Planting Design in London
We design planting schemes for London gardens that look beautiful from the first season and improve every year after that. Whether you need a full border overhaul, a courtyard softened with shade-tolerant plants, or a detailed planting plan you can hand to your landscaper, we handle the lot. From Fulham to Hackney, Kensington to Bromley, we work across every London borough.
Book a free planting consultation: call 0203 834 9807 or get in touch online.
What You Get with Our Planting Design Service
A planting plan is not a list of plants from a garden centre. It is a scaled drawing that tells you exactly what goes where, how many of each plant you need, the spacing, the soil preparation required, and how the scheme will look through spring, summer, autumn and winter. That is what we produce.
Every planting design project includes:
- A full site assessment covering soil type, aspect, light levels, drainage and microclimate (London gardens have plenty of microclimates thanks to walls, buildings and mature trees)
- A detailed, scaled planting plan with every plant labelled by common name and Latin name
- A complete plant schedule listing quantities, pot sizes and estimated supply costs
- Seasonal interest mapping so you have colour and structure in every month, not just June
- Maintenance notes covering pruning times, feeding schedules and what to cut back when
If you want us to source the plants and install them too, we do that. If you want the plan only and you will plant it yourself or pass it to your gardener, that works as well.
Planting Design Costs in London
We are upfront about pricing because we know you want to budget before you call. These are our 2026 rates for London planting design work.
| Service | Typical Cost | What Is Included |
|---|---|---|
| Planting plan only (small garden, under 50 sqm) | £350 to £650 | Site visit, soil assessment, scaled planting plan, plant schedule, maintenance notes |
| Planting plan only (medium garden, 50 to 150 sqm) | £650 to £1,200 | As above with more complex zoning, multiple borders and seasonal layering |
| Planting plan only (large garden, 150+ sqm) | £1,200 to £2,500 | Full scheme with multiple planting zones, specimen trees, structural planting and detailed phasing |
| Plant supply and installation | £45 to £90 per sqm | Plant sourcing from specialist nurseries, soil preparation, planting, initial watering, mulching |
| Border refresh or replanting | £500 to £2,000 | Strip out tired planting, improve soil, replant with new scheme |
| Container planting scheme | £150 to £400 | Selection, supply and planting of containers for terraces, balconies or entrances |
Plant costs sit on top of the design fee. For a typical London rear garden (40 to 60 sqm of planted area), expect to spend between £800 and £2,500 on plants depending on size and maturity. We always specify the pot size and estimated cost in the plant schedule so there are no surprises.
Planting Styles We Design
We do not have a house style. We design the planting to suit you, your garden and how you actually use the space. That said, these are the planting styles London clients ask for most often:
Contemporary and architectural planting. Clean lines, bold foliage, limited palette. Ornamental grasses like Miscanthus and Stipa, structural evergreens, repeated blocks of the same species. Works brilliantly in modern London gardens where the hard landscaping does the heavy lifting and the planting needs to soften without cluttering.
Cottage and romantic planting. Generous, layered, floriferous borders with roses, geraniums, salvias, nepeta and foxgloves. Looser and more naturalistic but still designed, not random. We cover this in detail in our cottage garden design guide.
Mediterranean and drought-tolerant planting. Lavender, rosemary, cistus, agapanthus and silvery artemisia. Perfect for south-facing London gardens with free-draining soil. Lower maintenance once established. See our Mediterranean garden design guide for more.
Shade planting for north-facing gardens. A huge number of London gardens face north or sit in the shadow of surrounding buildings. We use ferns (Dryopteris, Polystichum), hostas, hellebores, brunnera, Japanese anemones, Hydrangea petiolaris and shade-tolerant grasses like Hakonechloa. Shade does not mean boring.
Tropical and exotic planting. Tree ferns, Trachycarpus palms, Fatsia japonica, cannas and bold-leaved plants that thrive in London's urban heat island. Our tropical garden design guide covers plant choices and winter care in detail.
Wildlife and pollinator planting. Native and near-native schemes that support bees, butterflies and birds while still looking designed. Read our wildlife garden design guide for planting lists and habitat features.
How Our Planting Design Process Works
- Free consultation call. We talk through what you want from your garden, your budget, your timeline and your maintenance appetite. 15 to 20 minutes, no obligation, no pressure.
- Site visit and assessment. We visit your garden to measure, photograph, test the soil, check the aspect and note existing plants worth keeping. In London, we pay close attention to shade patterns from neighbouring buildings, basement light wells, boundary aspect and wind tunnels between properties.
- Design development. We produce a scaled planting plan with a full plant schedule. You get a 3D visual if the project warrants it, so you can see how the planting will look from your kitchen window or back door. Our 3D garden design process explains how that works.
