Our Story

Gardening with the climate, not against it.

Gravel Garden Design was founded on a simple observation: our summers are getting hotter and drier, yet most gardens are still designed for a climate that no longer exists.

We specialise in gravel gardening — a Mediterranean-inspired approach where plants grow through a mineral mulch, rooting deeply and thriving without irrigation once established. The result is a garden alive with texture, scent and pollinators, that asks for a fraction of the maintenance of a traditional border.

Inspired by the pioneering dry gardens of Beth Chatto and the naturalistic rhythms of Piet Oudolf, every GGD garden is designed to be beautiful in all four seasons — from spring bulbs pushing through gravel to frosted seed heads in December light.

Diagram showing traditional planting versus planting into an aggregate mix

What we believe

Plants first

A garden should be full of life. We design with generous, layered planting — grasses, sub-shrubs, bulbs and perennials chosen for your soil and aspect.

Resilience built in

No irrigation systems, no thirsty lawns. Gravel gardens drink the rain that falls and shrug off heatwaves that scorch conventional borders.

Less maintenance, more enjoyment

The gravel mulch suppresses weeds and the planting looks after itself. Your weekends belong to the deckchair, not the hosepipe.

Curious what your garden could become?

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