What to plant in October for spring wow
Bare-root roses, garlic, tulips in lasagne layers and why mulch now saves watering in June…
✦ London • Surrey • Kent • Est. 2012 • RHS Gold
Wild-modern gardens that feel like home.
Garden8 designs, builds and cares for 320+ gardens across the UK — from tiny Clapham courtyards to 2-acre Surrey estates. Naturalistic planting, oak & stone craft, rain-wise drainage and year-round colour.
13 yrsstudio practice
320+gardens built
4.9★210 reviews
28design awards
🌿 Planting plan
2,400 plants • 98% peat-free
2,400 plants • 98% peat-free
☀️ This week in Richmond
Oak pergola + wildflower lawn
Oak pergola + wildflower lawn
01 — About Garden8
We are garden-makers, plant nerds & stone lovers.
Garden8 started in 2012 as two friends with a van, a spade and a sketchbook on Kew Green. Today we are 18 designers, landscapers and horticulturists with our own nursery in Richmond and joinery workshop in Mitcham.
Our philosophy is simple: a garden should be beautiful in February and alive in July. We combine English romantic planting with Scandinavian simplicity and rewilding science — no thirsty lawns, no plastic grass, no high-maintenance hedges that eat your weekends.
✓
RHS Chelsea Gold 2023 & 2024. Society of Garden Designers registered. BALI accredited landscapers.
✓
Own grown plants. 70% of perennials come from our peat-free nursery — stronger roots, lower cost.
✓
10-year structural warranty on walls, paving, oak work and drainage. Aftercare included.
96%
clients recommend us
clients recommend us
14 days
average build for courtyard
average build for courtyard
-42%
water use with our planting
water use with our planting
02 — What we do
From sketch to soil
to Sunday morning coffee.
Full service: survey, concept, planting, construction, lighting, irrigation and year-round care. One team, one contract, zero headaches.
Most popular
Garden Design & 3D Visuals
Measured survey, moodboards, 2 concepts, 3D walkthrough, planting palette and lighting plan. Fixed fee from £1,450.
BALI accredited
Landscaping & Build
Patios, York stone, porcelain, oak pergolas, fences, raised beds, drainage, soil improvement. 10-year warranty.
Peat-free
Planting & Rewilding
Naturalistic drifts, pollinator borders, wildflower lawns, woodland shade, kitchen gardens. 70% nursery-grown.
🏙️ Courtyards & Roof Terraces
Small-space magic: storage seats, green walls, weight-light build-ups for balconies in Clapham, Shoreditch, Manchester.
💡 Lighting & Irrigation
Low-voltage warm light, smart drip irrigation, rain butts and soakaways. Control from phone.
🌳 Trees & Hedges
Multi-stem Amelanchier, olive, pleached hornbeam, yew. Sourcing, planting and aftercare.
✂️ Maintenance Plans
Monthly or seasonal visits from £95. Pruning, mulch, feed, lawns without chemicals.
03 — Selected gardens
Real gardens, real families.
Every project photographed 12 months after planting — when it actually matters. Visit two of our show gardens in Richmond.
BATTERSEA • 68 SQM
Courtyard Meadow
Porcelain + oak + 1,200 perennials. Build 16 days.
SURREY • 900 SQM
Modern Country Estate
Orchard, kitchen garden, oak studio, pond.
SHOREDITCH • ROOFTOP 45 SQM
Sky Garden Office
Lightweight build, grasses, outdoor meeting pod.
Woodland Shade, Twickenham
Ferns, hostas, birch grove. Dry shade solved with 40cm compost mulch and drip line.
Family Garden, Dulwich
Play lawn that survives football + romantic borders for parents. Everyone wins.
Kitchen Garden, Kent
12 cedar beds, greenhouse, espalier apples. 180kg veg in year one.
04 — Process
Clear steps, fixed dates.
From first call to first bloom in 6–10 weeks. You always know what happens next and what it costs.
01
Walk & Talk
Free 30-min video or site visit. We measure, listen, photograph soil and sun. Quote in 48h.
02
Concept & 3D
Two designs, 3D video, plant list and fixed build price. Two revisions included.
03
Build
Our own teams, not day labour. Dust sheets, daily tidy, WhatsApp photos every evening.
04
Plant & Aftercare
Autumn or spring planting, mulch, irrigation set-up + 12-month care visits.
05 — Honest pricing
No mystery quotes.
Design fees fixed. Build priced per sqm after survey. Typical London builds below — countryside 15% less.
Design only
Sketch £1,450
For DIY builders. Plan + shopping list.
- Site survey & sun study
- Concept plan to scale
- Plant list with nursery prices
- 1 revision, email support
Full design + build
Garden8 Signature
Most clients. From £280 / sqm planted.
- 3D design + lighting + irrigation
- Landscaping by our team
- Nursery plants + 12-mo warranty
- Aftercare visits x3
Year-round
Care £95 / visit
Keep it looking like Chelsea.
- Pruning, feeding, mulching
- Lawn, hedges, pond check
- Seasonal replanting
- Pause anytime
06 — Reviews
Loved on muddy boots.
4.9 from 210 verified reviews. We publish the wobbly ones too.
★★★★★
“They turned our 40sqm concrete yard in Hackney into a jungle we eat breakfast in. On time, on budget, and the planting in year two is unreal.”
— Priya & Tom, Hackney★★★★★
“Third landscaper we tried. First who actually knew drainage. No more lake every November. Oak pergola is a work of art.”
— Sarah W., Richmond★★★★★
“Maintenance team is gold. Kids, dog, parties — garden still looks like magazine. Worth every penny.”
— James H., Surrey07 — Journal / News
Notes from the soil.
Practical guides for UK gardeners — written by our designers, not AI fluff. Click to read full story.
7 small garden tricks we use in every courtyard
Mirrors are out, borrowed views are in. Diagonal paving, tall grasses and one big pot…
Soggy lawn? Build a rain garden, not a drain
How we fixed a flooded Dulwich garden with a 6sqm dip, birch and iris — and saved £3k…
08 — FAQ
Questions? Good, we like those.
How much does a full garden cost in London? +
Courtyards (30–60 sqm) typically £14k–£28k built and planted. Family gardens (100–200 sqm) £32k–£65k. Estates by quote. Design fee £1,450–£3,900 credited back if we build.
When is best to start? +
Design in autumn/winter, build in late winter, plant in March–May or Sept–Nov. But we design and build year-round — winter builds mean spring blooms.
Do you take care of planning permission? +
Most gardens are permitted development. For walls over 1m, garden offices or listed homes in Richmond/Kensington we prepare drawings and liaise with council.
Are your gardens low-maintenance? +
Yes. Dense perennial matrix, mulch, drip irrigation and slow-growing hedges. Expect 2–3 hours a month, or join our care club and do zero.
Where do you work? +
Greater London, Surrey, Kent, Berkshire, Hertfordshire and Sussex. Design-only packs UK-wide via video survey.
09 — Contact
Let's walk your garden together.
Free 30-min call. Bring photos, Pinterest board and a cuppa. We bring ideas and honest numbers.
📍 8 Kew Green, Richmond TW9 3AP
☎ +44 20 7946 0821
✉ hello @ garden8.co.uk
Mon–Sat 9:00–18:00 • Show garden open first Saturday monthly