- Review and refinement. We present the plan, walk you through it, answer questions and adjust based on your feedback. Colour swaps, height changes, allergy considerations, pet-safe plants, whatever you need.
- Supply and installation (optional). We source plants from specialist nurseries across the South East, not garden centre stock. Delivery, soil preparation, planting and mulching, all handled by our team. We time planting for autumn or spring where possible for best establishment.
- Aftercare guidance. You get written maintenance notes covering the first 12 months. What to water, what to cut back, what to feed and when. If you want ongoing maintenance support, we can recommend trusted local gardeners.
Why London Gardens Need Professional Planting Design
London is not like designing for open countryside. The challenges are specific and they catch people out.
Shade. Most London rear gardens are overshadowed by the house, neighbouring extensions, boundary walls or mature trees. A generic planting plan will fail because half the plants need full sun and your garden gets two hours of direct light in June.
Soil. London clay is heavy, slow to drain and sits wet through winter. Some boroughs have sandy or chalky pockets. We test and design for the soil you actually have, not the soil a generic plant list assumes.
Space. A 6m by 8m garden needs every plant to earn its place. There is no room for a shrub that looks good for two weeks in May and contributes nothing the rest of the year. We specify multi-season performers and layer heights carefully so a compact garden feels generous.
Microclimate. South-facing walls create hot, dry pockets. North-facing basement courtyards barely see direct sun. Wind tunnels between terraced houses can shred delicate foliage. We design for the microclimate in each part of your garden, not the postcode average.
Areas We Cover Across London
We provide planting design services across all London boroughs. We are particularly active in:
- South West London: Fulham, Chelsea, Putney, Wandsworth, Battersea, Clapham, Balham, Richmond, Barnes, Wimbledon
- South East London: Dulwich, Peckham, Greenwich, Blackheath, Lewisham, Bromley, Beckenham, Crystal Palace
- West London: Hammersmith, Kensington, Chiswick, Ealing, Acton, Shepherd's Bush
- North London: Islington, Camden, Highgate, Hampstead, Muswell Hill, Crouch End
- East London: Hackney, Shoreditch, Bow, Stratford, Walthamstow, Stoke Newington
We also cover the home counties. See our pages for Kent, Surrey, Essex and Buckinghamshire.
Related Services
Planting design often sits alongside wider garden work. Here is what else we offer:
- Garden design and build in London from £100 per sqm for a complete garden transformation
- Landscaping services in London including patios, paths, fencing and drainage
- Hard landscaping for the structural elements that sit alongside the planting
- Patio design with integrated planting pockets and border design
- Garden renovation when the whole space needs rethinking
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a planting plan cost in London?
A planting plan for a small London garden (under 50 sqm) costs between £350 and £650. Larger or more complex gardens range from £650 to £2,500. Plant supply and installation sits on top at £45 to £90 per sqm depending on the density and maturity of plants specified. We itemise everything in the quote so you know exactly what you are paying for.
Can you design planting for a shady London garden?
Yes. A large proportion of our London work is shade planting. We use a mix of evergreen ferns, hostas, hellebores, Japanese anemones, Sarcococca (winter box), Hydrangea anomala petiolaris and shade-tolerant grasses like Hakonechloa macra. Shade gardens can look lush and textured all year with the right plant selection.
Do you supply and plant as well or just provide the plan?
Both. You can commission the planting plan on its own and use it with your own landscaper or gardener. Or we can handle the full supply and installation, sourcing plants from specialist nurseries and planting them with proper soil preparation and mulching.
When is the best time to plant a new garden in London?
Autumn (October to November) is ideal. The soil is still warm, rain does the watering for you, and plants establish root systems over winter ready to grow strongly in spring. Spring planting (March to April) is the second-best window. We can plant in summer if needed but it requires more watering attention.
What if I do not know what style I want?
That is completely normal and actually quite common. We start with how you use the garden, what colours you are drawn to, whether you want low maintenance or hands-on, and what feeling you want the space to create. From there, we put a scheme together and refine it with you. You do not need to arrive with a mood board.
Do you work with existing landscapers and builders?
Yes. We regularly produce planting plans that slot into a wider build being managed by a separate landscaping contractor. We can coordinate with your builder on soil depths, irrigation, raised bed dimensions and planting pocket locations.
How long does a planting design project take?
From first site visit to finished planting plan, typically two to three weeks. If you want us to supply and install the planting as well, add another one to two weeks depending on plant availability and weather. We can fast-track if you have a build schedule to hit.
Start Your Planting Design Project
If your London garden needs better planting, whether that is a full scheme from scratch, a border that has gone tired, or containers for a roof terrace, talk to us. We will tell you honestly what is possible within your budget and your garden's conditions.
Call 0203 834 9807 or send us a message to book your free consultation.
You can also see examples of our work on our portfolio page and read more about garden design costs across our service tiers.