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023 8178 2660
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Landscape
& Garden Design

About

Great gardens should be both beautiful and functional and we have the creative flair and expertise, coupled with extensive horticultural knowledge to ensure your space will work for you. We provide a comprehensive garden design service and can manage your project from the initial design stages right through to completion. We are also experienced at working as part of a multi-disciplinary team and we have a network of industry experts, such as lighting designers, water specialists and engineers, that we can call on as the project requires.

Our studio is based in the New Forest in Hampshire. We design gardens for private clients from across the South Coast, the Home Counties and London, covering a wide area that includes Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Sussex and Kent. We also work with architects and property developers designing residential, public and commercial projects.

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elkssmith

1,082 29,614

Award-winning practice led by Helen Elks-Smith, creating beautiful gardens. Speaker, writer, SGLD Fellow & judge & Your Garden Made Perfect designer.

Even species that will ultimately thrive in coastal conditions need a gentle introduction.

This is the temporary screening we use to protect new plantings while they settle in. The screens help to slow the salt winds, giving the plants time to establish before they face full exposure — a reminder that planting design is as much about patience and process as it is about the finished picture.

#GardenDesign #CoastalGarden #PlantingDesign #LandscapeDesign #DesignWithNature #EstablishmentPhase #CoastalPlants #GardensByTheSea

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Open post by elkssmith with ID 18361646059094563
Even species that will ultimately thrive in coastal conditions need a gentle introduction. This is the temporary screening we use to protect new plantings while they settle in. The screens help to slow the salt winds, giving the plants time to establish before they face full exposure — a reminder that planting design is as much about patience and process as it is about the finished picture. #GardenDesign #CoastalGarden #PlantingDesign #LandscapeDesign #DesignWithNature #EstablishmentPhase #CoastalPlants #GardensByTheSea

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We jokingly called this spot the “moon landing” during construction — but it’s finally finding its rhythm as the plants settle in.

This is our wet garden — an area that used to become completely waterlogged after heavy rain. Lawns and borders would stay unusable for months, with water pooling across the surface. Local flooding in winter has become more and more common, not just here but throughout the area.

To tackle that, we created this large swale — a shallow, planted dip designed to catch and hold rainwater. It collects runoff from surrounding surfaces, giving the water a place to pause rather than rush away. The level rises and falls with the weather, slowly releasing water through the soil on the lower side of the garden.

It’s a small step, but it helps ease pressure on nearby ditches and streams — turning part of the garden from a flooding problem into a tiny piece of the solution.

RainGarden #WetGarden #GardenDesign #SustainableGardening #SlowTheFlow #EcoGarden #ClimateResilient #Rewilding #GreenSpaces #natureinspireddesign

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Open post by elkssmith with ID 18112691260569342
We jokingly called this spot the “moon landing” during construction — but it’s finally finding its rhythm as the plants settle in. This is our wet garden — an area that used to become completely waterlogged after heavy rain. Lawns and borders would stay unusable for months, with water pooling across the surface. Local flooding in winter has become more and more common, not just here but throughout the area. To tackle that, we created this large swale — a shallow, planted dip designed to catch and hold rainwater. It collects runoff from surrounding surfaces, giving the water a place to pause rather than rush away. The level rises and falls with the weather, slowly releasing water through the soil on the lower side of the garden. It’s a small step, but it helps ease pressure on nearby ditches and streams — turning part of the garden from a flooding problem into a tiny piece of the solution. RainGarden #WetGarden #GardenDesign #SustainableGardening #SlowTheFlow #EcoGarden #ClimateResilient #Rewilding #GreenSpaces #natureinspireddesign

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Autumn shrubs are earning their place this week. A few favourites for colour, structure and scent:

**Cercis canadensis – heart-shaped leaves catching the last of the autumn light
**Vibernum plicatum Mariesii - three strong seasons
**Aronia × prunifolia – rich leaf colour and wildlife appeal
**Daphne transatlantica Eternal Fragrance - lovely evergreen mounds
**Euonymous Alatus - blazing leaves and fabulous bark
**Ilex Blue Maid – glossy leaves and berries already drawing in the birds

Shrubs often do the quiet work — bringing shape, texture and life to the garden long after summer has passed.

