Garden Design & Landscaping across London and the South East
Wild Butterfly Gardening brings thoughtful, sustainable garden design to London and across the South East. From compact courtyards in Hackney to family gardens in Kent, from Victorian terraces in South London to country plots in Sussex and Surrey. We design outdoor spaces that work harder, look beautiful, and support the wildlife that cities and suburbs desperately need.
A garden in London or the South East faces challenges you won't find elsewhere — limited space, overlooking neighbours, shade from buildings, tired soil that's been gardened for a century. But these constraints are also opportunities. The most memorable gardens we've designed have been the ones where we've had to think hardest.
Bespoke Garden Design
Every project starts with understanding how you actually want to use your outdoor space. We visit, we listen, then we design — delivering full plans including 3D visuals so you can see exactly what you're getting before any ground is broken.
Small Garden & Courtyard Specialists
London gardens average just 140 square metres. We've designed dozens of gardens smaller than that and know how to make limited space feel generous — through clever level changes, considered planting, and designs that draw the eye rather than reveal everything at once.
Victorian & Period Garden Renovation
The classic London terrace garden — long, narrow, north-facing at one end — is a design puzzle we've solved many times. We work with the proportions rather than against them, creating rhythm and destination within even the most challenging plots.
Landscaping & Build Management
We work with trusted contractors across London and the South East to take designs from paper to reality. Paving, decking, lighting, irrigation, planting — managed to budget and timeline.
Ongoing Maintenance
Gardens don't stand still. Our maintenance service keeps your garden developing as intended, with regular care or seasonal visits depending on what suits you.
From city to country — we design gardens across London, Kent, Surrey, and Sussex
Explore Some of Our Favourite Garden Design Projects
Read some kind words from our clients
Garden Design Packages
Consultation
A focused session where we visit your garden, discuss your ideas, and provide expert advice on how to approach problem areas, improve what you have, or plan for a larger project. You'll leave with clear direction and practical next steps
Ideal if you want professional input but prefer to manage the work yourself.
Border Renovation
Focused on planting, this package transforms tired borders into biodiverse, year-round schemes.
We handle the design, plant sourcing, and installation, leaving you with beds that will improve year on year as they establish.
Full Garden Design
Our comprehensive design service covering everything from layout and hard landscaping to detailed planting plans.
You receive full documentation to brief contractors yourself, or we can recommend trusted landscapers and manage the build.
Design and Build
The complete service from first meeting to finished garden. We handle everything, working with our trusted contractors to deliver your garden to an agreed specification and timeline.
Typical budgets for London gardens start around £20,000 for smaller courtyard projects, with larger or more complex gardens requiring proportionally more investment.
Making Limited Space Work Harder
Most garden design portfolios showcase large country gardens. Ours features a different kind of challenge — the 4-metre-wide Hackney courtyard, the overlooked Clapham terrace, the shaded Stoke Newington plot where nothing seemed to grow.
We've learned that small gardens demand more design thinking, not less. Every element has to earn its place. A poorly chosen tree will dominate within three years; the wrong paving will make a small space feel cramped rather than cosy. We sweat these details because in a compact garden, there's nowhere for mistakes to hide.
We Know What Grows Here
London clay is notorious — waterlogged in winter, cracked and hard in summer. But it's not the only soil type in the South East. Surrey has sandy heathland; Kent has chalk; Essex varies from heavy clay to free-draining gravel.
We design planting schemes for your actual soil, not theoretical conditions. That means fewer losses, faster establishment, and plants that thrive rather than merely survive. When we specify a plant, we know it will work — because we've grown it in similar conditions ourselves or seen it succeed in gardens nearby.
Designing Out the Neighbours
Overlooking is the number one complaint we hear from London garden owners. You've got outdoor space, but you feel watched. The instinct is to plant a row of tall conifers, but that creates more problems — dense shade, monotony, neighbours annoyed by roots.
Better solutions exist. We use layered planting, semi-transparent screens, and strategic positioning to create privacy without boxing you in. The goal is a garden that feels enclosed and intimate while still getting light and air.
Urban Ecology Matters More Than Ever
London is one of the greenest capitals in the world, but that green is fragmented — a patchwork of parks, gardens, railway embankments and forgotten corners. Private gardens make up nearly a quarter of London's green space. What you do with yours matters.
We design every garden with wildlife in mind. Pollinator-friendly planting, habitat piles, bird-friendly shrubs, routes for hedgehogs — these aren't add-ons, they're woven into the design from the start. A biodiverse garden isn't just ethical; it's more interesting to spend time in.
Local Contractors, Reliable Results
We've built relationships with landscapers, nurseries and suppliers across London and the South East over years of working together. That network means better material sourcing, realistic timelines, and contractors who understand what we're trying to achieve.
For clients who want us to manage the build, we oversee every stage — not just checking in occasionally, but actively present to ensure the design intent carries through to the finished garden.
A Stylish and Scalable Team
Based in Hackney, East London, we work across the capital and throughout the South East. Our projects range from roof terraces in the City to country gardens in the Kent Weald — the approach adapts, but the attention to detail stays constant.
