Journal

Nearly two millennia since the Romans first introduced pleasure gardens to Britain, the UK is still a nation of garden lovers, with a long and rich tradition of garden design that places it at the very top of the industry.  To understand how British gardens have evolved over that time and how cultural influences have […]

According to Google Trends, which tracks the popularity of online searches, the desire for artificial lawns surged during the pandemic, with a 185%  jump in May 2020 compared with the same month the previous year.  In addition, a survey by Aviva revealed that 1 in 10 households in the UK have replaced their garden’s natural lawn with […]

In our annual Garden Design Trends Report for the Society of Garden Designers we asked some of its members to tell us what will be shaping the future of garden design over the coming months. From Rock Roses to Twisted Geometry, these are the styles, materials, patterns and plants to look out for next year: ENVIRONMENTALLY […]

Gardens and landscapes which support and encourage nature can offer one of the best defences against climate change, and with nearly 23 million domestic gardens in the UK, we really can make a difference to the planet’s future if we work together to harness their full potential. Garden designers are already rising to the challenge.  […]

The reality of the last two years is that our homes have become the main settings of our lives, used as living and working spaces as well as much needed sanctuaries away from the pandemic.  As we have been forced to slow down and spend more time there, our gardens have also gained far more […]

This year, the Society of Garden Designers celebrates its 40th anniversary. To mark the occasion, we asked twelve of their long-standing members to share their thoughts on the changing taste in garden design over the last four decades.  We quizzed them on how we used our gardens now, how styles in planting design had developed […]

No longer the preserve of gaming and entertainment, virtual reality (VR) is already becoming a familiar tool in the interior design and architectural industries, so it’s no surprise that garden designers are beginning to see its potential too. Our client Helen Elks-Smith is currently demonstrating the technology in the new BBC2 series ‘Your Garden Made […]

It felt like everyone fell back in love with their gardens last year. With more of us required to work from home, gardens became both an essential extension of our homes and a welcome sanctuary. Interest in gardening appeared to spike too with a 2020 survey suggesting that 62% of lockdown gardeners found it vital […]

Large or small, balcony or courtyard, our gardens are a vast living landscape that together can help nature’s recovery from the environmental crisis we face.   The patchwork effect of many wildlife-friendly gardens is massive and, whilst much more still needs to be done, there are many brilliant examples of ordinary people creating beautiful, ecologically diverse […]

“Imagine yourself up on the roof, surrounded by buildings, but somehow slightly removed from the hustle and bustle of life below: scanning the city from your own secret haven.” So says our client John Wyer of Bowles & Wyer who has been designing and building roof gardens for over 25 years.  We thought some of […]

This month should have seen the return of Robert Myers, one of the UK’s leading garden designers, to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show with a Main Avenue garden to mark the bicentenary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. Cancelled due to the pandemic, the garden would have celebrated not only a remarkable nurse and social reformer, but […]

The irony that a worldwide pandemic should be the reason behind the cancellation of an RHS Chelsea Show garden to celebrate Florence Nightingale, and all she did in advocating the importance of cleanliness in fighting infection, is not lost on us. But being in lockdown has also reminded us of the therapeutic value of gardens […]

Back in July 2019, we managed the production of a short film with the renowned garden designer, writer and historian Penelope Hobhouse MBE.  It was such a treat to meet her at her home, shortly before her 90th birthday. We have happy memories of sharing homemade cottage pie with her, while she told us about […]

Every year, just before Christmas, we ask some of the Society of Garden Designers’ members for their trend predictions for the year ahead. We want to hear about the design ideas gaining momentum and the planting, materials and detailing the designers will be incorporating into their projects in the coming months.  Here are some of […]

Winter is often a forgotten season in the garden but it doesn’t have to be, there are plenty of opportunities to carry a garden through the colder months in style.   A well-designed winter garden can be full of elegant, architectural foliage, vibrant stems and dramatic colours.  We asked five designers from The Society of […]

Outdoor spaces enrich our lives, whether it’s a family garden to get children playing outdoors, a water garden to attract wildlife or a garden in which to relax and entertain. But can a well-designed garden with ‘wow’ factor add value to your house in the same way a kitchen or bathroom can? We compiled a […]

Many people are confused about the role a professional garden designer plays.  Unlike an architect, their services are sometimes seen as an expensive luxury, rather than considered to be fundamental to the success of a garden project. For the Society of Garden Designers, the challenge was to demystify this belief and show the public that […]

Trend spotting at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show has become an annual tradition for us. RHS Chelsea has been called the ‘greatest event in the horticultural calendar’ and the show has always maintained a huge influence on tastes in garden design. It is celebrated as the place to explore some of the most cutting-edge ideas […]