Michelle.
A bit of professional advice, I'm a landscape architect. and we carry out a
lot of domestic design and build contracts.

You have a choice of design only or design and build. but whichever you
chose the most important thing is to like the designer and be on the same
wavelength. If they want to impose their own design style on you or will not
accept your brief (and budget) then you will not ever have a successful
project and the experience will be disappointing.

I have a guide to what to expect on my site. There are a few photos of past
projects which may give you some inspiration

http://www.arghamvillage.co.uk/nursery/

I hope this helps you in your selection.

If the designer is telling you that your budget is inadequate then you
should revise the budget or revise your expectations. This is quite
different to ignoring your budget.

Be careful there are a lot of people out there being garden designers and
contractors.There are no set standards and building organisations such as
the federation of master builders seldom have landscape contractors.

Ask for names of three past projects and go see the work standard and talk
to the clients.That way you can be sure you are getting a good contractor.

Beware there are portfolios of garden design on sale for about £200 these
are often used for passing off as a designer.

Hope this hasn't put you off.

have a look at

www.landscape.co.uk (Landscape Design Trust)

www.l-i.org.uk ( landscape Institute)

also a good source of design is the horticultural / design colleges. Merrist
Wood have a superb course why not commission one of the talented students. I
am sure the college would help

I trained at Greenwich uni (was Thames then) the landscape campus is at
Dartford- oakhill road.

Colleges often look for live projects for the students. I recall a private
garden where we all did a design and the client chose and built the one
chosen as winner.

Hope ive been of some help If you want a professional opinion on any aspect
of your choice feel free to email me direct.