Garden & Landscape Designer Hackney – Creative Gardens for East London's Urban Homes
We're a Hackney-based garden design studio, and we love transforming East London gardens into beautiful green spaces. From our base in Hackney, we work with homeowners across the borough to create gardens that bring nature into city living. Whether you have a Victorian terrace with a long narrow plot, a modern courtyard, or a balcony crying out for some greenery, we'd love to help.
Your Local Hackney Garden Designers
We know East London gardens inside out. We understand the challenges of urban gardening: shady north-facing plots, sun-baked south-facing courtyards, heavy London clay, and the microclimates created by surrounding buildings. This local knowledge shapes every design we create.
Hackney is home to a creative, environmentally-conscious community that values green spaces. Our garden design philosophy fits right in. We create outdoor spaces that support urban wildlife, make the most of limited space, and bring year-round beauty to city living.
What We Offer
From our Hackney studio, we provide the full range of garden design services:
Bespoke Garden Design - Full design service from initial consultation through to detailed planting plans and 3D visuals. We will work with you to understand how you want to use your space and create a design that fits your lifestyle.
Landscaping - Expert construction using quality materials, sustainable timber, and clever space-saving solutions. Our trusted contractors know how to work in tight London spaces.
Planting Design - Wildlife-friendly schemes suited to urban conditions, designed for year-round interest with minimal fuss. We choose plants that actually thrive in city gardens.
Garden Maintenance - Regular and seasonal care to keep your garden looking its best throughout the year.
Urban Garden Specialists
Every garden we design is created for real urban living. We specialise in:
- Small space solutions - Making the most of compact London plots through clever design
- Vertical gardening - Living walls, climbing plants, and green screens that add greenery without eating into floor space
- Low-maintenance designs - Gardens that look brilliant without demanding every weekend
- Wildlife-friendly planting - Supporting pollinators and birds right here in the city
- Outdoor living spaces - Dining areas, seating nooks, and zones for entertaining friends
Why Work With a Local Designer?
Being based in Hackney means we can offer something the big design firms cannot:
- Genuine local knowledge - We know Hackney's Victorian terraces, warehouse conversions, and new-builds
- Trusted contractors - Years of working locally means we have built relationships with reliable East London landscapers
- Easy site visits - No long journeys or complicated scheduling
- Community investment - We live here too and genuinely care about greening our neighbourhood
Areas We Cover from Hackney
From our Hackney base, we work across East London:
- Central Hackney - Mare Street, London Fields, Broadway Market, Victoria Park
- Dalston and Stoke Newington - Dalston Lane, Church Street, Clissold Park area
- Clapton and Homerton - Upper and Lower Clapton, Homerton High Street
- Nearby areas - Shoreditch, Bethnal Green, Bow, Mile End, Walthamstow
Recent Projects Near You
Have a look at some of our local work:
- Gravel Garden, Hackney - A low-maintenance modern garden with textural planting
- Family Garden, Stoke Newington - A stylish space designed for family life
- Courtyard Garden, Bow - A compact courtyard transformed into a green retreat
Ready to Transform Your Garden?
We would love to hear about your project. Whether you are starting from scratch or want to breathe new life into a tired space, get in touch for a chat about what is possible.
Courtyard Gardens
A well-designed courtyard garden transforms even the most compact outdoor space into a stylish and tranquil retreat. Whether you have a small urban courtyard, a Victorian terrace courtyard, or a modern enclosed garden, the right courtyard garden design enhances privacy, maximizes space, and brings greenery into your home.
Front Gardens
Your front garden is the first impression your home makes, setting the tone for its overall aesthetic and ambiance. At Wild Butterfly Gardening, we specialize in crafting front garden designs that seamlessly blend beauty, functionality, and practicality. Whether you're looking to create a timeless and elegant entryway, a charming cottage-style retreat, or a sleek modern frontage, our expert team will bring your vision to life.
