House & Garden's Top 50 garden designers for 2023
Gardens: verdant places where our creativity can run free. Garden designers are getting more and more attention as we look for inspiration and ideas, and of course, for people to design our gardens for us. Selected from a list of highly talented creatives, our Top 50 Garden Designers include established professionals, promising newcomers and practices both large and small – all producing amazing gardens, from traditional country to contemporary urban.
1/50Acres Wild
Debbie Roberts and Ian Smith, working together as Acres Wild, produce beautifully crafted gardens with a sense of place. ‘We specialise in the planning of larger country gardens, organising the spaces, routeways and destinations into a cohesive composition that works for the house and the wider landscape,’ explains Debbie. The majority of their clients are based in the South East and choose this creative duo for their trademark blend of modern elements and traditional values.
Eva Nemeth2/50Alasdair Cameron
With more than 30 years of experience, Alasdair Cameron heads up a talented team that designs, builds and maintains stylish gardens all round the country. Known for innovative landscape architecture and garden design around the world, Cameron’s portfolio oscillates in scale from large scale and commercial projects to private residences and estates. Inspired by atmosphere and a sense of place, they create, build and maintain immersive designs that work with nature and the landscape it sits within.
Mindful to balance sustainability and aesthetics, signature projects combine sweeping perennials and grasses with a wild-spirited palette of native multi-stems.
Pictured: Alasdair's garden in Devon; camerongardens.co.uk.
3/50Alistair W Baldwin
North Yorkshire-based landscape architect Alistair Baldwin heads up a practice notable for its love of collaboration and drive to create the unique. ‘Our gardens are personal, crafted statements that sit comfortably in their architectural context,’ he says. The team is now sharing its ethos on its new blog thinkeden.com.
4/50Andy Sturgeon
As an acclaimed designer of contemporary gardens with a long track record, Andy Sturgeon is equally happy directing his skills towards a tiny roof terrace or a rambling country estate: ‘Above all, I create special places for people. I approach my gardens as artistic installations that are ecologically intelligent and sensitive to their surroundings.’ Current projects include a Belfast garden for the Horatio’s Garden charity, one of the largest private roof gardens in London as well as one in Hong Kong and the roof gardens at Battersea Power Station.
5/50Angela Collins
Particularly well known for her unapologetically romantic designs for country gardens, Angela Collins is respected for her impressive horticultural expertise and her sympathetic approach to historical context. She designs glorious gardens that are easy to maintain.
Nicola Stocken6/50Ann-Marie Powell
‘We adore designing naturally inspired, uplifting landscapes for the discerning client in a rural, refined style,’ says Ann-Marie Powell. ‘Our wild, loose, textural plantings are full of colour and soul to encourage wildlife and a sense of wellbeing.’ Following the opening of her World Food Garden at RHS Wisley, Ann-Marie is currently working on a flagship therapy garden for the Greenfingers charity at The Nook children’s hospice in Norfolk, as well as her usual eclectic selection of private gardens.
7/50Arabella Lennox-Boyd
One of the most celebrated designers in Britain, Arabella Lennox-Boyd is a grande dame of garden design, having been in the business for more than 50 years. Her own garden at Gresgarth Hall in Lancashire is an impressive showcase for everything she does.
8/50Arne Maynard
Very much in demand as one of Britain’s leading designers, Arne Maynard travels the world to create gardens that have a unique sense of place. Influenced by his own passion for experimental growing and gardening, Arne’s projects are defined by exceptional craftsmanship and planting. ‘Visit gardens – lots of them’ is his sound advice to anyone starting to plan a garden. ‘There is always something new to learn.’
9/50Balston Agius
‘Our guiding principle is to achieve synergy between architecture, horticulture and management through original and inspirational design,’ say directors Michael Balston and Marie-Louise Agius. The pair are known for thoughtful and meticulous execution of works, both in this country and abroad. Marie-Louise is also a director of Exbury Gardens and has just contributed a portfolio of her own photographs to The Eighth Wonder of the World* a book about these gardens in Hampshire.
10/50Bunny Guinness
Over the past year, Bunny Guinness has brought her portfolio to life with a YouTube channel, on which you can explore many of the gardens she has created during her 40-plus years in the business. These range from the surprisingly modest to the extremely lavish, but all are shaped by a design ethos that fuses successful planting with strong structure, underpinned by her enduring respect for natural elements. Bunny works together with her daughter Unity, who also has a degree in landscape architecture.
11/50Butter Wakefield
Born in the US and now based in London, Butter Wakefield trained at The English Gardening School before setting up her business: ‘We specialise in creating small to medium-sized gardens, with intricate design details and unique, characterful qualities. Each one is different and supported by joyful and immersive planting.’ She is adept at transforming even awkward city plots into exquisite retreats with thoughtful planting and tasteful details. In 2020, Butter won two Society of Garden Designers awards for a garden in Bayswater.
