I’m Sinéad, a garden designer working across London, the southeast and the Cotswolds. With a background that includes running manufacturing plants, art history and, of course, gardening, along with a part-time role as a counsellor I bring a relatively unique perspective to design that marries practicality with both aesthetics and wellbeing.

I like to start every project with the same question: what lives has this place seen? It is important to my designs that they reflect, even in some small part, the history of a space and the people, plants and wildlife that have woven together to create the garden or landscape that we see today.

I have a particular interest in therapy gardens, not just in formal clinical settings, but as a foundation for every space I create. Gardens should be designed with real intention to support and even improve the wellbeing of everyone and everything that steps foot (or root) in it. Your garden should give you the chance to step out of the crazy of everyday life and just enjoy the abundant calm of nature.

“I like generosity wherever I find it, whether in gardens or elsewhere. I hate to see things scrimp and scrubby. Even the smallest garden can be prodigal within its limitations.” Vita Sackville-West, 1892–1962

How I work

I focus on three key principles in all my designs:

A sense of place

Every garden bears the traces of what came before — from field and hedge patterns through to footprints of buildings and archaeological sites. I let the history of these people, activities and events shape the design I create, so that a quiet echo of all that a space has once been can be carried forward to its future.

A haven for nature

The need to build gardens that actively support and encourage wildlife is now widely recognised and sits at the heart of my design and plant choices. Above and beyond this, I also think it is important to create a garden that works with the local landscape, so this includes consideration of both soil and geology, the movement and availability of water, and choosing plants and features that not only thrive within the specific ecological environment but can help improve it.

A space of your own

The first two pillars may drive how I think about the design of a garden, but fundamental to all of this is to create a space for the client that is uniquely theirs. I will work closely with you to understand what is important to you and how you want the space to make you feel. Similarly, I will ensure that you have a garden for the type of gardener you do, or don’t, want to be. Ultimately, I want to build you a space that only asks of you what you want to give, but gives back far more than you perhaps ever realised you wanted.