PLANTING DESIGN

Bespoke border design services

Creating planting designs that are individually tailored to you and your outdoor space in both residential and community settings

ABOUT ANA

Qualified with the RHS, I bring 18 years of hands-on experience cultivating not only my own gardens but also creating planting plans for family, friends and more recently commissioned projects. I'm passionate about gardening and horticulture and making it more accessible for all. I promote gardening for wellbeing, mental health and believe in the philosophy that nature nurtures.
I approach every project with care and meticulous detail. I believe in building lasting relationships with my clients by understanding their unique needs and personal style. This allows me to bring their visions to life. I am committed to creating spaces that reflect my clients tastes while promoting biodiversity.

HORTICULTURE QUALIFICATIONS & CPD

I am qualified with the RHS and have attended numerous London College of Garden Design workshops. I have a CIMA certificate in Wellbeing in Horticulture and I recently completed a Level 3 Diploma in Botany.

PLANTING DESIGN SERVICES

Border Design

Bespoke border design service, whether you are stuck for ideas on how to improve your existing borders or you new to gardening and unsure of what plants would work where?

I can put together for you different planting ideas and options tailored to your conditions and aspect, as well as ensuring there is seasonal colour and interest.

Included in the border design service:

A pre questionnaire for you to fill in ahead of our call
A 30 minute virtual call
A detailed summary email of our discussion
A full list of recommended plants, quantities of each plant and planting instructions

Virtual Session £100

Planting service available on request for an additional fee.

In-person consultations also available on request as well as follow-up site visits.

Bitesize Consultation

A new bitesize service for planting and garden advice.

This service provides guidance, practical planting tips, and personalised advice to help you make confident improvements to your garden. It also includes bespoke “what to do now” email, tailored to your space and the season.

My hope is that this service helps make gardening and horticulture more accessible to all

Included in the consultation:

A pre questionnaire email for you to fill in
A detailed summary email of everything discussed and suggested design/layout changes
A list of recommended plants and quantities of each plant

Consultation Session Introductory offer £45

Planting service available on request for an additional fee.

PROJECTS

I offer planting designs for a range of different settings, in both residential and community spaces. Here are a few of the completed planting plans I've designed recently.

Residential Garden

This south-facing border runs the length of the garden. Although it had some established plants, it was missing a cohesive design. I created a planting plan with a blend of perennials and annuals for a homeowner who loves to garden and wanted something more hands-on, rather than low maintenance.

Memorial Community Garden

It was a privilege to design and plant two large raised planters in a memorial garden for The Evelyn Rae Foundation, a babyloss charity (@theevelynraefoundation). The planters needed to be low maintenance and drought-tolerant, so I chose a combination of tough perennials, self-seeders, and spring bulbs to provide enduring interest with little upkeep.

Residential Front Garden

This expansive front garden border required a design that was both low maintenance and drought-tolerant. With a large, established blossom tree as a focal point, we opted for a mix of resilient perennials and grasses to ensure year-round interest.

Container Garden

This project focused on creating a low-maintenance container display for a partially-sighted client. The design emphasised the use of vibrant colours, scented plants, and easy navigation around the existing familiar pots. I combined reliable perennials with bright annuals to create a welcoming and accessible display.

SEASONAL JOBS

What to do now

SPRING JOBS

Now is the the time to be sowing your summer annuals, things like Cosmos & Dahlias will then be ready to be planted out once the risk of frost has passed.
Water your tulips. Don’t let them get too dry as you wont have lovely long stems come flowering time.
Mulch! Now is a great time to mulch to suppress weeds & lock in moisture.
You still have time to lift and divide or move any existing perennial plants.
Ensure you stake emerging perennials before they get too big and need support.
Tie in climbing plants that are putting on a lot of growth at this time of year such as sweet peas, climbing roses and honeysuckle.
Cut off the browning leaves on alliums to tidy them up whilst the flower is still in bloom.
Give your lawn some love by following the Spring lawn care below.

SPRING LAWN CARE

Whether you prefer a manicured lawn or like me, one with lots of wildflowers in, now is the time to start paying your patch of green some attention.