12/50Chris Beardshaw
A long-time panellist on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, Chris Beardshaw designs private gardens in which his horticultural expertise shines through. His gardens are acclaimed for their detailed, sustainable planting, as exemplified by his work at Pitmedden in Scotland, where he has made a new ‘deconstructed parterre’: ‘We carried out in-depth historical research and married it with our horticultural expertise to create a tapestry of bulbs, grasses and perennials.’ Look out for the garden that he has created for Myeloma UK at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
13/50Cleve West
One of the most considered of designers, Cleve West takes on mainly private gardens for clients interested in managing their land in a sustainable way. ‘We have to recalibrate our aesthetic expectations and I think the traditional herbaceous border has had its day,’ he says. His 2023 Chelsea garden supports this view. Designed for the homeless charity Centrepoint, it is centred around a demolished house and shows how much biodiversity can arise even in poor conditions.
14/50Dan Pearson
Right up at the very top in the world of garden and landscape design, Dan Pearson has been awarded an OBE recently for his work. Highly sought after by private as well as commercial clients all over the world, he is known for gardens that are intensely beautiful and also ecologically conscious.
darrenhawkeslandscapes.co.uk15/50Darren Hawkes Landscapes, new entry
Inspired by the countryside around his studio in Cornwall, Darren Hawkes creates public and private gardens that align nature and architecture. These include Maggie’s Centres in London and in Scotland.
16/50Del Buono Gazerwitz
Tommaso del Buono and Paul Gazerwitz have worked together for 20 years, but also take on individual projects. Tommaso recently set up TdB Studio in Florence, focusing on Italian and Mediterranean jobs, while Paul has clients in the US and UK. Their work is known for its clean lines, strong structure, beautiful materials and bespoke elements. Tommaso says, ‘We create timeless, well-proportioned gardens made with impeccable taste that respond to the essence of the place and the architecture. The best gardens originate from one great idea that informs, undiluted, their whole creation.’
17/50Emily Erlam
‘I am driven by creating spaces that will make people feel good,’ says Emily Erlam, who has been designing since 2008. Subtle rather than statement-making, Emily’s gardens illustrate her skill at combining sensitive and well-thought-out planting with finely tuned details. She has gathered several awards from the Society of Garden Designers – most recently she won the Planting Design Award for her own garden in Norfolk. Currently, she is working on a garden for the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire at Chatsworth, and with Heatherwick Studio on the landscape design for a science park in Surrey.
Eva Nemeth18/50Garden Club London, new entry
Tony Woods heads up a team of designers, landscapers and gardeners to offer a cohesive service. Specialising in urban spaces, Garden Club London has won two Chelsea Gold Medals and returns this year with the Hamptons Mediterranean Garden, an intimate outdoor living space.
19/50Harris Bugg Studio
With studios in Exeter, London and Skye, and a team of 12, Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg specialise in sustainable spaces that bridge the gap between traditional and contemporary. Equally at home designing for listed estates as for newbuilds, they are prominent at Chelsea this year, working with charity Horatio’s Garden on a design that will be relocated to the Princess Royal Spinal Cord Injuries Centre in Sheffield. ‘It’s an accessible, therapeutic space – we’re so glad it is going to have a life after Chelsea,’ says Charlotte.
20/50Isabel and Julian Bannerman
The Bannermans are a flamboyant pair, who have worked together since 1983 and are able to transform any garden into a magical space. Specialising in large projects for characterful country houses, they work with existing features, preserving the original patina of a place while creating drama with evergreen architecture, soft and romantic planting, and enchanting garden buildings. The spectacular, rose-filled garden in the Cotswolds that they have been working on for the past decade is featured in this issue. Other current projects include an abandoned quarry in Devon, where they are – as Isabel puts it – ‘exaggeratedly up-wilding’ the land through the introduction of native wildflowers. Isabel’s book Husbandry (Pimpernel Press, £14.99) is a must read if you are considering commissioning them.
21/50James Alexander-Sinclair
Urbane and very entertaining, James Alexander-Sinclair is a writer, a lecturer and a vice president of the RHS. But first and foremost, James is a garden designer, who affirms even the smallest space can benefit from decent design.
22/50Jane Brockbank
Working from her base in London, Jane Brockbank is well known for her nature-led gardens in urban settings. With a background in fine art, she combines a painter’s eye for planting with a love of modern design and craft, and mixes native wildflowers with more cultivated varieties. Designing intuitively, she creates leafy havens that bring a feel of the country to the city. ‘I think long term and ask myself, will this material age well? Will the planting get better with time?’
