Ruth Willmott Associates is a team of creative design, horticultural and sustainability professionals with a reputation for creating aesthetically beautiful gardens that embrace and work with nature.
As a studio we believe that great gardens can have a wonderfully positive impact on wildlife, local biodiversity and the wellbeing of the people who use them and we strive to ensure our work provides long-term benefits for everyone.
While all of our masterplans are bespoke to our clients and the location, our gardens will always prioritise trees and planting over hard landscaping.
We enjoy designing in conservation neighbourhoods, areas of outstanding natural beauty and with listed properties where building on and respecting what has gone before is paramount.
The opportunity to connect and collaborate with experts and consultants in the wider landscape industry is really important to us. We are experienced at working as part of a multi-disciplinary team and we have a network of industry experts to ensure our decisions are informed by the best landscape, horticultural and environmental practices so we can do our work thoughtfully, sustainably and more enjoyably, as a team.
We provide a clear, comprehensive garden design service and can manage projects, on time and in budget, from the initial design stages right through to completion. We build in sustainable practices from the moment we are involved in a project. From our first client conversation and site assessment we will evaluate the opportunities for solutions that we can incorporate into the design, build and maintenance of the garden.
Most importantly, we want to create long-term relationships with our clients and their outside spaces and we strive to ensure our clients really enjoy the experience of working with us and feel as comfortable and confident during the creative process as they do when we handover over the finished garden.
"Gardens that connect with each client so that they make the most of their time in the natural environment. Designs that look to the past to inform the future. Strong garden bones and harmonious geometry. A respect for the presence and importance of trees in landscape and joyous planting."
"Understanding your requirements and developing the design brief is how we start to develop the concept, style and theme of the garden – whether an RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden, a Private Residential Space or a Community public space. This may involve reviewing planning or historical documents and meeting architects, interior designers or structural engineers. We love collaborating with others, where needed, to see the bigger picture and our landscape role in it.
Time spent conducting a through site analysis is a critical foundation to any of our designs. Assessing the soil, aspect and conditions of its location are particularly crucial. Our designs are aesthetically beautiful yet also work harmoniously with the specific site conditions we find. We think about sustainability right from the start of the project in terms of the design also how the landscape will be created in a durable, gentle way. We will request a topographical survey and may also commission soil, ecological or baseline biodiversity assessments. If the garden is particularly large, we may need to undertake a consultation period and spend time (up to a year) observing the garden through the seasons across the space.
Once the design brief is agreed and site assessment understood we prepare a set of presentation drawings. These will include a scaled masterplan of the garden, elevations, level plans and mood boards to illustrate the atmosphere.
Following approval of this high level design, we prepare the detailed construction drawing package including specifying all materials and planting. Planting brings a garden to life and we pay particular attention to selecting tree and hedging species given their longevity and many positive benefits.
At the end of the detailing stage, all documents are ready for garden build quotation(s) to be requested. We work with a number of experienced and organised landscape contractors and specialist craftspeople.
During the construction phase we make weekly site visits helping to ensure that the project remains within budget and on time as well as delivering the final design and finish that we have specified. This administration phase is particularly important when multiple design parties are involved to coordinate with any wider site development.
After the garden has been built, we are often asked to recommend gardeners and landscape maintenance contractors. We are always there for advice and guidance."
Banner and image 1 and 2: Richard Bloom Photography; Image 2-5: Ruth Willmott Associates; Image 6: Andrew Beasley Photography; Image 7: Ruth Willmott Associates; Image 8 Joanna Kossak Photography
