Garden Design in the Chilterns
I am David Boothman, an RHS Chelsea Award Winning garden designer creating bespoke gardens across the Chilterns and surrounding towns including St Albans, Harpenden and Hemel Hempstead. My designs take their inspiration from the local Chilterns landscape to create modern gardens which feel grounded and connected in the local landscape. Working with local materials, textures and plants I create gardens that feel connected to this very special place.
From a complete garden redesign to a new garden planting scheme or masterplan, I’ll work with you to create an outdoor space that suits your home, lifestyle and budget.
Inspired by the Chilterns landscape
The Chilterns has a distinctive character: rolling hills, chalk streams, open grassland and villages shaped by their landscape. These qualities offer a rich source of ideas for garden design.
I often look closely at the forms and patterns found in the natural world. The flowing vegetation in a chalk stream inspired the Sustainable Chilterns Gravel Garden. The contours and outlook of the famous Ivinghoe Beacon inspired the design for Country House Gravel Garden and help shape where paths, terraces and places to sit belong and how the planting was arranged.
The local environment has been the anchor for many of my gardens with the Galloway heather moorlands being the inspiration behind my RHS Chelsea 2025 James Parker Sculpture garden.
Every garden is different. I begin by understanding the site—its levels, soil, aspect, existing trees and views—alongside your brief. From there, I develop a design that brings the garden and its setting together.
Complete range of Garden Design Services
Full garden design
A joined-up design for your garden, from the initial brief and layout through to detailed plans and planting, selection of landscaper and project build monitoring.
Planting re-design
One of the most cost effective ways to upgrade your garden is by carrying out a planting re-design. A new tailored planting scheme brings colour, structure and seasonal interest to all or part of your garden.
Garden masterplans
A long-term plan for the whole garden, which you can put in place in stages. Often chosen where clients want to build the garden in stages but want to make sure they have a clear plan and sense of direction.
Planning scheme support
Landscape design and supporting documents for relevant planning applications.
Selection of Gardens designed and built across the Chilterns
Sustainable Gravel Garden
A 400sqm drought tolerant, naturalistic, wrap around gravel garden inspired by the local Chalk streams. Sweeping pathways and organic borders filled with drought resistant planting. The client brief was a low maintenance, year round interest garden which would become a haven for pollinating insects and wildlife.
Modern Cottage Garden
A 200sqm steeply sloping garden transformed into a set of 3 terraces each with a specific use and purpose. Local bricks, flint and timber were used to create this Chilterns inspired garden. The orangery leads out onto a modern entertainment terrace immersed in naturalistic perennial planting.
Country House Garden
The large front garden of a large country house transformed into a set of sweeping organic borders inspired by the nearby contours of the Ivinghoe Beacon. Multistem trees rise out of the garden infant of perennial borders featuring low maintenance, resilient perennials.
A proven and clear process from our first conversation
We’ll begin by discussing what you’d like from your garden; the things you like today and the things you’d like to change or add. I’ll create a clear brief which will become the starting point for the design. From there, the process will often include a site survey, followed by design proposals. Once we have agreed a design direction you love, I will draw up the detailed landscaping plans and planting design. We are then ready to assign contractors and get the garden quoted and built. The process is tried and tested and proven to deliver your dream garden.