House & Garden's Top 50 garden designers for 2025
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.
Eva Nemeth1/50Acres Wild
Debbie Roberts and Ian Smith are long established, accomplished designers who specialise in large country gardens, where the house, garden and landscape work in harmony as a cohesive composition. Debbie explains, ‘A garden should look and feel as if it has always been there, conjuring up a unique atmosphere.’
.jpg)
Eva Nemeth2/50Alasdair Cameron
Popular on Instagram for enviable images of his beautiful Devon garden, Alasdair runs an efficient practice designing, building and maintaining gardens in London and around the UK.
Eva Nemeth3/50Alistair W Baldwin
Much sought-after in the north of England, Alistair also runs the Yorkshire School of Garden Design. Projects include the gardens at Grantley Hall in Ripon and, currently, he is collaborating with Ben Pentreath on a small country estate. ‘A sense of timelessness is at the heart of a well-designed garden,’ says Alistair. ‘The bones – the floorscape, trees, hedges and shrubs – play the most important role. And we understand the value of combining craftsmanship with the use of reclaimed materials.’
Rebekah Kennington4/50Andy Sturgeon
Noted for mixing strikingly contemporary, sculptural design with an innovative planting style rooted in ecological considerations, Andy’s recent projects include an Isle of Wight private garden and climate-resilient Mediterranean Garden at Beningbrough Hall in North Yorkshire.
www.evanemeth.com5/50Angela Collins
Known for creating beautiful, plant-filled gardens that she imbues with a sense of magic, Angela says, ‘The garden must feel comfortable in its setting, with balance and scale the key principles, elevated by exciting planting, bold structure and varied textures through the seasons.’
CHARLIE HOPKINSON6/50Ann-Marie Powell
‘We aim to make vibrant, bold and biodiverse gardens that bring people joy,’ Ann-Marie says. She and her team take on projects from city courtyards and cottage gardens to RHS Chelsea Garden Show designs and country estates. They have been commissioned to redesign the Great Fountain Garden at Hampton Court.
Charlie Hopkins7/50Arne Maynard
One of the big names in British garden design, Arne has an inspiring portfolio of projects in the UK and abroad. ‘My guiding principle is how the garden will sit within its unique landscape,’ he says. ‘I’ve recently been working in Mexico on a clifftop garden by the ocean, with a mountainous backdrop. It has been a wonderful challenge to work with the plants that grow there to create an exciting contemporary response to the house and its environment.’
8/50Butter Wakefield
A dab hand at making elegant, timeless gardens, especially in London, which is where she is based, Butter says, ‘My team offers a very personal, curated approach, incorporating lots of design detail and wildlife-friendly, immersive planting. We choose materials and furniture carefully to complement the architecture and the planting, and our designs are purposeful and practical.’ Her schemes mix classic herbaceous species with areas of meadow and clipped forms of yew, beech and hornbeam, as well as multi-stemmed shrubs and small trees. Recent projects include a garden in Barnes, which is featured in House & Garden next month, and the London garden of interior designer Rita Konig.
JOHN CAMPBELL9/50Chris Beardshaw
Having worked in horticulture for almost 40 years, Chris brings a wealth of experience and an intrinsic understanding of plants and the natural landscape to all of his projects. Working mainly on large country estates, he keeps his practice deliberately small to ensure quality and a personal connection with each client.
10/50Cleve West
As a veganic gardener, Cleve enjoys working with clients who prioritise the preservation and restoration of natural habitats and are happy to ‘allow a bit more wilderness into their lives’. He is busy with a mix of projects around the UK, including a planting design for a garden on the Isle of Man.
Mike Hodgson11/50Colm Joseph Gardens
Describing his company as ‘a modern design studio’, Colm has produced an impressive range of imaginative, stylish gardens in the six years since he established his business. Based near Cambridge, he collaborates regularly with architects and is gaining a reputation for creating naturalistic gardens that work beautifully with contemporary cutting-edge buildings.
12/50Dan Bristow, new entry
Harnessing a wide plant palette to exploit ecological opportunities in his gardens, Dan frequently collaborates with architects on both public and private commissions. He is currently busy designing a dramatic entrance plaza for Theatr Clwyd, near his base in north east Wales, and a landscape featuring predominantly endemic species for private clients in Crete.
