CJ Landscapes offers garden design, landscape construction, planting, lighting and maintenance for homes in Esher. Our landscapers and garden designers work together on every project, so the ideas on paper are the ones that get built. Whether you have a family garden that needs a fresh layout or a larger plot that needs a clear plan, we start with how you want to use the space.
Esher, a Surrey town in Elmbridge, has a long link with garden design. On its edge lies Claremont Landscape Garden, now cared for by the National Trust and listed at Grade I. Its turf amphitheatre dates from the 18th century, and the garden shows the work of some of the best known names in English landscape design, including Charles Bridgeman, William Kent and Capability Brown.
Good garden design is about far more than choosing plants. It sets out how the garden will be used: where you sit, where the children play, how the paths connect and which views you see from the house. Our garden designers look at the shape of your plot, its aspect and the style of your home, then draw up a layout that brings these together.
Every design is bespoke. We do not work from a template, so a modern family home and an older house with mature trees will end up with very different gardens. Planting, lighting, irrigation and any water feature are settled at the design stage, which keeps the finished garden coherent.
The principles behind the great landscape gardens still apply at home: a clear structure, a sense of space and views that draw the eye. They work just as well in a town garden as they do on a grand scale.
Once the design is agreed, our own team builds it. That covers groundwork, levels, drainage, paving, walls and steps. We plan where cables and pipes will run before surfaces go down, so lighting and irrigation sit neatly within the finished garden. The paving is chosen with you, balancing the look you want with how the space will be used. See our landscape construction page for more.
A well planted garden has a framework that holds it together all year. Evergreen shrubs, hedges and trees give shape in winter, while perennials and bulbs bring colour through spring and summer. We plan planting so something is happening in every season, and so borders grow into a balanced whole rather than a crowded one.
Good lighting lets you enjoy the garden on long summer evenings and makes paths and steps safer through the winter. We plan outdoor lighting around entrances, routes and seating areas, then use gentler light on trees and planting. Light spill is kept low to respect neighbours and the wildlife that moves between gardens and the nearby commons.
Esher has a varied setting. Sandown Park Racecourse sits within the town, and Esher Commons border it with heath and woodland. Many gardens here have mature trees, and some back on to open, wooded land. We take this into account when we plan planting and boundaries, so each garden sits comfortably in its surroundings.
A new garden needs time and care to mature. Through our garden maintenance service, the team can call every month and spend four man hours or more on each visit, giving them time to look after planting, lawns and hedges properly. The work is guided by the original design, so the garden grows into the layout we planned together. Gardens created by other firms are welcome too.
Established trees often give a garden much of its character. Where a tree is worth keeping, we plan paths, paving and planting around it and take care to protect its roots while work is under way. Shade from mature trees also shapes the planting, with plants chosen to suit the light each part of the garden receives.
Our team was part of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 garden that was awarded a Silver Medal. You can see that garden, along with more of our work, on our projects page.
The same attention to detail goes into every home garden we design and build. From the first sketch to the last plant, we keep you involved, so the finished garden feels like yours.
No two of our gardens are the same, because every design is made for one home and one plot. We are a local business with years of hands on experience, we give free quotes with no obligation, and we pride ourselves on being honest and respectful from start to finish.
If your garden sits on heavy clay, read our page for Claygate.
It starts with a conversation about your garden and how you want to use it. Our garden designers then plan a layout around the space, and once you are happy with it, the construction work can be planned.
Yes. Mature trees often add a great deal to a garden, and we plan paths, paving and planting around them where they are worth keeping.
Planting is planned with structure in mind, using evergreens, hedges and trees, so the garden keeps its shape through the colder months.
Yes. Our monthly maintenance programme follows the original design, so the garden matures in the way it was planned.
To discuss garden design, landscape construction, planting or lighting in Esher, call 01276 582095 or 07717 058646. Our contact page also lets you send the details of your garden in writing.
