Service Guide
Planting
Service Guide
What to expect when you work with us
Whether you're dreaming of a lush roof terrace, a beautifully planted courtyard, or a complete garden transformation, we're here to make it happen. This guide walks you through how we work — so you know exactly what to expect from the moment you get in touch to the day your outdoor space comes to life.
We've been helping Londoners create beautiful outdoor spaces since 2008, and we know that every garden — however big or small — deserves the same care and attention. We work by recommendation and appointment, and everything we do is bespoke to you and your space.
What we offer
Our Three Services
We offer three levels of service, designed to suit different spaces and ambitions. Don't worry if you're not sure which one fits — we'll help you figure that out when we chat.
Urban Spaces
Container & Courtyard Planting
Perfect for balconies, roof terraces, courtyards, and any compact urban outdoor space. We transform hard-landscaped areas using beautifully chosen pots, planters, troughs, and window boxes — with planting schemes designed to thrive in your specific microclimate.
What we supply and install
- Consultation and site assessment (in person or remote)
- Bespoke planting schemes tailored to your space, light, and style
- Selection and supply of containers — terracotta, glazed, polystone, troughs, window boxes and more
- Trees, shrubs, perennials, and seasonal planting
- Irrigation systems where needed
- Clearance of existing soft plantings if required
- Aftercare guidance so your planting thrives long after we leave
Established Gardens
Garden Planting Service
Everything in the Container & Courtyard service, extended to cover gardens with established beds, borders, and planting areas — as well as existing patios and hard-landscaped spaces.
Everything in Service 01, plus
- Bespoke planting schemes for beds, borders and garden areas
- Replanting and rejuvenation of tired or overgrown planting
- Specimen trees and structural planting
- Ground cover, perennials, grasses, and seasonal colour
Full Transformation
Garden Design & Landscaping
For gardens that need a complete rethink — from layout to levels, new surfaces, raised beds, boundaries, and everything in between. We lead the design and planting, working with trusted London contractors for the hard landscaping.
What this service covers
- Full garden design from initial concept through to completion
- Coordination with our recommended hard landscaping contractors
- Complete planting schemes for all garden areas
- Supply and installation of all containers, plants, and irrigation
- Ongoing communication between you, our team, and the contractors
Our landscaping partners are independent businesses we know and trust. They will provide their own proposals, quotations, and invoices directly to you — you'll have a separate agreement with them for the hard landscaping work. Boma leads the design and planting; the contractors bill separately for construction.
Step by step
How It All Works
Whatever service you're going for, the process follows a similar shape.
Get in Touch
Send us a message through the website, give us a call, or pop into the garden centre in Kentish Town. Tell us a little about your space and what you're hoping for. We'll respond promptly and help you work out which service is right for you.
Initial Consultation & Site Visit
We arrange a visit to see your space in person — the light, the aspect, the microclimate, any quirks or challenges. We'll chat through your ideas, style preferences, and budget. For smaller projects, a remote consultation can sometimes work just as well.
Client Brief & Deposit
We define a clear brief covering scope and planting requirements. At this point, we ask for an initial deposit before beginning any design work. The deposit is scaled to the project's complexity — we'll always explain the amount upfront. This deposit is non-refundable, as it covers the professional time invested in planning and developing your project.
Design & Planning
With brief agreed and deposit in place, the creative work begins. For Container and Garden Planting, we develop mood boards and detailed planting schemes. For the Landscaping Service, our designers prepare full garden layouts alongside the contractors' hard landscaping proposals.
Proposal & Quotation
We present a full proposal and detailed quotation for your approval. For the Landscaping Service, you'll also receive separate quotations directly from the contractors. Nothing moves forward until you're happy with everything.
Delivery & Installation
Once everything is approved and the payment schedule is in place, we book a date that works for you. We take care of delivery, any soft landscaping clearance, and the full installation — arriving with everything needed to bring your planting scheme to life.
Transparency
About Our Deposit
We know that paying a deposit before seeing finished plans can feel like a big step — so we want to be transparent about why we do it.
When you commission a bespoke design service, you're engaging professional expertise and time. Developing ideas for your specific space, researching the right plants, creating planting plans, sourcing containers, liaising with contractors — all of this happens before a single plant is bought or a pot is delivered. The deposit secures that work and allows us to give your project the full attention it deserves.
The deposit amount is determined by the scale and complexity of the work. A small container scheme will have a modest deposit; a full garden redesign will require more. We'll always be upfront about the amount and what it covers.
Deposits are non-refundable once design and planning work has commenced. If you have any questions about this before committing, please just ask — we're always happy to talk it through before you make any decision.
This is standard practice across garden design and planting services in London, and reflects the professional, tailored service we provide. Like any bespoke creative service, the real work begins long before anything physical takes place.
Useful to know
A Few Things Worth Knowing
We don't take on every project — we take on the ones we can do well and give proper time to. Most of our clients come through word of mouth, and we're proud of that. We'd rather do fewer projects brilliantly than many projects adequately.
Our Container and Garden Planting services are focused on plants, planters, and planting design. We don't lay paving, build raised beds, or erect garden structures. If your space needs structural work first, we'll be honest and point you towards the right level of service.
We source excellent-quality plants and use our horticultural expertise to select varieties that will genuinely thrive in your conditions. Plants respond to seasons, weather, and care over time. We provide thorough aftercare guidance, but ongoing performance depends on maintenance and conditions beyond our control once installation is complete.
A north-facing Islington courtyard and a south-facing Battersea terrace are completely different growing environments. We take this seriously — it's one of the first things we assess. What works beautifully in one London garden may struggle in another, and our recommendations always reflect that knowledge.
Once a brief is agreed and design work begins, significant changes in scope may require a revised quotation and adjusted timeline. Minor tweaks are usually straightforward. We'll always communicate clearly if something has changed and what it means for cost or timing — no surprises.
Ready to get
started?
The best place to begin is a conversation. Get in touch through the website, pop into our Kentish Town garden centre, or give us a call. Tell us about your space — big or small, blank canvas or in need of a refresh — and we'll take it from there.
The Boma Garden Centre
51–53 Islip Street
Kentish Town, London NW5 2DL
020 7284 4999
bomagardencentre.co.uk
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