#AutumnGardens #PlantingDesign #GardenDesign #AutumnColour #SeasonalGardens #DesignWithNature #LandscapeDesign

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Open post by elkssmith with ID 17984518808872962
Autumn shrubs are earning their place this week. A few favourites for colour, structure and scent: **Cercis canadensis – heart-shaped leaves catching the last of the autumn light **Vibernum plicatum Mariesii - three strong seasons **Aronia × prunifolia – rich leaf colour and wildlife appeal **Daphne transatlantica Eternal Fragrance - lovely evergreen mounds **Euonymous Alatus - blazing leaves and fabulous bark **Ilex Blue Maid – glossy leaves and berries already drawing in the birds Shrubs often do the quiet work — bringing shape, texture and life to the garden long after summer has passed. #AutumnGardens #PlantingDesign #GardenDesign #AutumnColour #SeasonalGardens #DesignWithNature #LandscapeDesign

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Just a reminder that it’s bulb planting season! 🌷

These are heading off to one of our larger schemes, ready to be planted and enjoyed over the coming seasons. Bulbs like narcissus are the perfect companions for ornamental grasses, stepping into the spotlight just as the grasses fade into their winter rest.

A lovely reminder of the rhythm of planting design — one season giving way to the next.

#BulbPlanting #PlantingDesign #GardenDesign #SeasonalGardens #Narcissus #OrnamentalGrasses #LandscapeDesign #DesignWithNature #AutumnPlanting

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Open post by elkssmith with ID 17864053833494334
Just a reminder that it’s bulb planting season! 🌷 These are heading off to one of our larger schemes, ready to be planted and enjoyed over the coming seasons. Bulbs like narcissus are the perfect companions for ornamental grasses, stepping into the spotlight just as the grasses fade into their winter rest. A lovely reminder of the rhythm of planting design — one season giving way to the next. #BulbPlanting #PlantingDesign #GardenDesign #SeasonalGardens #Narcissus #OrnamentalGrasses #LandscapeDesign #DesignWithNature #AutumnPlanting

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Planting days are planned months in advance — the team arranged, plants ordered, deliveries scheduled… and then you just hope for good weather.

Yesterday was one of the wettest planting days I’ve seen in years! @tlc.uk completed the construction a little while ago but plant setting out completed yesterday and then planting will follow this week — with bulbs going in shortly after.

The acer, of course, has been there for some time — a classic example of a plant in the wrong place. It blocks both light and views from the house, yet it’s far too beautiful to remove. A familiar story: the small plant from the garden centre looks harmless enough… until it becomes exactly as large as the books warned it would!

#PlantingDesign #GardenDesign #LandscapeDesign #Acer #AutumnGardens #DesignWithNature #RealGardens #LandscapeArchitecture

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Open post by elkssmith with ID 17872870287440901
Planting days are planned months in advance — the team arranged, plants ordered, deliveries scheduled… and then you just hope for good weather. Yesterday was one of the wettest planting days I’ve seen in years! @tlc.uk completed the construction a little while ago but plant setting out completed yesterday and then planting will follow this week — with bulbs going in shortly after. The acer, of course, has been there for some time — a classic example of a plant in the wrong place. It blocks both light and views from the house, yet it’s far too beautiful to remove. A familiar story: the small plant from the garden centre looks harmless enough… until it becomes exactly as large as the books warned it would! #PlantingDesign #GardenDesign #LandscapeDesign #Acer #AutumnGardens #DesignWithNature #RealGardens #LandscapeArchitecture

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Autumn light in my own garden — that magical moment when everything softens and glows.

The grasses catch the low sun, birch trunks gleam silver, and the last of the late perennials hold their own against the turning foliage. This is the time of year when structure and texture really show their strength — a reminder that a garden’s beauty doesn’t fade, it simply shifts.

#AutumnGarden #SeasonalDesign #PlantingDesign #GardenDesign #Grasses #NaturalisticPlanting #LightAndTexture #DesignWithNature

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Open post by elkssmith with ID 17858928849522228
Autumn light in my own garden — that magical moment when everything softens and glows. The grasses catch the low sun, birch trunks gleam silver, and the last of the late perennials hold their own against the turning foliage. This is the time of year when structure and texture really show their strength — a reminder that a garden’s beauty doesn’t fade, it simply shifts. #AutumnGarden #SeasonalDesign #PlantingDesign #GardenDesign #Grasses #NaturalisticPlanting #LightAndTexture #DesignWithNature

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