Once the temperature is mild enough and the grass starts showings signs of new growth, it’s time for the first cut of the season. Ensure you raise the blades higher than the usual cutting height to prevent damage.
When the lawn is not wet you can scarify by using a spring-tined rake to remove old thatch or moss.
Aerate the lawn, good for poorly drained lawns an. This improves the circulation among the grass roots, helping the lawn to withstand periods of drought or water logging. Simply spike the lawn with a garden fork, space each set of holes 10–15cm apart or you can use an aerating roller.
Spring is the ideal time to tidy up the edges of your lawn. Use a half-moon edging tool to cut round your edges. This helps to prevent grass creeping into your borders.
You can then re-seed any bare patches at the end of this month, but delay if the weather is cold as the seeds won’t germinate.

HYDRANGEA PRUNING

Hydrangea macrophylla - Simply cut off faded flower heads down to the next set of emerging leaves. You don’t want to cut any lower as these hydrangeas flower on the previous year’s wood.
Remove any dead or damaged stems and if needed you can cut out a couple of the older stems down to the base to encourage new growth.

Hydrangea paniculata and Hydrangea arborescens are treated a little differently. These are your Annabelle’s and Limelights etc. These flower more prolifically when pruned back annually to a framework of branches.
To produce larger flowerheads on strong, upright branches, hard prune to the lowest pair of healthy buds, creating a low framework of branches or you can prune less hard for a natural look, with more but smaller flowerheads or if you want a taller plant.

GREEN THERAPY

What is it?

GARDENING FOR WELLBEING

Gardening for wellbeing refers to the practice of engaging in gardening activities to promote physical, mental and emotional health.

I am a qualified complementary therapist and reflexologist so the bringing together of my love of gardening and my holistic therapies feels very natural and just another form of therapy - green therapy.

Gardening for wellbeing can be practiced by anyone, regardless of age, capabilities, gardening experience or size of outdoor space.

Both holistic and green therapies improve your physical and mental wellbeing in a wide range of ways, some of which are listed below:

Stress reduction - gardening lowers cortisol (a stress hormone) and encourages relaxation.
Mindfulness - focusing on tasks like planting or pruning fosters a sense of presence and mindfulness.
Mood Boost - increasing feelings of happiness and contentment by increasing serotonin levels.
Improved sleep quality.
Physical wellbeing - with gardening activities, improved vitamin D levels from being outdoors and nutritional awareness from growing your own fruits and vegetables.
Sense of purpose - watching plants grow and thrive gives a sense of accomplishment.
Mental stimulation and memory support - planning a garden and learning about plants all keep the brain active
Ecotherapy - the act of connecting with the earth and the natural cycles and seasons can bring feelings of grounding and balance.
Environmental awareness - gardening fosters a greater appreciation for the natural world and sustainable practices.

INSTAGRAM

@olivetreegarden @anagardendesign

PRESS & SOCIAL MEDIA

Instagram

I have two accounts on instagram which follow my home garden journey and garden design that I keep regularly updated.

@ana_gardendesign

@olivetreegarden

Magazine coverage

March 2021 I had a double-page feature in Modern Garden magazine which covered my home garden.

January 2024 I was mentioned in The RHS The Garden magazine and won a prize in Garden News magazine.

I used Ana's garden designs to revamp my garden after moving. Her natural flair and passion, combined with her expertise and knowledge has created a beautiful little oasis that I couldn't be more thankful for. From planning, planting and advice, Ana has made it easy and affordable. I would highly recommend her services to anyone.

Victoria

Ana has transformed our garden with her planter designs. She understood and interpreted our brief perfectly! It was easy to order plants and plant the beds following her design instructions, and everything has matured beautifully. We would definitely recommend her.

Vanessa

Ana really helped me visualise what my garden border could become and gave me the all the necessary information for me to make the design a reality. Ana took into consideration all my garden likes and dislikes and gave me a border design totally unique to me. I love it!

Andrew

GIFT VOUCHERS

If you’re stuck what to get someone for a birthday, a special event, or even a moving in present to a new home then why not give them a gift of a garden!
I offer a bespoke border design service, whether it’s ideas on how to improve your existing borders or you’re new to gardening and unsure of what plants would work where. I can create planting designs that are individually tailored to you and your outdoor space.

The vouchers can either be sent electronically or a card version in the post.