Catriona Stiles Garden Design

Great to get some update photos of this garden in , created last year. .young3282023 is doing a great job looking after it. Late summer interest coming from Agastache, Echinacea, Sedums and Calamagrotis. Looking great…

Todays client presentation is for a planting design for a garden in Charing Heath. This is a large sloped border that the clients have asked for help with. There is an area behind the garage which is slightly lost. By creating a bark path and seating area it will bring this area back into the rest of the garden.

The brief combines both the clients requirements. One likes formality and structure, hence a small hedge bounding the beds and borders creating all year round shape. The other a more naturalistic, wild look, so as you go towards the right the planting becomes more woodlike and loose. Watch to see this one come into life this autumn.

Finally after over 3 years of using engineering blocks as make shift steps we have stones down for our patio… I’m so happy. Thanks to (Sam and Jack) for laying these sawn raj green sandstone pavers. Thanks to hubby for doing the sub base. Just the grouting, stepping stones and grass to sort now!

What makes a great garden? In all honesty beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To me a garden is what that sparks joy to the people who garden and live in it. This is true of big makeover gardens or smaller projects that you want to develop over time at your pace. The important element is to get the design fixed in your mind and then translated onto paper.

I have seen gardens where people have brought in a landscaper and spent considerable money (we all work hard right) and could have had a much better result (for the same cost) with a garden design. Garden design could be seen as an artistic, whimsical indulgence but in the same way an architect is so key to a house build a garden design can really uplift a garden.

My job, as a designer, is to translate your requirements into a brief, re-imagine your space and create a plan that is practical.

If you would like to book a consultation in for October please send me a DM

Warm days mean beautiful sunsets

This sloped garden in Gravesend is really coming along. Many thanks to Rob for the work in progress shots. This garden was a bit of a head scratcher but thankfully it looks like its translating into real life well. This garden is a good size but the actual useable area was not that great and meant that the family were really not using the garden.

Already by creating some flat areas the entertaining areas already increase the feel of the garden and will add value to the property. I'm looking forward to seeing it when Rob and his team have finished. They are doing a fantastic job.

Great to get some photos of this newly built garden in Chislehurst/ Bromley Kent.
The first time I met the clients this was a building site (see the last pic for before) with little in the garden. The garden was overlooked and all the focus was on the boundaries.

Curved paths, seating areas and layers of planting have created privacy, interest from all over the garden and great views from inside. To read more please take a look at the post on the website link in bio.

I love the shapes in this garden and am enjoying watching it develop. The rest of the planting to follow in the autumn. A great job by all those involved mainly the landscaper
porcelain:
claypavers:
plants: Provender Nurseries and Howards

Late summer means a change in the colour palette in most gardens. The soft pastels of spring and early summer make way for the bold and vibrant. Plant choice is so key for this time of year with oranges, yellows, pinks and purples to select from. This is crocosmia lucifer with its hot red/ orange flowers and tall arching leaves.

Whats your favourite flowering plant right now?

Do you have height in your garden? It can be scary to add in elements with height, especially trees. Creating verticals is a really important of my garden design. Trees are brilliant for creating focal points, breaking up spaces and creating levels of planting. There are so many amazing trees (I'm discovering more all the time). There is also a cross over between shrubs that are trained as trees. The right tree in the right place and create structure, provide seasonal interest and a wildlife habitat. They also provide shade and reduce temperatures of their surroundings. You can have stunning bark, changing colour leaves, berries, blossom all this from one tree!

Pictured is a Catalpa Bignonioides (Indian Bean Tree) which has large. lush, tropical feel leaves.

When you are moving into a new home you are normally faced with a blank canvas of lawn and maybe some patio. It can be overwhelming to know where to start. The beauty of getting a garden design is that we work together to create a set of shapes and planting beds that reflect your style, your needs and the setting of your garden.

In this garden in Hernhill layers of planting were create the illusion of the orchard behind being part of the extended garden. A secondary seating area in the corner was positioned to catch the views of the sunset and draw you into the garden.

If you would like to book a consultation and see if we can work together email me at [email protected] and we can book an appointment (currently from October onwards).

Getting plants that flower through the seasons is not just important for our enjoyment of the garden it’s hugely important for pollinators. Now the sun has finally come out they are enjoying the Echinops. It’s definitely not as busy with flying insects in the garden this year so I’m relieved to see these.

If you are interested in getting more pollinators in your garden get in touch. I’m booking from October onwards. Perfect for next years garden!

