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Landscape
& Garden Design

About

Great gardens should be both beautiful and functional and we have the creative flair and expertise, coupled with extensive horticultural knowledge to ensure your space will work for you. We provide a comprehensive garden design service and can manage your project from the initial design stages right through to completion. We are also experienced at working as part of a multi-disciplinary team and we have a network of industry experts, such as lighting designers, water specialists and engineers, that we can call on as the project requires. We are the recipients of multiple garden design awards from the leading garden design authority in the UK, The Society of Garden and Landscape Designers. Winner Small Residential Garden 2017, Winner Medium Residential Garden 2019, Winner Large Residential Garden 2020.

From our multi-award winning garden design studio based in the New Forest in Hampshire, we design gardens for private clients across the South Coast, the Home Counties and London. We also work with architects and property developers designing residential, public and commercial projects.

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elkssmith

1,208 30,932

Award-winning practice led by Helen Elks-Smith, creating beautiful gardens. Speaker, writer & SGLD Fellow. ‘Your Garden Made Perfect’ designer.

Sometimes good garden design is less about starting again, and more about seeing the potential in what’s already there.

When we first visited this garden, the pond was already in place. The challenge was to make it feel more connected to the house and the wider garden.

The original deck was too dominant, overwhelming the water and blocking views from inside. We reduced its size, reshaped the upper pond and introduced new viewpoints so the water could be experienced from different parts of the garden.

Here, the pond sits beautifully within the planting, with grasses, perennials and pops of orange softening the edges and creating a sense of movement around the still water. Simplifying the materials and reworking the planting brought the whole composition together.

#GardenDesign #LandscapeDesign #WaterGarden #PondDesign #PlantingDesign #GardenDesigner #GardenTransformation

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Open post by elkssmith with ID 17983180443113786
Sometimes good garden design is less about starting again, and more about seeing the potential in what’s already there. When we first visited this garden, the pond was already in place. The challenge was to make it feel more connected to the house and the wider garden. The original deck was too dominant, overwhelming the water and blocking views from inside. We reduced its size, reshaped the upper pond and introduced new viewpoints so the water could be experienced from different parts of the garden. Here, the pond sits beautifully within the planting, with grasses, perennials and pops of orange softening the edges and creating a sense of movement around the still water. Simplifying the materials and reworking the planting brought the whole composition together. #GardenDesign #LandscapeDesign #WaterGarden #PondDesign #PlantingDesign #GardenDesigner #GardenTransformation

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The key to a successful colour scheme is thinking beyond a single moment in time. Repeating colour and tone across the seasons creates a garden that feels connected and considered throughout the year.

In this garden, Cercis canadensis works beautifully because its shape echoes the trees in the wider landscape beyond, while its purple tones are repeated elsewhere in the garden, creating cohesion.  Later in the year, its beautiful foliage then colours spectacularly before connecting with late-flowering perennials such as Aster ‘Helen Picton’.

Thinking about how different colours work together is also important.  Here, whites and yellows bring vibrancy to the purples but change those to reds and blues and the whole mood shifts - depending on the tone, the result could be bold and dramatic or dusky and moody.

It’s not just about which colours you choose, but how they work together - and how that relationship evolves through the seasons.

#GardenDesign #GardenDesigner #PlantingDesign #GardenColour #PlantingDesign #CercisCanadensis #PerennialPlanting

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Open post by elkssmith with ID 18103770551173277
The key to a successful colour scheme is thinking beyond a single moment in time. Repeating colour and tone across the seasons creates a garden that feels connected and considered throughout the year. In this garden, Cercis canadensis works beautifully because its shape echoes the trees in the wider landscape beyond, while its purple tones are repeated elsewhere in the garden, creating cohesion.  Later in the year, its beautiful foliage then colours spectacularly before connecting with late-flowering perennials such as Aster ‘Helen Picton’. Thinking about how different colours work together is also important.  Here, whites and yellows bring vibrancy to the purples but change those to reds and blues and the whole mood shifts - depending on the tone, the result could be bold and dramatic or dusky and moody. It’s not just about which colours you choose, but how they work together - and how that relationship evolves through the seasons. #GardenDesign #GardenDesigner #PlantingDesign #GardenColour #PlantingDesign #CercisCanadensis #PerennialPlanting

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I’m delighted to be speaking at Grand Designs Live at the NEC Birmingham this October.

My talk, ‘An Uphill Battle’, is all about turning one of the trickiest garden challenges - steep slopes and awkward levels - into an opportunity.

I’ll be sharing ideas for creating beautiful, sequential and genuinely usable spaces, using everything from retaining walls and graded banks to steps, raised beds and terraces.

Done well, a challenging slope can actually increase the usable space in a garden and create a much more interesting journey through it.

I’d love to see you there!

Saturday 3 October
Grand Designs Live
NEC Birmingham
My talk starts at 1.45pm

@granddesignslivebirminghamexpo @granddesignstv

#GrandDesignsLive #GardenDesign #LandscapeDesign #GardenDesigner #GardenInspiration #slopinggarden #designtalks

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Open post by elkssmith with ID 18268403119305623
I’m delighted to be speaking at Grand Designs Live at the NEC Birmingham this October. My talk, ‘An Uphill Battle’, is all about turning one of the trickiest garden challenges - steep slopes and awkward levels - into an opportunity. I’ll be sharing ideas for creating beautiful, sequential and genuinely usable spaces, using everything from retaining walls and graded banks to steps, raised beds and terraces. Done well, a challenging slope can actually increase the usable space in a garden and create a much more interesting journey through it. I’d love to see you there! Saturday 3 October Grand Designs Live NEC Birmingham My talk starts at 1.45pm @granddesignslivebirminghamexpo @granddesignstv #GrandDesignsLive #GardenDesign #LandscapeDesign #GardenDesigner #GardenInspiration #slopinggarden #designtalks

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Not every water feature needs to be a grand affair.

