Our annual list of the best garden designers in the UK is our way of acknowledging the wealth of talent in the horticultural industry, from small studios working on city gardens to well-established teams taking on some of the largest and most bountiful gardens around. Whether you are looking for something ultra-modern and manicured or wildly abundant, our list of the 25 best garden and landscape designers has you covered.
Tom Massey Studio
With a small studio, Tom (pictured on the previous page) leads a team of four. ‘We offer plant-led, ecological design that balances bold creativity with scientific rigour. Our work is rooted in a deep understanding of horticulture, soils and microclimate,’ he explains, adding that the ‘immersive and characterful’ gardens are also ‘resilient and biodiverse’. Tom is designing a new public garden at The British Museum, WC1.
tommassey.co.uk | @tommasseyuk
Jinny Blom Studio
Jinny is a polymath, writing books, designing buildings and specifying art and sculpture, as well as designing landscape schemes for private gardens and estates in Britain and abroad. Collaborating with top-level architects and interior designers, she is working on several large projects, including an 18-acre estate in the Cotswolds with architects and designers Tim Boyd, Victoria Charles and Sebastian Cox.
Harry Holding Studio
One of the UK’s most successful young designers in the world of gardens, Harry creates bold, eco-conscious schemes. ‘Clients come to us for spaces that feel alive, purposeful and unlike anything else,’ he says. Following successful outings at Chelsea in 2023 and 2024, he is designing the Eden Project’s Bring Me Sunshine Garden at this year’s RHS show with the architect Alex Michaelis. Harry’s first book, Eat Your Garden, comes out this month.
Robert Myers Associates
Robert runs a team of four landscape architects, who work on projects that range from large rural estates and architecturally distinctive homes to significant public gardens. ‘Clients come to us for our ability to reveal the unique character of a site, to choreograph movement and views, and to deliver gardens that are elegant, intelligent and deceptively simple,’ says Robert. This year’s projects include a new garden at Cowley Manor in the Cotswolds.
robertmyers-associates.co.uk | @robertmyersassociates
Helen Elks-Smith
Working with a team of three, Helen is lead designer on all her projects, which tend to be local
to Hampshire and the South of England. ‘The balance between the constructed landscape and the planting is key,’ she says. Each garden is tailored to the building and the landscape beyond, ranging from traditional to the more experimental, with plants always taking centre stage.
Stefano Marinaz
With London and Utrecht offices, Stefano designs naturalistic and often urban gardens with a modern edge. A deep knowledge of plants enables him to layer bulbs, perennials, shrubs and trees in rich schemes guaranteed to provide year-round colour, scent and texture. These often include unusual plants selected to respond well to the conditions of a site.
stefanomarinaz.com | @stefano.marinaz
Harris Bugg Studio
This progressive, nature-driven practice is led by its founders Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg (above), who are known for designing regenerative gardens characterised by local craftsmanship. ‘Clients come to us for considered, beautiful and ecologically responsible gardens that feel deeply connected to their setting,’ says Charlotte. Current projects include work at the Gothenburg Botanical Garden, a private rooftop in Covent Garden and a space on the Isle of Skye.
harrisbugg.com | @harrisbuggstudio
Pip Morrison
As a one-man band, Pip takes on an eclectic range of projects each year, often working with designers and architects such as Ben Pentreath for a collaborative approach to architecture and landscape. He is also known for his restoration projects with Adam Architecture, bringing historic houses and gardens back to life. Recently, he worked with Tuckey Design Studio, designing the garden around a contemporary rammed-earth house in Wiltshire (featured in the May issue of House & Garden).
pip@pipmorrison.co.uk
Chris Beardshaw
A well-known name in the horticultural world, Chris is a Chelsea winner, TV presenter and lecturer. His designs combine horticultural expertise with a strong sense of architecture and detail. Chris’s studio is purposely small, which enables him to be intimately involved in every job. Many of his most recent projects are for large country estates, where he has designed formal gardens as well as producing an overall masterplan for the wider landscape.
