Bio
"I love plants - they can teach us so much about joy, resilience and positive thinking! I love the spaces you can create with them, how they change every day and how much more we have to learn about them."
I have worked in horticulture for 15 years, and I have enjoyed spending time in gardens for much longer!
When I decided to turn my lifelong passion into a profession, I trained at KLC School of Design (Chelsea) and achieved a Distinction in Planting Design, as well as the Royal Horticultural Society Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture.
Before that, a 20-year corporate career in Public Relations taught me about communication, managing time and money, and keeping a sense of humour at all times!
I originally started Muddy Boots Garden Design working alongside architects, landscapers and builders to design new garden spaces – providing landscape concepts and design drawings to guide the build of these new gardens.
A Passion for Plants was then created to focus on plants and planting design, continuing to create gardens that are simply designed to be as natural and immersive as possible, and developing my passion for horticulture and plants. I work with clients, gardeners, landscape teams and trade nurseries to create new designs or enhance existing gardens with colour, texture and form for year-round enjoyment. My ideas focus on using plants to create spaces, atmosphere, screening and views.
I work in large or small spaces – my average project value is around £30k. I work alongside skilled local contractors who bring my designs to life and help with planting. I source plants for clients from trade nurseries which offer high quality plants and expert knowledge.
And I am constantly learning… I am registered as a Friend of the Society of Garden Designers (www.sgd.org.uk) which provides access to a network of local and national professionals and Continual Professional Development in the form of practical courses and speaker conferences to debate the latest industry issues and trends.
I work mainly in and around Beaconsfield, South Buckinghamshire where my family is based.
I like to develop close working relationships with my clients and colleagues based on transparency, trust and good humour. The majority of my work comes from referrals and I am happy to put existing and potential clients in touch with each other to understand how I work.
“Emma is an absolute pleasure to work with - very professional and great at keeping you informed and involved in decisions. Her ideas are considered and transformative - simple and totally in keeping with our converted barn and its rural setting”
“Emma is astonishingly efficient and clear thinking - her ability to understand the brief demonstrates her skill and empathy for different people's needs. Coupled with her extraordinary time management, these qualities make Emma excellent value for money.”