23/50Jinny Blom
Running a multi-disciplinary practice of architects, artists and designers enables Jinny Blom to deliver a portfolio of highly accomplished gardens. She is working on projects in the UK, the US and France, and is to launch an outdoor paint range this autumn. Her latest book, What Makes a Garden, is due out in October.
24/50Joe Swift
Well known as both a TV presenter on shows such as BBC Two’s Gardeners’ World and an accomplished designer, Joe Swift takes on bespoke commissions in person and through Modular, the company he co-founded to produce modern, high-quality gardens tailored to each client’s needs and budget. ‘We design contemporary, sustainable spaces in all kinds of settings,’ says Joe. ‘Our work seamlessly combines function with aesthetics and our team is capable of taking on the whole process from design through to build.’
Eva Nemeth25/50Jo Thompson
Much sought after for her romantic and exquisitely planted natural gardens, as seen at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Jo Thompson says, ‘We put biodiversity and sustainability at the heart of everything that we do.’ Current projects include a private sculpture garden and gallery, a flurry of private gardens in the Cotswolds and several coastal gardens. Somehow, she has also found the time to work on no less than three new books, including one on colour, published in spring 2022.
26/50Juliet Sargeant
A former chair of the Society of Garden Designers, Juliet Sargeant trained in medicine and psychology before her career in design: ‘My gardens are inspired by people and for people. Every design, hard landscaping or planting choice is about making places for people that feel as good as they look.’ In addition to designing private gardens, she runs the Sussex Garden School.
27/50Kim Wilkie
Describing himself as a ‘strategic and conceptual landscape consultant’, Kim Wilkie collaborates with architects and landscape designers on projects that focus on land ecology and conservation. ‘I work with the topography and biology of the land to determine where buildings and open spaces should be positioned and how new development can relate to the farm and woodland,’ explains Kim, who is currently busy with the Duchy of Cornwall garden village in Kent. His own garden was featured in House & Garden in June 2021.
Andrew Montgomery28/50Luciano Giubbilei
Based in London and Mallorca, Luciano Giubbilei creates beautiful gardens with an understated elegance. Having made his name early in his career by creating top-end London gardens, he now works internationally, with current projects including Raby Castle in County Durham. He is also working on his own garden in Mallorca, which combines native planting and sinuous stonework. ‘As a designer, I offer a purist sensibility with a reverence to the past,’ he says. ‘I try to create a feeling of mystery in every garden.’
Andrew Montgomery29/50Marcus Barnett
Known for creating gardens with a sense of place and an environment of wild imagination, Marcus Barnett explains, ‘My designs thrive on the importance of establishing a borderless interplay between interior and exterior – property, garden and landscape. Central to them are contrasting themes, including strength and softness, natural intervention and geometric plan, romance and practical necessity.’ Since establishing his own studio in 2004, he has created gardens in Australia and Azerbaijan, as well as in the UK and Ireland.
Jason Ingram30/50Marian Boswall
Working in the UK and overseas, this studio focuses fully on regenerative design and specialises in flood plains, eco wineries and estates. Marian Boswall also takes on selected residential projects for garden owners who share her ethos.
matthewchildsdesign.co.uk31/50Matthew Childs, new entry
One of a new generation of designers, Matthew Childs devises beautifully built gardens made to be used. In 2022, he won the Society of Garden Designers Judges’ Award for a pool garden in Surrey.
Marianne Majerus32/50Matthew Keightley
Matt Keightley works under the company name Rosebank, catering to the super-high-end market. He is equally happy producing his characteristically sleek designs for both city courtyards and country estates, all realised by his own in-house construction team.
33/50Matthew Wilson Gardens
A panellist on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time and a former curator of the RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Matthew Wilson is currently working on a modern garden for an eco house as well as a design for an Arts and Crafts farmhouse.
34/50Mazzullo + Russell
Emma Mazzullo and Libby Russell create beautiful gardens with intelligent planting palettes that relate closely to the local environment. Ecology is a key consideration, whether in shady city gardens or sprawling country estates.
35/50Gavin McWilliam
In collaboration with Andrew Wilson, Gavin McWilliam leads the McWilliam Studio team on projects across the south east of England as well as abroad. They work at both garden and landscape scale to produce elegant spaces with elevated planting design.
paulherveybrookes.com36/50Paul Hervey-Brookes, new entry
Based mostly in France, Paul Hervey-Brookes designs private gardens in the UK and in France, alongside projects in Bangkok and Tel Aviv. For this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Paul has designed the RBC Brewin Dolphin Garden.