- Central & Inner London — Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Camden, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Lambeth
- North London — Haringey, Barnet, Enfield, Waltham Forest, Hampstead, Highgate, Muswell Hill, Crouch End
- South London — Lewisham, Greenwich, Bromley, Croydon, Wandsworth, Dulwich, Peckham, Forest Hill
- East London — Hackney, Walthamstow, Stratford, Leytonstone, Bow, Bethnal Green, Victoria Park
- West London — Hammersmith, Fulham, Chiswick, Ealing, Richmond, Kew, Barnes
- Surrey — Guildford, Woking, Reigate, Dorking, Esher, Cobham, Richmond, Kingston
- Kent — Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Canterbury, Maidstone, Dartford, Bromley borders
- Sussex — Brighton, Hove, Lewes, Haywards Heath, Horsham, Chichester, Worthing
We also consider projects beyond these areas where travel is reasonable — just ask.
We established our London studio in Hackney to be close to where most of our clients live and work. While our Somerset base serves the South West, London remains home — and the city's gardens remain our core focus.We established our Somerset base to better serve clients across the South West. While our London studio handles projects across the capital and South East, our presence near Glastonbury means we can offer the same high-quality design service to Somerset, with the local knowledge that makes a real difference.
Why Work With a London Garden Designer?
Choosing a designer who knows London and the South East makes a practical difference to the success of your garden. Local knowledge shapes every decision, from plant selection to contractor recommendations.
Understanding urban microclimates
London is a heat island — typically 2-3°C warmer than surrounding countryside, sometimes much more. A south-facing courtyard surrounded by brick walls can hit temperatures that would stress many plants. A north-facing basement garden might barely see direct sun. We design for your specific conditions, not generic assumptions.
Navigating planning and access
Many London projects involve restricted access, party wall considerations, or conservation area constraints. We've managed gardens where every bag of soil had to be carried through the house, and we know when you'll need planning permission for a garden structure (and when you won't).
Supplier relationships that count
We work with nurseries and suppliers who can deliver to London addresses, hold plant orders until sites are ready, and source unusual specimens when the design calls for them. For hard landscaping, we know which stone yards offer quality material and which contractors can work efficiently in tight urban spaces.
Maintenance support on your doorstep
We can visit your garden as it develops, adjusting the planting plan if needed, advising on pruning, or simply checking that everything is establishing as expected. That ongoing relationship is easier when we're based locally.
Every garden we design starts with the same question: how do you want to feel when you step outside?
Some clients want a space where children can play safely while the garden still looks beautiful to adult eyes. Others want a productive kitchen garden, a quiet corner to escape to after work, or somewhere to host summer dinners. Many want all of these things in a space smaller than a typical living room.
Our job is to find the design that delivers without compromise — and to be honest when trade-offs are necessary. We'd rather tell you upfront that a mature olive tree won't fit than watch it struggle for years in a space too small.
We're led by Sarah Ferguson, who trained with the Royal Horticultural Society after a career in the fashion industry. That background shows in our work — we think carefully about colour, texture, proportion, and how a garden changes through the seasons. But we're equally focused on ecology. Every garden we design aims to support wildlife, not as an afterthought, but as a fundamental part of what makes a garden work.
Sustainability runs through everything we do. We favour permeable surfaces over excessive hard landscaping, specify drought-tolerant plants where appropriate, and design gardens that won't need constant intervention to look their best. A well-designed garden should become easier to maintain as it matures, not harder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Choosing a garden designer who knows Somerset makes a practical difference to the success of your garden. Local knowledge shapes every decision, from plant selection to material choices.
How much does garden design cost in Somerset?
Our consultation service starts at £400 for a half-day session. Border renovation projects begin at £1,100, while full garden design packages start from £3,000. For complete design and build projects, budgets typically start around £17,500 for smaller gardens, with larger or more complex projects requiring proportionally more investment. We're always happy to discuss your budget openly and suggest approaches that deliver the best value.
Do you cover my area?
We work across Somerset from our base near Glastonbury, including Wells, Frome, Taunton, Bath, Bridgwater, and surrounding villages. We also take projects in neighbouring counties where travel is practical. If you're unsure whether we cover your location, just ask—we'll give you a straight answer.
Can you work with my existing garden features?
Absolutely. Not every garden needs a complete redesign. We're experienced at working with established trees, existing structures, and features you want to keep. Often the best approach is to enhance what's already working while addressing the areas that aren't.
How long does a garden project take?
Timescales vary depending on the scope of work. A consultation can happen within a few weeks of enquiry. Design projects typically take 6-12 weeks from briefing to final plans. Build phases depend on the scale of work and contractor availability, but we'll give you realistic timelines during the design process.
Do you only design sustainable gardens?
Sustainability is central to our approach, but that doesn't mean every garden has to be a wildflower meadow. We design contemporary spaces, formal gardens, family gardens, and everything in between. What unites our work is thoughtful plant selection, responsible material choices, and designs that support rather than fight against natural processes.