13/50Dan Pearson
One of the UK’s most eminent designers, Dan is known for his finely tuned, environmentally sensitive designs, creating gardens that elicit deep emotion and forge a sense of connection to the natural world. Among his current projects are a public garden at Lambeth Green, SE11, a new masterplan for the Beth Chatto Gardens, in Essex, and the landscape for a Maggie’s centre at Bristol Royal Infirmary.
14/50Del Buono Gazerwitz
Founded back in 2000, the partnership of Tommaso del Buono and Paul Gazerwitz has since grown into a flourishing practice in Britain and the southern regions of Europe. Whatever the location, the pair set out to create stylish timeless gardens that elicit an emotional response.
15/50Elks-Smith Garden Design
‘Gardens are for people – the key is making spaces that pull you outside, so that the all-important green stuff can work its magic,’ explains Helen. Operating across London, the Home Counties and the West Country, she creates gardens that are both beautiful and functional.
16/50Emily Erlam
Heading up a small studio, Emily designs beautiful plant-led gardens with a strong sense of location. Current projects include light interventions at Chatsworth House, in the private garden of Laura and William Burlington, and a large landscape scheme for a Suffolk farmhouse.
Sophie Claire Gardens17/50Gavin McWilliam
With a reputation for carefully crafted and imaginative contemporary gardens, Gavin and his team bring a fresh perspective to all their projects, believing that they should be as functional as they are beautiful. He states, ‘We offer a deep understanding of planting and a passion for craftsmanship, and look for ways to make a positive impact on the environment.’
Eva Nemeth18/50George Cullis
Based in London, George specialises in highly appointed, climate-resilient urban gardens, as well as larger country projects. ‘I invest significant time in each one, which allows designs to evolve,’ he says. ‘A detailed approach to scale can greatly impact how comfortable a space feels.’
19/50Harris Bugg Studio
With three studios across the UK, Charlotte Harris, Hugo Bugg and their team produce exceptional gardens that harness the spirit of each site. They connect people with nature through creative use of vernacular materials, local craftspeople and resilient plants from nearby artisan nurseries.
20/50Harry & David Rich, new entry
Brothers David and Harry starred in BBC One’s Garden Rescue for several years, before leaving to focus on their design practice. Their portfolio includes public work at Heckfield Place, as well as private gardens across the country. ‘A unique sense of place is essential to our design ethos,’ says David. ‘With a sensitive approach to setting and a naturalistic style, our gardens create a close connection to nature.’
21/50Harry Holding
One of the industry’s most promising young designers, Harry creates bold, innovative schemes that contrast contemporary form with naturalistic planting: ‘Essential to our gardens is a focus on connecting our clients to the natural world.’ He designed The RHS No Adults Allowed Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show last year. Current projects include a collaboration with Sir Tim Smit to design a sustainable landscape around a new creative tech village in Cornwall, and a 33-acre estate in Jersey.
22/50Isabel and Julian Bannerman
One of Britain’s best-loved design duos, Isabel and Julian are known for rose-filled, romantic gardens that appeal to the senses. ‘We allow nature to creep in, but with wellconsidered structure to tether everything,’ says Isabel. As their clients are often highprofile creatives, the gardens tend to be kept behind closed doors.
23/50James Alexander-Sinclair
Horticultural polymath James is a highly accomplished designer and writer, and vice president of the RHS. Current work includes Horatio’s Garden Scotland, in Glasgow, the development of gardens around an Edwin Lutyens house in Surrey and a regenerative farmland project near Newbury. ‘Gardens should be built on love,’ he declares. ‘Love of the site, love of the process and love of the result.’
24/50Jane Brockbank
Bringing an artist’s eye to her projects, Jane is known for her finely tuned details and planting to suit each site. She is working on two very different private gardens at the moment: one in London, with 20th-century architecture specialists Coppin Dockray; and the other in Yorkshire, with five acres of wetlands and meadows. ‘At the heart of a well-designed garden is its ability to adapt to the inevitable changes, with a structure that remains strong while the more ephemeral elements come and go without obliterating the spirit of the place.’
Britt Willoughby Dyer25/50Jinny Blom
While working on large-scale gardens across the UK and Europe, Jinny has also written award-winning books and developed a range of outdoor paints. Her work is characterised by ‘deep thought, attention to detail and a love of people’, encompassing architectural and interior design as well as landscape and planting design: ‘We offer a vast repertoire of skills and an exceptional list of contacts, giving projects a rare breadth.’