37/50Pip Morrison
A passionate plantsman with a firmly held belief that every garden should connect to its wider context, Pip Morrison is the considered choice of many architects and interior designers. He is particularly known for a sensitive approach to historic properties.
38/50Robert Myers Associates
With studios in Worcestershire and Cambridge, Robert Myers’ practice takes on a wide mix of projects. These range from private gardens to urban design and management plans for historic landscapes.
Eva Nemeth39/50Sarah Eberle, new entry
Sarah Eberle – RHS Chelsea Flower Show’s most decorated designer – recently accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Garden Designers. She creates sensitively planted gardens, which blend the needs of her clients with respect for nature.
40/50Sarah Price Landscapes
Since her high-profile work on the Olympic Park in 2012, Sarah Price has worked on select private commissions, as well as gardens for art galleries and charities such as Maggie’s and Horatio’s Garden. Known for her subtle, painterly planting schemes, Sarah is not in the business of quick-fix garden transformations. ‘Each project is a long-term commitment,’ she says. ‘It is all about observation and using local materials and skills, so that you end up with something unique. I want to tread as lightly as possible on a site.’ She is designing the Nurture Landscapes Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year, with a planting scheme inspired by the paintings of Cedric Morris.
Marianne Majerus via londongardendesigner.com41/50Sarah Jane Rothwell, new entry
Particularly known for producing slick city gardens and stylish roof terraces, Sara Jane Rothwell of London Garden Designer has an exceptional ability to draw out the potential in awkward sites to create genuinely liveable, beautiful outdoor spaces.
alister thorpe42/50Stefano Marinaz, new entry
Born into a family of nurserymen in Italy, Stefano Marinaz was brought up surrounded by plants. Since 2012, he has run his own landscape business in London and he has recently opened another office in Utrecht. He has designed a number of beautifully put-together urban gardens that combine artistic hardscaping, natural materials and handsome planting, and is increasingly being commissioned to design larger gardens in rural areas, where he shows great sensitivity to the landscape. ‘I am constantly experimenting with new planting combinations and new materials,’ he says. ‘My gardens are led by plants, but they all have a strong underlying structure.’
43/50Tania Compton
Building long-term relationships with clients, the former garden editor of House & Garden produces intensively planted gardens with the eye of an artist and the pragmatism of a woman who knows how to minimise maintenance with a well-judged meadow. Tania’s Wiltshire garden is sometimes open to the public.
44/50Thomas Hoblyn
Working from a converted barn in Suffolk, Tom Hoblyn and his small team take on a real mix of projects – from city courtyards to large estates. Tom says he enjoys designing ‘interesting projects for interesting people’ and he believes that each garden should be a response to place, including geology and environment. He is designing the Boodles Best of British Garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show (featured in this issue), which celebrates a range of crafts.
45/50Tim Rees
Having trained at RBG Kew, Tim Rees teamed up with Brita von Schoenaich in the early Nineties and they developed their naturalistic planting style. In 2005, Tim set up his current practice, with work ranging from London gardens to country estates, including a historic site in the Forest of Dean: ‘My adage is to respect the past but think of the future.’
46/50Tom Massey, new entry
Having started his business in 2015, Tom Massey has swiftly become one of the most interesting young designers in the country, with a number of masterly London gardens under his belt and recent commissions in the US and France. He designed the Gold Medal-winning Yeo Valley Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2021 and is back this year with a garden for the Royal Entomological Society. Tuned into the current interest in maximum biodiversity, Tom shows how a huge range of insect-friendly plants can be grown by varying the topography and substrate, and how important it is to provide not only the right plants but also the habitats for these invertebrates. His first book, Resilient Garden (Dorling Kindersley, £27), has just been published.
Andrea Jones47/50Tom Stuart-Smith
One of the top designers in the UK, Tom Stuart-Smith runs his studio from his home in Hertfordshire. A team of 18 work in the UK and internationally on projects including the walled garden at Knepp Castle – featured in House & Garden in January 2023.
48/50Todd Longstaffe-Gowan
With a stellar academic career in landscape architecture and historic geography, Todd also acts as an advisor for Historic Royal Palaces. He specialises in conservation and he travels widely for his projects, both private and public.
49/50Urquhart & Hunt
Lulu Urquhart and Adam Hunt are the very dynamic duo whose Rewilding Britain Landscape (complete with a beaver dam) was named Best in Show at Chelsea in 2022. Their romantic, naturalistic gardens exemplify the great creative possibilities of ecological restoration.
50/50Xa Tollemache
The former chatelaine of Helmingham Hall in Suffolk, Xa Tollemache is the go-to choice for owners of country houses looking for a classic garden makeover. Her work combines romantic plantings with a formal framework, perfectly accessorised by her own range of garden furniture.
