Design Heights - Garden Design

Design Heights - Garden Design Tackling large or small garden projects in Beckenham, all SE London postcodes, into Kent and Sussex

24/09/2026

Try out some of my Top Garden Design Tips to bring more visual interest into your garden:

1. Add Depth and Texture – vary the height of the planting by use a mix of tall, medium, and low plants to create depth in the beds. By using a combination of plants with different leaf shapes and textures, say a club-shaped Euphorbia with a feathery Deschampsia, just like this image as contrasting shapes creates drama.

2. Open Spaces – Make sure you leave space to move through the space and provide a sense of openness, even if you are after the maximalist look.

3. Seasonal Interest – Plan for year-round appeal, start with a backbone of evergreen plants to maintain structure and greenery during the winter months. I normally use a variety repeated. Then choose plants that provide colour, texture and interest in different seasons. Make sure you have some plants which add interest via their stalks and seedheads, say Phlomis & Fennel.

4. Personal Touches - Reflect your style and incorporate elements that reflect your personality and preferences, such as garden art, furniture or unique plant choices. Create comfortable seating areas, shade, and places to relax and enjoy your garden.
I have a client who’s just added pops of teal in soft furnishings and bistro sets dotted in a few spots around her garden.

Someone told me today that at 1pm it is the Autumn 2026 equinox!On the autumnal equinox, the sun sits directly above the...
23/09/2026

Someone told me today that at 1pm it is the Autumn 2026 equinox!
On the autumnal equinox, the sun sits directly above the Earth's equator, marking the official start of astronomical autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere....and althoygh we are having a lovely Indian summer i am finding my thoyghts drifting to winter and 2027 plans.
Tell me what you are planning, comment below?

20/09/2026

It's not too late to plan your garden make-over! 🍂

As autumn settles in, now's the ideal time to start designing next year's garden. Whether you need a full redesign or just part of your garden refreshed, Design Heights offers a complete, end-to-end service — from concept through to planting.

Get in touch today to book your consultation and get ahead for spring.

👉 designheights.co.uk

18/09/2026

🌿 My Beth Chatto post reminded me of this project we did over the first half of the year.
Our summers are getting hotter and drier, but when the rain does come, it tends to come all at once. Traditional lawns and thirsty borders just aren't built for that anymore (as you can see in the Final image taken in July) — this gravel garden is.
Here's why it works so well:
💧 Handles drought — free-draining gravel and deep-rooted Mediterranean planting (think grasses, sedums, euphorbias) mean little to no watering once established.
🌧️ Handles downpours too — the same gravel mulch lets heavy rain soak into the soil instead of pooling or washing away, which helps with local flooding and runoff.
🐝 Great for wildlife — long flowering seasons and open flower structures make these gardens a magnet for bees and other pollinators.
🍂 Looks good all year — grasses and seedheads hold their structure through autumn and winter, so there's no bare, dormant-looking patch to deal with.
🧰 Less upkeep — fewer weeds, less watering, less time spent maintaining it.
It's a great example of designing with our changing climate rather than against it — and proof that low-maintenance doesn't have to mean low-impact on style.
Thinking about a garden that can take whatever the weather throws at it? Get in touch — designheights.co.uk 🌾

A garden without water is a garden half-finished.It's easy to focus on plants and structure when designing a garden, but...
16/09/2026

A garden without water is a garden half-finished.
It's easy to focus on plants and structure when designing a garden, but water is one of the most overlooked — and most valuable — additions you can make for local wildlife. Birds need it to drink and bathe, bees and other pollinators rely on shallow puddles to stay hydrated, hedgehogs depend on it (especially during dry spells), and frogs and other creatures need it to breed. These images are off a pond we created back in April for a client and it’s thriving with live already!!
The good news is you don't need a large pond to make a real difference. A shallow dish filled with pebbles gives insects a safe place to land and drink. A bird bath, kept topped up and clean, will bring visitors to your garden almost immediately. Even a small buried container can become a thriving mini pond over time.
As our landscapes become increasingly paved over and manicured, gardens play an ever more important role as refuges for wildlife under pressure. Adding water is one of the simplest ways to help.
Have you added a water feature to your garden? We'd love to hear what visitors it's brought you — let us know in the comments!