26/50Jo Thompson
Always favouring the ‘gentle intervention’ over the ‘heavy stamp of design’, Jo has a reputation for creating romantic spaces in the UK and as far afield as Belgium and Brazil. In her latest book, The New Romantic Garden: Classic Inspiration, Modern Mood (Rizzoli, £40), she looks at how gardens can each be given a personality and atmosphere of their own.
27/50Juliet Sargeant
A former doctor, this designer has been creating successful gardens since 1997. ‘My design process starts with how the client wants to feel in the space,’ says Juliet. ‘Every decision is informed by the aim of making the garden feel as good as it looks.’ She prides herself on listening to her clients’ requirements carefully and translating their thoughts into reality and, as a result, each garden is highly personal. One of the most exciting projects she is working on is a sustainable chalk garden in the South Downs for a newbuild designed by Sandy Rendel Architects. A well-known lecturer in garden design, Juliet teaches at her own Sussex Garden School. Her book Start with Soil* is published this spring.
28/50Joe Swift
As well as producing classic contemporary gardens with layered planting palettes that celebrate the seasons, Joe can, through his Modular studio, supply the on-site teams to turn paper plans into reality. ‘This means we hit budgets and can get the most out of them for our clients,’ he says.
Andrew Montgomery29/50Luciano Giubbilei
‘A great garden does not need to be overly complicated,’ says Luciano. ‘But it has the ability to evoke an emotional connection.’ He has been working on the walled garden at Raby Castle since 2017 and will maintain an ongoing relationship as his design for this space establishes. Other projects include an estate in Tuscany and a new five-star hotel that is being developed in Naples by Sir Rocco Forte.
30/50Lutyens & Fitzgerald, new entry
After many years of informal partnership as designers, Catherine FitzGerald and Mark Lutyens have joined forces. With a penchant for breathing new life into historical gardens, they create atmospheric, romantic spaces with a touch of wildness to blend them with their setting. ‘We like playing with scale and proportion, and prefer bold, architectural planting schemes that can be maintained well,’ says Catherine.
.jpg)
Mimi Connolly31/50Marcus Barnett
‘We harmonise strong architectural forms with naturalistic planting, and create a borderless interplay between interior and exterior,’ says Marcus of the gardens created by his team. Recent projects include Raffles London at The OWO hotel and several large newbuild country estates.
32/50Marian Boswall
Working on every scale – from historic restoration to urban enrichment and landscape recovery – Marian forges a link from soil to spirit, following regenerative design concepts. She recently completed a joint venture with Champagne Taittinger at Domaine Evremond, in Kent, and a Chelsea townhouse garden.
Joanna Kossak33/50Matthew Childs
Based in Surrey and Devon, Matthew heads up a small studio that makes gardens with a focus on sustainability and usability, guided by the ethos ‘gardens are for people’. At RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024, he created an award-winning design for Terrence Higgins Trust. Recent projects include a Cambridge garden with a Japanese tea house, a London roof terrace and a private members’ club in Puerto Rico.
Marianne Majerus34/50Matt Keightley
With a portfolio including castles and villas, hotels and smart residential projects, Matt and his team at Rosebank produce polished yet comfortable gardens. ‘Bold restraint enables me to create diverse gardens, from minimalist contemporary to naturalistic and characterful.'
Richard Bloom35/50Mathew Wilson
‘I pride myself on my ability to understand and interpret the client’s brief to deliver beautiful gardens,’ says Matthew. ‘Form should follow function, but if a garden does not take your breath away, it’s missed the mark.’ Recent projects include a country-
style London garden and a walled garden in Northumberland.
36/50Mazzullo + Russell
Libby Russell and Emma Mazzullo bring years of experience to their meticulously designed projects, from London gardens to large rural estates. They often collaborate with architects on property renovations, providing sustainable schemes to tie house and garden together. ‘We create landscapes that work for both people and nature,’ says Libby.
37/50Miria Harris
Whether working on a 200-acre historic estate in Oxfordshire or a new garden by the sea in Cornwall, Miria brings a romantic sensibility to her work, producing spaces that offer a sanctuary from modern life. Current projects include a public garden for the William Morris Gallery, E17, and a newbuild in Norway.
38/50Nigel Dunnett
Known for his ecologically driven planting designs, Nigel is involved with many public projects, including the Barbican, EC2, King’s College Hospital, SE5, and the Grey to Green regeneration of inner city Sheffield, and he is increasingly being commissioned to design private gardens. ‘I aim to create extraordinary, immersive and overwhelming experiences through my planting schemes,’ he says. ‘I think of the garden as a living art form, completely tuned to nature.’ At this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, he is designing the Hospitalfield Arts Garden, with an outdoor arts studio set in a resilient sand garden.