chrisbeardshaw.com | @chrisbeardshawofficial
Sheila Jack
Having left a career as a magazine art director to pursue a new life in garden design, Sheila brings an exacting and artistic eye to all her work. She keeps her studio small, preferring to collaborate with other designers, craftspeople and skilled landscape teams to achieve a highly bespoke result. As well as having a clutch of beautifully designed London gardens under her belt, she is designing more country gardens, including one for a five-acre property in Umbria.
sheilajack.com | @sheilajacklandscapes
Dan Pearson Studio
Admired for his sensitive, ecological approach, Dan runs an award-winning studio with an international reach. Increasingly involved with high-profile public projects like the landscape around the Goodwood Art Foundation in West Sussex, he is also working on an exciting design for an additional eight acres at the Beth Chatto Gardens in Essex. Dan is devising a masterplan for the existing gardens there to ensure they evolve with environmental principles at their core.
danpearsonstudio.com | @coyotewillow
Arne Maynard
Priding himself on beautiful craftsmanship and exceptional planting, Arne is regarded as one of the country’s most revered designers, both here and abroad. Recent and ongoing work includes the new Maggie’s centre garden in Northampton, a collaboration with Tricia Guild and Stephen Marshall Architects, and a sustainable design for River Court at St John’s College, Cambridge, which is set against a modernist building.
arnemaynard.com | @arnemaynardgardendesign
Andy Sturgeon Design
Having won nine Chelsea Golds, Andy is a highly regarded designer with an international profile.
He is known for the diversity of his work, from tiny roof terraces to large estates in commercial and private settings. ‘Sustainability and climate resilience underpin all our work, and we are perpetually evolving plant palettes to suit our changing world,’ he says. Current projects include a garden with meadows and wind-tolerant planting in the South Downs, and the remodelling of the gardens at Underriver House in Kent.
I&J Bannerman
Many of Isabel and Julian Bannerman’s gardens are under wraps, designed for private clients who do not want any publicity. Their own Somerset garden (featured in House & Garden in June 2025) is a perfect example of their craft. ‘We aim for our gardens to be timeless, sensorily rich, surprising and alluring,’ says Isabel.
bannermandesign.com | @isabelbannerman
Acres Wild
Debbie Roberts and Ian Smith have worked together since the 1980s and are well known for designing large country gardens. Their spaces are beautifully built, with structural elements that link the house to the wider landscape. Water is a key factor, with wildlife ponds, ornamental water features and natural pools often woven into the design.
acreswild.co.uk | @acreswildgardendesign
Darren Hawkes
Based in Cornwall, Darren is well known for designing cliff-edge gardens with changes of level: ‘We have become skilled at working on these challenging sites and understanding the plants that can thrive here,’ he says. He’s planning a multi-layered show garden for the
Lady Garden Foundation at this year’s Chelsea.
Urquhart & Hunt
The Somerset-based duo Lulu Urquhart and Adam Hunt specialise in contemporary restorations of older gardens and their wider landscapes, with a particular emphasis on ecology and regeneration. ‘Our style is naturalistic and free, with equal consideration to harmony in design and increasing biodiversity and improving habitat,’ explains Adam. ‘We continue to work with the spirit of every place that we are invited to,’ adds Lulu.
urquharthunt.com | @urquhart_hunt
Alistair W. Baldwin
A small practice that incorporates a garden maintenance business, this studio develops long-term relationships with its clients, managing gardens over many years. Alistair’s team of five designers takes on projects that range from large public spaces and private estates to small town gardens. ‘We make habitual use of traditional, local crafts and reclaimed materials to create gardens that are timeless and traditionally elegant,’ he says.
alistairwbaldwin.co.uk | @awbassociates
Todd Longstaffe Gowan
London-based Todd is well known for his work on historic gardens and landscapes, and
is admired for his sensitive approach that combines conservation with reimagined design to enhance each site. His diverse current projects range from a hilltop garden in the Bahamas to the walled garden at 17th-century Ramsbury Manor in Wiltshire, and a garden for a private museum in Leiden in the Netherlands.
tlg-landscape.co.uk | @todd_longstaffe_gowan
Hoblyn & White
With a Kew training and a lifetime of gardening behind him, Tom Hoblyn (below) is an avid plantsman and this underpins everything he does. Working from his home in Suffolk with two other designers and in partnership with Jane Fitzgerald White, he trials plants there to build climate-resilient palettes for his clients. ‘They come to us for gardens that sit comfortably in their landscape and complement the architecture they surround,’ observes Tom.