Sustainable Gardens
A well-designed sustainable garden transforms an outdoor space into a thriving, eco-friendly sanctuary—whether it’s a contemporary urban retreat, a classic English garden, or a biodiverse wildlife haven. Our bespoke garden design services prioritise sustainability, using drought-resistant planting, permeable materials, and wildlife-friendly features to create beautiful yet low-maintenance gardens across London, Bath, Bristol, Sussex, Cornwall, Kent, and Surrey.
Urban Spaces
A well-planned city garden design can turn even the smallest urban space into a beautiful and functional green retreat. Whether you have a small terrace garden, a Victorian terrace front garden, a balcony garden, or a small courtyard garden, the right design can maximize space, enhance privacy, and bring nature into city living. At Wild Butterfly Gardening, we specialize in creating stylish and practical urban gardens that suit your lifestyle and surroundings.
Harness the Potential of Your Outdoor Space with Our Gardening Services
Garden Design
From initial consultation and site survey to detailed 3D concepts and planting plans, our design process is thorough and collaborative, ensuring your vision becomes a reality.
Consultancy
We can help with troublesome areas, best locations for patios or pergolas as well as ideas for planting schemes with our consultancy service
Landscaping
Our team works with trusted contractors or your preferred choice to deliver exceptional results, including add-ons such as lighting, irrigation, and garden furniture.
Planting
Our expertise extends to designing and implementing planting schemes for full gardens, raised beds, window boxes, edible garden schemes, and troublesome areas, as well as lawn installation and maintenance.
Maintenance
Choose from regular, seasonal, or one-off MOTs to keep your garden in optimal condition throughout the year.
FAQs
Do you cover Hackney and East London for garden design?
Yes — we're based in Hackney and East London is our home territory. We've completed full garden transformations across Hackney, Walthamstow, Stoke Newington, Bow, Bethnal Green, Stratford, and throughout the East London boroughs. Being local means we understand the specific challenges of East London gardens — the Victorian terrace proportions, the soil conditions, the access restrictions. Our RHS-qualified designer Sarah Ferguson brings deep knowledge of what works in compact urban spaces.
How much does garden design cost in London?
Our garden consultation service starts at £400 for a half-day session with our RHS-qualified designer. Border renovation projects begin at £1,100, while full garden design packages start from £3,000. For complete design and build projects in London, budgets typically start around £20,000 for smaller courtyard gardens, with larger plots requiring proportionally more. London costs tend to run higher than elsewhere due to access challenges, skip permits, and contractor rates — we're always upfront about this during initial conversations. Approximately 88% of your investment goes toward labour, materials and plants, with around 12% allocated to design.
How long does a full garden transformation take in London?
Timescales vary depending on scope. A garden consultation can happen within a few weeks of enquiry. Design projects typically take 6-12 weeks from briefing to final plans, including 3D visualisations and detailed planting schemes. Build phases depend on scale, access, and contractor availability — a small courtyard might take 2-3 weeks to construct, while a larger full garden transformation could run to 8-12 weeks. Spring and autumn are our busiest seasons, so if you're hoping for completion before summer entertaining, we recommend booking your consultation in January or February.
Is professional garden design worth it for a small London garden?
Often, yes — small gardens benefit most from professional design because there's no room for error. Every plant, every paving slab, every centimetre matters. Our full garden design service includes 3D visualisations so you can see exactly how your space will look before any work begins. Some of our most satisfying projects have been tiny courtyards and terraces in Hackney and across East London where clever design made a transformative difference. We specialise in creating outdoor entertaining spaces that maximise every square metre.
Do you only design wildlife-friendly gardens?
Wildlife is always part of our approach, but we design contemporary spaces, formal gardens, family entertaining areas, and everything in between. What unites our work is thoughtful plant selection that supports pollinators and other wildlife alongside whatever aesthetic you're after. A garden can look sleek and modern while still being ecologically valuable. Our RHS-qualified designer creates biodiverse planting schemes that provide year-round interest while nurturing local ecosystems — from city courtyards to country estates.