Our design process can be tailored to suit your project needs and ensures the best outcome for our clients.
Grow your new garden.
Dream it.
At STEM, we are very passionate about what we do and cannot wait to meet you. We value all enquiries and offer a meeting at your site.
We will assess the existing site conditions and establish a client brief by understanding your budgets, aesthetics, and requirements, before discussing potential designs.
Following this initial meeting, we will submit a fee proposal outlining the Landscape Design Process, along with any associated costs.
*A Design Consultation is $300+ GST within Melbourne. For consultations outside Melbourne, an additional cost will incur depending on the location.
*Please note: You are under no obligation to continue to the Design Phase after a consultation.
Design it.
We tailor each of our plans to our client & their unique brief. Concept Plans can vary in content depending on the needs & wants of each individual client.
We pride ourselves on our plant knowledge and selecting the right plants for you & your garden. Not only are our gardens beautiful, but we diligently research to ensure that the plants selected are suitable for the local environmental conditions. This is a vital component of STEM that helps our gardens thrive.
See more about what we offer below;
Concept plan.
The Concept Plan includes a set of detailed drawings that gives you a vision of your new garden. These drawings include a scaled plan drawing, perspective images to help you see the space in 3D, elevation drawings & a proposed material palette with images.
Once the Concept Plan has been completed we organise a meeting at your preferred location & present the plan. During the presentation alterations & additional items can be added & discussed.
To finalise the meeting we provide you with the prints & allow you to go through them & if you require any minor alterations we will amend the plan and a digital copy will be sent via email.
Following the presentation of the Concept Plan & once you are happy with the design, we will then transform your Concept Plan into a final set of working drawings (Planting Plan & Specification Plan).
Planting plan.
The Planting Plan is part of our design process but can also be a separate service especially for people with gardens that are established, semi-established or simply in need of a refresh. We can provide a planting schedule to work with the existing features & site requirements.
The Planting Plan provides a detailed plan of the selected plants and their locations within the garden. This also includes a schedule of each plant's recommended size at planting.
If required we can also include a basic irrigation plan & maintenance schedule.
Once we have completed the Planting Plan we will organise a meeting and present your plan. We will guide you through the types of plants selected & answer any questions you may have. You will be provided with the prints which you can go over & if any alterations are needed we will make changes upon request. All plans are also provided as digital copies.
Specification plan.
If required, STEM can provide a Specification Plan for your project. We highly recommend this if construction is being undertaken as it ensures the builders have a firm idea of the design intent and can better execute the design plans.
The Specification Plan refines the initial Concept Plan to include a detailed set of drawings which includes dimensions, heights, levels & finishes.
Depending on the size of your project the Specification Plan can comprise of 2-3 prints and includes notes on materials & finishes.
Specification Plans are an optional addition to the design process that will be presented once the Concept Plan and Planting Plan have been finalised.
The final drawings will be sent off to be quoted by our recommended contractors unless the clients have organised their own.
Build it.
Upon completion of the design phase, your project will be put to tender. We have a number of excellent contractors around Melbourne and Victoria that we can recommend. Some clients also choose to go with their own preferred contractor.
The team at STEM can help make the construction, planting, and maintenance of your new garden a seamless process.
Project management.
This is an optional service where the team from STEM will come on site to oversee the building process. This is to ensure the specifications are being followed and finishes are of the highest quality. This also enables STEM to make design decisions on site where need be.
Project Management can involve visiting quarries to hand select boulders and oversee their placement in a design. It can also include being on site to oversee excavation, especially for the construction for our water habitats.
Plant procurement.
With established relationships in the nursery and garden industry, we can source your plants for you from Austrlia's best growers and suppliers.
Contracting STEM for plant procurement ensures you are getting the correct plants for the design plans. We ensure all plants that we provide are in exceptional health and vigour.
Planting service.
The team from STEM can come on site to place and plant your plants as per the design plans. This is highly advised as we abide by best practice planting techniques and know the specific growing requirements of the plants we have selected. This also allows us to make any final soil amendments if needed prior to planting.
Our plant placement option involves a member of our team coming on site to place all plants in their appropriate location as per the design plans. The client or landscaping labourers can then plant them in their appropriate positions. This ensures that the planting plan is followed as the designer intended and allows us to make design alterations on site if need be.
Water Planting:
Upon completion of the Planting Plan, the team at STEM will plant the water plants. Water planting is a very different procedure to land planting as most of this is carried out in the water with appropriate equipment.
It is not recommended that clients plant their water plants unless they have experience and understand the plants application.
Garden maintenance.
The team from STEM can provide ongoing garden maintenance at a frequency to suit the seasons and your needs. We can manage pests and diseases, irrigation, pruning and weeds. We are expereinced in the maintenance of ponds, productive gardens, vertcial gardens and a variety of urban gardens.
Contracting STEM for your ongoing garden maintenance needs ensures your new garden will be cared for and nutured to provide years of enjoyment for yourself and your family.