tips and ideas on what to do next, going over our sketches and drawings, and pacing the garden. Such kindness and honesty without putting the profits first! Thank you very much, we are so very grateful.
We are very pleased with the finished result. I was expecting there to be mess in the house each day given that they had to carry everything through but there wasn't any. It is quite amazing now to look at everything thing in our garden and realise it has all been carried through the house.
We have the plan and it's excellent just what we were after. Please extend our gratitude to David. Many thanks.
Thank you for everything. So many ideas and really enthusiastic. The plan we have looks fantastic and we can't wait to get into the garden and make it come to life. We'd definitely recommend Up the Garden Path.
I just wanted to let you know that the work on the garden has almost been completed, ready for the grand opening (date still to be decided!). Anyway, it all looks FANTASTIC and the feedback has been brilliant. Thank you so much for designing such a wonderful place!
My husband enjoys gardening but when we moved house we inherited an overgrown, shapeless and uninspiring garden so we knew it would need professionally designing.We wanted an easy maintenance garden but still retaining a large lawn.We have two manhole covers in the lawn that can't be removed so it was a problem garden. We approached several companies who were unable to offer ideas and then contacted David Robinson. Despite having to wait quite a long time for an appointment our wait was worth it. From the onset of his visit we were totally confident that he would create the garden we wanted.He was passionate about garden design -enthusiastic,charismatic and exploding with ideas.We had complete trust in him and the service he offered us. Our thanks also to Gary, the landscaper, who was superb and Rachel in the offfice for her personal interest and efficiency. We would confidently recommend this team to create a garden that will give on going pleasure as does ours. Thankyou
âMy husband treated me to a garden design concept meeting with David for Christmas. My own personal video was a really nice touch. However, I was a little unsure if I really wanted to have someone help with my garden as all my previous gardens I had managed to sort myself, and we were on a tight budget. David spent the whole morning with me discussing my garden, my problems and what I wanted to achieve. Using photos and sketches, he made the most amazing changes and totally captured what I wanted. So, I guess, itâs lots of thanks to my husband and David as I am now so excited about getting my garden built for this summer. Brilliant!! Mrs V P â West Midlands
I had spoken with a number of 'garden designers', none of which filled me with confidence. Was their design going to be a repetition of their old designs with no original thought or consideration for the setting of my property? When I met David I had just walked through a number of gardens that he had designed for the Grand Design Exhibition, all were different and showed the broad approach to design. I assumed his fees would be commensurate with his reputation but was amazed to find that because David would condense the whole process to 1 day the costs were most attractive. Whilst I would not be getting a CAD drawing with the attendant cost, what I would receive was a complete scaled drawing of the patios, paths, water features etc together with any construction section drawings required to complete the designed features. Also included was a planting scheme and detailed use of materials to enhance the finished garden. 1 major advantage of this drawing system, everything done in 1 day and now it was possible to employ a builder/labourer with a mini digger to construct the basic garden and reduce the cost of utilising the services of a landscape gardener from an out of budget £50k to an affordable figure. The ability to contact David at any future time to ask for further advice on soil types etc etc means I have the use of a renown expert in his field for a small hourly rate. I recommend David without hesitation, his approach to the problems of garden design means a swift no nonsense solution at an extremely cost effective price. Mr & Mrs R , Bedfordshire
I couldnât imagine anyone could come and produce all the plan in one day. Amazing!â
Our garden is beautiful. Everything we talked about with David has come to life! The colours are fantastic and the garden has really exceeded our expectations.
âDavid has inspired mywWife â thatâs good; it makes my life much easier!!â
I had a big decision to make in February. Do I have a couple of holidays or do I have my garden built? The garden Won! My friend thought I was silly but now I have my garden I am so excited and I will get years of pleasure from what has been created. Thank you to everyone from Up The Garden Path, I am thrilled!
Susan and I struggled for over a year with how to layout the gardens, especially the large courtyard surrounded by the four derelict barns we were renovating. We met David at the Grand Designs Exhibition and were immediately impressed with the show gardens he had designed and his easy relaxed approach, we knew we could work with him. David came to the site and after several hours discussions with us we had a basic agreement for the design concept. Back to our house and a drawing board appeared from his car and within three hours a detailed sketch of the whole garden plot with planting schemes, terracing, materials and even the construction methods laid before us. What had a day before been a baffling problem was now resolved and the landscaping commenced seven days later
Wow! I went to the Grand Designs at the NEC show this weekend and saw the show garden that Up the Garden Path designed. It was inspiring, showing how you could make the most of your garden into the evening. It was full of ideas that I just wouldn't have thought of and made me realise what's possible for even a little town garden like mine. Highly recommended.
This was such a rewarding experience for me. I had built my walls in the garden, put in the new fences, but needed help to pull the whole thing together. Up The Garden Path took what Iâd already done and created a really lovely garden that I will enjoy looking after in the years to come.