🍃 A little inspiration for your Friday..."Right plant, right place." — Beth ChattoChatto's famous gravel garden in Essex...
14/09/2026

🍃 A little inspiration for your Friday...
"Right plant, right place." — Beth Chatto
Chatto's famous gravel garden in Essex is proof of what this simple idea can do: work with your soil, light and conditions instead of fighting them, and your planting will thrive with far less effort.
It's a principle I come back to on every single project — the easiest gardens to love are the ones that were never a struggle to grow in the first place.


13/09/2026

Happy Sunday! ⁠
⁠If you are thinking of getting your garden sorted for next Spring/Summer then now is the ideal time to get the wheels turning. I know it feels like THIS summer isn’t over yet (cross fingers emoji) however the garden shown here took 10 months from engagement until final planting, and that’s an average timeline!

Here are some factors to consider: ⠀ ⁠
🌿 The brief and design can be completed this Autumn/Winter. Normally this stage takes 4-12 weeks.

🌿 You are looking at between 3-12 months in total from initial engagement to completion, depending on the size of your garden and availability of contractors. ⠀ ⁠

🌿 Spring and Autumn are the best times for planting.⁠

Yes it took 10 months however good things take time and the clients where delighted:
‘’We absolutely love our new garden. It has been so good getting advice about what to plant as our garden is North facing. My husband and I were a bit clueless, and in the past have wasted money planting plants that were just not suitable.
It has been such fun watching the flowers and plants emerge each season and it has brought us great joy. Carole listened to what we wanted and designed the small garden appropriately. I would certainly recommend Carole and the expert advice is invaluable. Thank you’’
Kathy Doolan

Try out some of my Top 5 Garden Design Tips to bring more visual interest into your garden:1. Add Depth and Texture – va...
12/09/2026

Try out some of my Top 5 Garden Design Tips to bring more visual interest into your garden:

1. Add Depth and Texture – vary the height of the planting by use a mix of tall, medium, and low plants to create depth in the beds. By using a combination of plants with different leaf shapes and textures, say a club-shaped Euphorbia with a feathery Deschampsia, just like this image as contrasting shapes creates drama.

2. Open Spaces – Make sure you leave space to move through the space and provide a sense of openness, even if you are after the maximalist look.

3. Seasonal Interest – Plan for year-round appeal, start with a backbone of evergreen plants to maintain structure and greenery during the winter months. I normally use a variety repeated. Then choose plants that provide colour, texture and interest in different seasons. Make sure you have some plants which add interest via their stalks and seedheads, say Phlomis & Fennel.

4. Personal Touches - Reflect your style and incorporate elements that reflect your personality and preferences, such as garden art, furniture or unique plant choices. Create comfortable seating areas, shade, and places to relax and enjoy your garden.
I have a client who’s just added pops of teal in soft furnishings and bistro sets dotted in a few spots around her garden (love eyes emoji)

🌳 Why Autumn Is Actually The Best Time To PlantIt sounds counterintuitive, but September through November is prime plant...
09/09/2026

🌳 Why Autumn Is Actually The Best Time To Plant
It sounds counterintuitive, but September through November is prime planting season for trees, shrubs and perennials in the UK.
The soil's still warm from summer, there's usually more rain about, and plants get months to settle their roots in before they're asked to cope with next summer's heat.
So if you've been waiting for 'the right time' to make a change to your garden — this is genuinely it.
👉 DM me to talk through what autumn planting could do for your garden.


06/09/2026

A professionally designed outdoor space can significantly increase the value of your property and make it far more attractive to buyers.
First impressions matter, and a beautiful, well-planned garden can set your home apart from the rest.
Ready to maximise your property’s potential?
Let’s design a garden that adds value and appeal.

Why not head over to the website and read our blog - Top 6 reasons why having a beautiful garden is key when selling your home https://designheights.co.uk/beautiful-garden-key-when-selling-your-home/



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