In this New Forest garden we designed a run of gabion wall to secure the slope within the garden while quietly moonlighting as a water feature.

Its narrow letterbox chute lets a twinkling stream of water run into the fishpond below, no fanfare required.

We thought it was just the right style and scale for its position within the garden.

Photo: @richardbloomphoto

#waterfeature #water #Gardendesign #designideas #newforest

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Open post by elkssmith with ID 18101579189614160
Not every water feature needs to be a grand affair. In this New Forest garden we designed a run of gabion wall to secure the slope within the garden while quietly moonlighting as a water feature. Its narrow letterbox chute lets a twinkling stream of water run into the fishpond below, no fanfare required. We thought it was just the right style and scale for its position within the garden. Photo: @richardbloomphoto #waterfeature #water #Gardendesign #designideas #newforest

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Right plant, right place. And that means plants that will establish and thrive. Thriving once established without watering. And this last bit is key. If you have to water once the plant is established to keep alive it’s not the right plant.

Beth Chatto was championing this principle decades ago, and it’s just as relevant today.

What has changed is the conditions we are planting into.

We are experiencing higher temperatures and increasingly different patterns of rainfall - often wetter winters and drier summers. But that doesn`t mean every garden is suddenly becoming Mediterranean, or that every soil will behave in the same way.

Soil still matters. Microclimate still matters. Observation still matters.

The UK has always had enormous variation in climate, rainfall, soil and temperature. My son lives in Scotland and I live in the New Forest on the south coast, and there can routinely be a 10°C difference between us. The same soil can therefore support very different plants depending on where it is and the conditions it experiences.

I’ve seen people suggesting that Japanese anemones are now a definite ‘no’ in our changing climate. Yet in the cool, part-shaded areas of my sandy clay soil, mine are thriving after 12 weeks without rain.

That doesn`t mean Japanese anemones will thrive everywhere. It means one size has never fitted all - and it still doesn`t.

Climate change is affecting our soils through changes in moisture and temperature, and over time those conditions may alter the soil itself and in turn impact what will thrive. But for now, we need to look carefully at what is actually happening in our individual gardens.

Some planting may need to be edited out where they that are no longer thriving and find better replacements. In others, changing conditions may open up an entirely new plant palette.

The answer isn`t a universal list of plants that we can all grow - or can`t grow.

It`s to understand your soil, observe your microclimate and continue to put the right plant in the right place.

#RightPlantRightPlace #GardenDesign #ClimateResilientGardening #GardeningInAChangingClimate #GardenAdvice #PlantingDesign #GardenDesigner

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Open post by elkssmith with ID 17952124935222527
Right plant, right place. And that means plants that will establish and thrive. Thriving once established without watering. And this last bit is key. If you have to water once the plant is established to keep alive it’s not the right plant. Beth Chatto was championing this principle decades ago, and it’s just as relevant today. What has changed is the conditions we are planting into. We are experiencing higher temperatures and increasingly different patterns of rainfall - often wetter winters and drier summers. But that doesn't mean every garden is suddenly becoming Mediterranean, or that every soil will behave in the same way. Soil still matters. Microclimate still matters. Observation still matters. The UK has always had enormous variation in climate, rainfall, soil and temperature. My son lives in Scotland and I live in the New Forest on the south coast, and there can routinely be a 10°C difference between us. The same soil can therefore support very different plants depending on where it is and the conditions it experiences. I’ve seen people suggesting that Japanese anemones are now a definite ‘no’ in our changing climate. Yet in the cool, part-shaded areas of my sandy clay soil, mine are thriving after 12 weeks without rain. That doesn't mean Japanese anemones will thrive everywhere. It means one size has never fitted all - and it still doesn't. Climate change is affecting our soils through changes in moisture and temperature, and over time those conditions may alter the soil itself and in turn impact what will thrive. But for now, we need to look carefully at what is actually happening in our individual gardens. Some planting may need to be edited out where they that are no longer thriving and find better replacements. In others, changing conditions may open up an entirely new plant palette. The answer isn't a universal list of plants that we can all grow - or can't grow. It's to understand your soil, observe your microclimate and continue to put the right plant in the right place. #RightPlantRightPlace #GardenDesign #ClimateResilientGardening #GardeningInAChangingClimate #GardenAdvice #PlantingDesign #GardenDesigner

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This is Rosa ‘Scarborough Fair’, flourishing beautifully in our large country garden project in the New Forest, despite the heat!

Its soft, romantic blooms, have an elegant, delicate appearance, but don`t be fooled. It`s a tough, healthy shrub rose that flowers generously from summer right through to autumn.

Inspired by the English folk song made famous by Simon & Garfunkel, its a timeless garden favourite.

#ScarboroughFairRose #EnglishRoses #PinkRoses #GardenInspiration #RoseGarden #SummerBlooms #AutumnGarden

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Open post by elkssmith with ID 18423512020195885
This is Rosa ‘Scarborough Fair’, flourishing beautifully in our large country garden project in the New Forest, despite the heat! Its soft, romantic blooms, have an elegant, delicate appearance, but don't be fooled. It's a tough, healthy shrub rose that flowers generously from summer right through to autumn. Inspired by the English folk song made famous by Simon & Garfunkel, its a timeless garden favourite. #ScarboroughFairRose #EnglishRoses #PinkRoses #GardenInspiration #RoseGarden #SummerBlooms #AutumnGarden

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