39/50Pip Morrison
Specialising in private country house projects, Pip designs unique gardens that spring from the individuality of the place and the clients, with each one completely bespoke: ‘The mark of a well-designed garden is that it should feel completely settled and inevitable in its environment.’ Over the past decade, he has been involved with a major garden restoration project at Auckland Castle in County Durham. The walled garden opened in 2024, while the great garden opens this spring, featuring a central water canal and four plots to be sown with barley and arable wildflowers each year
Sam Hardwick40/50Robert Myers
A chartered landscape architect and garden designer, Robert says, ‘My love of plants and of architecture combine to create layered, calm and highly practical spaces.’ As well as residential gardens in the UK and US, he is working on projects for The Crown Estate and St John’s College, University of Cambridge.
41/50Sam Ovens
Best known for producing large, coastal gardens in the West Country, Sam combines a minimalist approach with a passion for environmentally sustainable design. Among his current projects is the transformation of a 230-acre, intensively farmed Cornish estate. This will involve creating woodland, pasture and wildflower meadows, as well as hedgerow restoration.
42/50Sarah Price Landscapes
Featured in next month’s issue, Sarah’s own experimental, nature-led space in rural Wales is characterised by nuanced planting combinations, delicate colours and gentle movement. Working on public and private gardens, Sarah aims to ‘refine and heighten the beauty and wonder of natural landscapes and plant communities within the managed space of a garden’.
43/50Sheila Jack
A former creative director for glossy magazines, Sheila brings her artistic eye to the gardens she designs in London and beyond. Quietly elegant and often with a deceptively simple layout, they are characterised by curving paths and handsome brickwork softened by naturalistic planting: ‘It’s been a fun, busy year with six or seven London projects and an amazing chance to remodel the gardens and land around a Georgian farmhouse in Wiltshire.’
alister thorpe44/50Stefano Marinaz
With a strong ecological approach, Stefano specialises in sleek, contemporary gardens that incorporate natural materials and enhance biodiversity. Based in London, his multinational team will take on projects in the UK and further afield. As he observes, ‘Wherever it is, we believe the essence of a truly exceptional garden lies in its ability to forge a deep connection between people and the natural world.’
45/50Todd Longstaffe-Gowan
Landscape architect and historian Todd is known for his many contributions to sites of outstanding national and international interest. Though most of his projects involve elements of conservation, such as Mulgrave Castle in North Yorkshire and Kensington Palace, W8, he is also working on a private villa in the Bahamas.
46/50Thomas Hoblyn
A fellow of the Society of Garden Designers, Tom brings his impressive horticultural expertise to all his gardens. He carefully selects climate-resilient plants to harmonise with the landscape – often growing them himself. His show garden for Hospice UK at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show will be a series of sensory spaces with sustainable Mediterranean planting.
Wax London47/50Tom Massey
Quite the designer of the moment, Tom has four RHS Chelsea Flower Show gardens under his belt with a fifth this year – the high profile (and controversial) Avanade ‘Intelligent’ Garden, which explores how AI can benefit the horticultural world. His many projects on the go, public and private, are bespoke, enduring and ecologically focused. ‘Each garden should be beautiful but also purposeful,’ he says. ‘The studio’s unique balance of sustainable practice, ecological integrity and bold, daring visual appeal is a differentiator.’ Following on from his first book RHS Resilient Garden, Tom is working on a new title, RHS Waterwise Garden.
Andrea Jones48/50Tom Stuart-Smith
Known for designing gardens that combine naturalism and modernity with romantic planting, Tom has worked on gardens, parks and landscapes across the world. Current projects include new public gardens at Tate Britain, SW1, and at the National Centre for Music in Edinburgh, and a private garden in Ibiza.
49/50Ula Maria
‘When designing, I look at the environment the client feels most connected to, then find ways of subtly expressing it,’ says Ula, whose RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden last year won Best in Show. Her seemingly effortless gardens – mostly in the London area – belie a complex design process.
50/50Urquhart & Hunt
The design partnership of Lulu Urquhart and Adam Hunt specialises in contemporary restoration of older gardens and their wider landscapes. They are currently working on an Irish coastal garden, projects for historic homes across Britain and a courtyard garden collaboration with Piet Oudolf at Hauser & Wirth Somerset.