Ann-Marie Powell Gardens
Heading up a team of four women, Ann-Marie creates both public and private gardens. ‘By choosing our studio, clients are investing in a sustainable, living landscape that will evolve and thrive alongside them,’ she says. This is an exciting year for her, with work starting on the Great Fountain Garden at Hampton Court Palace, where Ann-Marie is designing a sustainable planting scheme. Her most recent book, A Year of Colour, is out now.
Sarah Price Landscapes
Sarah is much in demand for her atmospheric, plant-filled gardens that somehow transport you into another realm. She is working with head gardener James Horner on the reimagining of the garden at Benton End, in Suffolk (featured in this issue), and is designing herbaceous plantings at the New York Botanical Garden around its magnolia collection, opening in 2027. Other projects include a remodelling of the Lutyens gardens at Folly Farm, in Berkshire.
sarahpricelandscapes.com | @sarahpricelandscapes
Luciano Giubbilei
Based in London and Mallorca, Luciano has ongoing projects in Europe, the US and beyond. His design for the recently opened Walled Garden at Raby Castle (featured in February’s issue of House & Garden) has been widely acclaimed. Private gardens in Tuscany, Sicily and Belgium are currently in progress and he is working on a new book.
lucianogiubbilei.com | @lucianogiubbileigardens
Tom Stuart-Smith
Employing 27 staff, Tom works across an array of international projects, from private gardens to some of the world’s most exciting public spaces. At Chelsea Flower Show this year, he is designing The Tate Britain Garden to showcase the gallery’s new Clore Garden. Clients appreciate the team’s understanding of the unique qualities of the most remarkable homes and landscapes.
tomstuartsmith.co.uk | @tomstuartsmith
Jo Thompson Landscape and Garden Design
Known for her rich, colourful planting and signature use of roses, Jo says, ‘I like to create gardens of atmosphere and romance that evoke an emotional response.’ As well as working on several private gardens in the South of England and Provence, she is designing the Archers Garden at the new RHS Badminton Flower Show in July.
jothompson-garden-design.co.uk | @jothompson.studio
Plus, 5 emerging garden designers you need to know:
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Carey Garden Design
Husband-and-wife-team Joe and Laura Carey are showcasing their Flourish in the City garden at Chelsea. Joe’s imaginative use of materials complements Laura’s painterly planting schemes.
Creative Cultivation
Will Tomson leads this small practice. Each project maximises the benefit to wildlife, often with ponds and other habitats, and rich planting schemes. ‘We are in a biodiversity crisis,’ says Will, ‘and as gardeners we are custodians of spaces that can provide a sanctuary.’
creativecultivation.co.uk | @creativecultivation
Farlam & Chandler
Harriet Farlam and Ben Chandler create gardens rooted in a deep respect for nature. Last year, they collaborated with Bibbings & Hensby to design an outdoor chair and this summer they will launch a furniture line with Cox London.
farlamandchandler.com | @farlamandchandler
Hortus Collective
This forward-thinking team is committed to restoring nature and community engagement.
Led by Mark Rogers and Amy Langron, the collective is working on the garden areas around a new low-carbon building at the heart of a rewilded Devon farm.
Semper
Craig Atkinson and Marina Ralph met at the London College of Garden Design and launched Semper in 2024. They believe plants are a fascinating medium for art and design, and are committed to ‘the evolution of a garden’ that is designed ‘for now and for generations to come’.
