Mel is a brilliant garden designer and we would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone. She was a pleasure to work with from start to finish of our job. She listened attentively to our needs and worked collaboratively with us on fine tuning the plans so they met all aspects of the brief, including criteria from The Dulwich Estate.
She went out of her way to source the right components for the plan she created for us, whilst also being considerate of the budget that had been outlined.
Her attention to detail was second to none across all aspects of the job and we really valued her helping to oversee the landscape gardeners who executed the plans. The result is a garden that we absolutely love and we have received so many compliments on the finished design. The zoning is very well considered, the planting is beautiful and the lighting elevates this further, making our garden a pleasure to look at in the evenings as well.
Giulia & Alistair Dulwich
Melanie saw right away what was wrong with our garden and wasn't afraid to say so, very politely and very convincingly. The plan she came up with was fantastic and she was very open to all our tweaks and queries and requirements. The whole process was quite an adventure, beginning with computer-generated images of what she proposed, with various different versions, and the excitement grew as we honed it down to exactly what worked for us.
Her recommendation for a landscaper was no less impressive – we got a total pro, who didn't baulk at the prospect of moving two very heavy but gorgeous boulders from the pavement to the right spot in the garden. It is spring now and everything she planted is starting to take shape, from the tulips to the alliums, from the cabbage palm to the Amelanchiers. Every week brings new delights – and our neighbours and friends are now frequently popping by to wonder at our garden (and to nick ideas).
We owe it all to Melanie's expertise, patience, ingenuity and easy-going manner. We cannot recommend her highly enough.
Andrew and Emma, Peckham, London
We are completely thrilled with our garden. Mel’s design has transformed a rather sad, inaccessible space, where 60% of the garden wasn’t in use, into an inviting, open, blooming paradise, where we as a family spend as much time as possible. Our kids love playing in the space where Mel has thoughtfully added details to make it interesting to children - pathways through beds, wooden steps made out of an old tree trunk, wildflowers lawns and raised beds for planting veg and fruit. We are now able to entertain our friends in the outdoor dining area and have other families over to play and we’ve been transformed from know-nothing plant-fearers into - well - slightly less clueless, amateur horticulturalists. We’re completely in love with our new garden. It’s utterly changed how we use our house. The day we decided to give Mel a call was the best decision we made in the whole project. We’re completely grateful to her and would recommend her to anyone thinking of taking on their outdoor space, however big or small.
Matt & Thi Sydenham
Working with Mel twice now has meant a continuous 10 years of sustained pleasure and pride in my compact but impactful north London garden. She’s directed me toward new plants and their evolving relationships in surprising and beautiful ways and sculpted our landscape beautifully, and to budget. I trust her judgement, her aesthetic and her advice implicitly and have particularly appreciated that she’s both listened to my aspirations as well as guided me out of my comfort zone to wonderful horticultural effect.
I’ve recommended her repeatedly to both small garden owners as well as those with larger landscapes.
Mel has vision and is totally reliable producing very high quality work.
We’re lucky to have had a chance to work with her as I imagine spaces in her availability are few and far between
I’ve recommended her repeatedly to both small garden owners as well as those with larger landscapes.
Mel has vision and is totally reliable producing very high quality work.
We’re lucky to have had a chance to work with her as I imagine spaces in her availability are few and far between
D Roet, N5
Melanie helped us replant and zone our South London garden, we gave her a detailed outline of what we were trying to create and she took this on board and hit the brief spot on. The planting guidance was excellent, with many suggestions for plants we weren’t aware of that have made a real impact in the garden. Melanie is also always around for aftercare advise and help when needed. A year on we still love the garden she helped us create.
M Rose Herne Hill