New build homes can have awkward shapes that don't present an obvious solution for a garden design. Its really worth investing in your garden in this situation to create a garden with the wow factor. The right shapes in patio, planting borders and lawns can make a huge difference to the appearance of the garden. Who wouldn't want to wander round the corner in this new garden?

If you are thinking of investing in your garden next year get in touch to be on the waiting list for design in the Autumn. You can be ready for landscaping over the winter/spring. 🌿🌸🌱

Super excited for a new visitor to the garden. The pond isn’t even finished yet. Nature is amazing!

Amazing big skies at this weekend.

Where are your eyes drawn to when they look at your garden? Focal points can be created with architectural plants, pots or sculptures. When I work with clients we look at the best place to site their often personal garden sculptures and frame them within the planting. Great to look at all through the year.

Sloping gardens... They can be really tricky to visualise what levels you can create and how to use them. I'm currently collaborating with the owners of this country based garden to create a design that makes the most of the space they have (and hopefully giving the wow factor).

The terracing in front of the house creates view points of planting and a meandering journey up to the top level with a cosy patio in between. A large lawn is created on the left hand side for football and a play area beyond.

Being able to design this in 3D has been invaluable as it has evolved from the 2D sketches I started with. Watch this space to see how it turns out!

Knautia Macedonia blowing in the summer breeze. The flowers are so sculptural before, during and after blooming. You can see why it is known as a pincushion. Eventually I'll let this go to seed to keep the seedheads but for now keep I'll keep deadheading to encourage more flowers. Very therapeutic!

Looking at your garden and visualising what you want is hard. How do you want it to look? Pinterest is a great place for inspiration. You can start pulling in pictures to start to piece together what style you like. Looking at the space through someone else's fresh eyes can also be very constructive. I can be that pair of eyes!

Get in touch to book a garden consultation from September onwards. You can email me at [email protected] Deborah Hart Photography

Who has been to the garden centre and bought a plant as it looks amazing? Then once its been planted in the garden it never seems to thrive or even pegs it…. Guilty as charged! I know I've thought I'm rubbish at gardening as I've pulled a perished stick out of the ground. In reality this was before I considered the factors of the plants environment. Plants are not standalone and you need to consider: soil type, drainage, exposure, when to plant and when its going to be at its best. Once you have found the plants that love your garden situation it is such a pleasure to increase your collection. A little bit of research and experimentation really pays off.

Pictured is Salvia Nemorosa Caradonna one of my faves!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/wiy4DdAriRGAKgsX/?mibextid=WC7FNe

If you are local and looking for some pots this is a great place to get them. You can spray them any colour you want.

Its hard to remember what this garden used to be like! Like a lot of mature gardens the planting was mainly around the perimeter and the seating area was right by the house. Intuitively its easy to assume that large lawns make a garden feel bigger. Without anything to rest the eye on the focus takes you right to the walls. With planting layers and destination in the garden it now feels like a large garden to be enjoyed from different aspects. The planting at the near, middle and foreground creates views to enjoy from all parts of the garden.

plants by
photos by
garden being looked after brilliantly by .young3282023

Last week while the sun shone I revisited a couple of gardens. This garden in Charing Heath was created from a blank canvas garden that accompanied this new build home. The owners have loved entertaining in it and get great comments when people see the garden for the first time. Julie and Bob have loved looking after their garden and I'm glad to report that Julie has picked up my love of architectural plants. Her T-Rex is absolutely romping away.

If you are thinking of changing up your garden next year its worth getting in touch now. I'm currently booking from September and landscapers get booked quickly too.

Photos by
Plants from

I’m a big fan of garden mirrors to break up a big expanse of wall or fence. Softened by climbers they become windows reflecting sky and garden.

In this walled garden the wall dominated the view from the house. Now with repeated mirrors and planting the wall is a stunning feature but not the focal point.

A picture of the newly planted Arbutus Unedo shared by my client in the evening sun. Love this specimen tree and the dappled light shining through. Great tree from
Planting (kudos)

New Concept off the board today. This is a garden in which we are going to makeover. The existing patio is to be retained and improved with a Pergola, outdoor rugs and firepit. The fencing (and posts) will be painted dark to allow the planting to take the front of stage.

The lawn has been shaped to allow curved beds. The planting has been selected for foliage and orange/ purple colouring, to give a tropical feel. It should be a great place for entertaining!

Have a spring trends featuring little old my ideas. It seems apt on this wet spring day that is about water!

To read the article have a look at https://kent.muddystilettos.co.uk/living/interiors/spring-home-trends-according-to-kent-interior-experts/

A new project on board. Getting my creative thinking cap on for this sloped garden in Newnham

Lots of ideas to provide the entertaining space for this family