Garden design ideas, layouts and inspiration from the Flourish Landscaping team.
We share what we have learned from designing gardens across Kingston, Surbiton, Richmond and the wider Surrey area. Practical advice on layout, planting and the decisions that shape how a garden works through every season, written to help you plan a space that suits your home, aspect and the way you live.
Start with our garden styles guide, our garden orientation guide or the Flourish Sun Planner if you are looking for somewhere to begin.
Most disappointing shade plantings are not failures of plant choice but failures of shade assessment. The difference between partial shade beneath deciduous trees and deep shade against a north-facing wall is larger than the difference between partial shade and full sun.
Multi-stem trees Structure, beauty and year-round interest in the garden Multi-stem trees are one of the most elegant planting choices you can introduce into a garden. They combine sculptural beauty, seasonal interest, wildlife value and practical design benefits, all without dominating the space. At Flourish Landscaping we use multi-stem trees regularly in planting schemes across…
Refreshing a garden with new planting How to transform a long suburban garden without rebuilding everything. Many gardens already have a layout that works reasonably well. The patio sits outside the house, there is a stretch of lawn through the middle, and somewhere towards the end of the garden there is often a shed, trampoline…
Evergreen structure How to give your garden shape and structure all year round. Evergreen structure is the quiet architecture of a garden. It is the backbone that stays standing through winter storms, summer heat and all the in-between months. When perennials retreat and grasses collapse, it is the evergreens that hold everything together and stop…
Patio design How to design a patio that works for your home and garden. A patio is the most-used space in most British gardens, the surface that gets walked over a thousand times a year and judged every time. Get it right and it lifts the entire garden. Get it wrong, wrong material, wrong sub-base,…
Spring planting What to plant in spring for the best summer displays. Spring is the most consequential moment in the gardening year. The choices made between late February and mid-May set the tone for everything that follows. Soil is finally workable, daylight lengthens by several minutes each day, and root growth races ahead of leaf…
Pleached trees A stylish way to add privacy and structure to your garden. Pleached trees are one of the smartest ways to bring height, structure and privacy into a domestic garden. A clear trunk underneath, a flat green panel above, and a planting solution that solves the overlooking-window problem without boxing the space in. They…
Designing your garden The key principles behind a garden that really works. Designing a garden should feel exciting, not overwhelming. Done well, the process turns a difficult plot into a garden that solves real domestic problems and lasts decades. Done badly, it produces an expensive patio surrounded by a tired lawn. This guide sets out…
Garden colour trends 2026 The colours and combinations that will define gardens this year and beyond. Colour is the design language gardeners argue about most and understand least. Beyond ‘what looks nice’, colour decides mood, depth, structure and how a garden reads from inside the house. The 2026 picture continues a clear, several-year shift away…
Planning your garden transformation A practical guide to commissioning, designing and building a garden you’ll love. A garden transformation is a significant project: significant in budget, in disruption, and in the years of enjoyment that follow. The difference between a transformation that delivers and one that disappoints almost always comes down to what happens before…
Water features Is a water feature right for your garden, and what are your options? A water feature does more for a garden than almost any other intervention. It brings sound, movement, reflection and wildlife into a space that would otherwise be still. The sound of running water masks traffic noise, the surface of a…
Summer flowering plants Plants that will give you colour all summer long. A garden that flowers all summer doesn’t happen by accident. It is built from layered planting that succeeds in waves from June to October, mixing perennials with annuals, climbers with shrubs, and structural foliage with flowers. This guide sets out the plants that…
UK garden trends for 2026 What’s shaping garden design this year and how to use it at home. UK garden design in 2026 is moving in a clearer direction than for many years. The themes coming through from RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 and 2026, from the leading practitioners and from the gardens we are…
Autumn bulb planting Why autumn is the most important time of year for next spring’s garden. The bulbs you plant between late September and early December decide what your garden looks like from January through May. Get the timing, depth and selection right and you have continuous spring colour from the first snowdrops to the…
Planning your perfect garden How to plan a garden that really works for your space and lifestyle. Every garden project starts with the same handful of questions, and the clients who get the most from their gardens are usually the ones who’ve thought through these answers before the first site visit. This guide covers the…
Eco-friendly alternatives to traditional bedding plants Sustainable planting choices that bring colour, support wildlife and last for years. The traditional summer bedding scheme — trays of petunias, busy Lizzies and begonias bought from the garden centre each May, watered daily through July and August, composted at the first frost — has been the British garden…
Autumn and winter pot planting ideas for every space Four refined planting combinations for patios, courtyards and balconies — disciplined, structural and full of colour from October through to May. When the days shorten and the garden starts to fade, well-designed pots carry the show. Autumn and winter are the right seasons to plant containers…
2026 garden lighting trends Eight contemporary directions in garden lighting, plus the technical and ecological detail behind a scheme that actually works. Lighting is the element that most often separates a garden you use into the evening from one you only look at by day. Done thoughtfully, it shapes mood, defines structure, and extends the…
End of content
End of content
Based in Kingston and Surbiton, we work within a five–mile radius — covering a focused patch of South West London and North Surrey.
Explore practical advice, planting guides and design ideas from our team.
