Gardens That Grow With Your Family

At Wild Butterfly Gardening, we specialise in designing family gardens that balance practicality with beauty—spaces where muddy footballs and elegant planting schemes coexist happily. From compact London terraces to generous Surrey plots, we create gardens that families genuinely use and love.

What Makes a Great Family Garden?

Zoned Spaces for Different Activities

The secret to a family garden that works is thoughtful zoning. Rather than one undefined lawn, we create distinct areas:

• Active play zones – Positioned where you can supervise from the house, with durable surfaces and room to run
• Quiet retreats – Tucked-away corners for reading, homework, or simply escaping the chaos
• Social dining areas – Terraces and patios sized for family meals and summer entertaining
• Growing spaces – Raised beds at child-friendly heights for growing vegetables, herbs, and sunflowers

Child-Safe Without Feeling Clinical

Safety doesn't mean sacrificing style. We incorporate child-friendly features naturally: soft-fall surfaces beneath play equipment that blend with the overall design, gentle gradients instead of steep steps where possible, secure boundaries that feel like garden features rather than barriers, and plant choices that avoid thorns and toxic species in high-traffic areas.

Room to Grow and Change

Children's needs change rapidly. The sandpit that's essential at three becomes redundant by seven. We design with flexibility in mind—creating spaces that can evolve from paddling pool zone to outdoor dining area to teenage hangout spot as your family grows.

Design Elements for Family Gardens

Durable Hard Landscaping

Family gardens need surfaces that can handle tricycles, football boots, and garden parties. We recommend porcelain paving for low-maintenance, slip-resistant terraces, resin-bound gravel for permeable paths that stay put, composite decking for splinter-free barefoot zones, and natural stone for timeless elegance in lower-traffic areas.

Planting That Takes a Beating

Not every plant survives the enthusiasm of young gardeners. We select robust species that bounce back: ornamental grasses that sway beautifully and recover from being trampled, hardy shrubs that provide structure without demanding constant attention, sensory plants—lamb's ear for touching, lavender for smelling, strawberries for tasting—and wildlife-friendly species that attract butterflies and bees, creating natural learning opportunities.

Clever Storage Solutions

Toys, bikes, and garden equipment need somewhere to live. We integrate storage seamlessly with built-in bench seating with hidden storage beneath, attractive timber stores that double as climbing walls or den bases, and bike sheds disguised with green roofs and climbing plants.

Family Garden Ideas by Space

Small Urban Family Gardens

Limited space doesn't mean limited possibilities. In compact London and urban gardens, we maximise every square metre with vertical planting to free up floor space for play, multi-functional furniture, artificial grass for year-round play without the mud, and mirrors and clever planting to create the illusion of space.

Medium Suburban Family Gardens

The classic family garden size offers room for proper zoning: dedicated lawn area for active play, separate terrace for adult relaxation and entertaining, wildlife corner with log piles, bug hotels, and native planting, plus fruit trees that provide shade, blossom, and something to harvest.

Large Country Family Gardens

Generous plots allow for ambitious family features: natural play areas using timber, rope, and boulders, wildflower meadows with mown paths for exploration, kitchen gardens with child-height raised beds, fire pit areas for family evenings under the stars, and space for future additions.

Family Garden Investment

Family garden transformations typically range from £18,000–£30,000 for small urban gardens, £30,000–£50,000 for medium suburban gardens, and £50,000–£80,000+ for large family gardens. These ranges include design, hard landscaping, and planting. Features like outdoor kitchens, water features, or bespoke play equipment add to the investment.

For a realistic sense of costs for your specific project, explore our pricing page which includes a project simulator to help you understand the investment required.

Our Family Garden Projects

Browse our portfolio below to see how we've transformed family spaces across Surrey, Bristol, Frome, and Somerset. From natural play areas to multi-generational entertaining spaces, each project demonstrates how thoughtful design creates gardens the whole family loves.

Ready to create a garden your whole family will love? Get in touch for a free consultation.