Sustainability Policy

Ecological and Sustainable Design

Created: 30/10/2022

Why we need sustainable garden design

There are nearly 23 million gardens in the UK. Each can play a significant role in the preservation of the natural world for generations to come.

Our business aims to support new and existing gardens with this task, mitigating the effects of climate change and supporting biodiversity.

The below principles and practices guide our design thinking but they will not all be appropriate to every situation. Ultimately, we will work together to find a balance that feels right for you.   

Our sustainability principles

·   Work with nature, not against it

·   Make the least change for the greatest effect

·   Local and natural are the first ports of call

·   Co-operation is key to fostering supportive ecosystems

·   Use and maximise diversity to build resilience

·   Look for closed-loop systems


Sustainable garden design in practice

Your site’s aspect, topography, drainage and soil conditions are critical to our design and plant choice

·   We select plants that will thrive in the existing conditions in order to avoid soil disturbance, heavy water use or wasted stock. Simply put, our mantra is ‘right plant, right place’.

·   If drainage is needed, we’ll seek to capture the water for use on-site.

·   Where runoff is inevitable ‘Rain Gardens’ can be incorporated possibly with ponds or pools/ wetland areas and planting. This can be in a relatively small area in a garden.

·   Rainwater harvesting can be subtly built into designs using water butts or below-ground storage, reducing reliance on mains irrigation.

·   Our designs pay acute attention to the contours of the land, minimising the need for excavation or imported ground. Wherever possible, what we ‘cut’ in one place is used to ‘fill’ elsewhere, making the most of resources on site.

·   We think creatively about the future use of existing materials on site. Trees, planting, paving, paths, and many other features can form the basis for a new composition that new ideas and materials can be woven around. This can substantially reduce costs, add maturity, and retain the history of a garden. Foundations and subbases can also be re-used. If they don’t find a new home within the scheme, we’ll help to find a local outlet.

Low impact products

·   Life Cycle Analysis can help us to understand the embedded carbon of our product choice. Using tools such as Climate Positive Design, we can help identify planet-friendly options, and let you know when your space will become net positive

·   We’ll highlight local materials to give a natural vernacular look, but ultimately the choice will be yours

Supporting ecosystems and biodiversity

·   Support mutually beneficial plant and wildlife combinations

·   Create a diversity of habitats to encourage wildlife

·   Feed pollinators throughout the year with a long planting season

·   Respect soils, minimising disturbance, and sourcing without chemical inputs or peats. The inclusion of nitrogen fixers in planting schemes

·   Use a diversity of species to build resilience

·   Only offer low-light-pollution lighting plans

·   Consider ‘wildlife corridors’ to support the free movement of wildlife

Closed loop systems, cycling, water nutrients, and energy

·   Introduce ornamental edibles or veg growing if of interest to you

·   We’d encourage compost heaps or wormeries quietly have a place

·   Support low input, low maintenance spaces over time

·   Minimise runoff through the use of SUDS – sustainable drainage systems

Dig deeper: Sustainability in the context of landscape design

Supporting biodiversity & wildlife

Diversity of plants, animals, and organisms supports resilience within an ecosystem. Currently, biodiversity is in decline, reducing our ability to adapt to shocks such as changing climates or new diseases. Natural wildlife populations play a vital role in creating balanced ecosystems.

Creating carbon sinks

Carbon sequestration is the capturing, removal, and storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the earth's atmosphere. Plants excel at it, with evergreen trees being the champions.

Urban cooling

Plants are not just pretty faces or carbon sinks, they also help to cool the planet through the release of water vapour in the process of evapotranspiration. They also cool through the provision of shade, and because they reflect more solar radiation and store less energy than many artificial surfaces such as asphalt.

Resource efficiency

Reducing, reusing, or recycling our limited resources minimises carbon emissions. Sourcing locally cuts transport emissions. Resources include solar energy, wind, and water, as well as materials and fuel.

Soil health

Soils support our planet's biodiversity, hosting a quarter of living organisms. They help to combat and adapt to climate change by playing a key role in the carbon cycle, and they filter water, improving our resilience to floods and droughts. Healthy soils are the basis for healthy food and plant production. We are losing fertile soil, a non-renewal resource, at an alarming rate. Soil husbandry directly influences and can enhance species-rich schemes. Understanding soil types will determine and enhance planting schemes.

Low impact

breaking ground releases carbon into the atmosphere and is in itself a resource-intensive act.

Food security

Growing food within our gardens, as well as increasing biodiversity increases resilience to future shocks or food shortages.