Testimonials
We have a small back garden in Greenwich that we had not really used in the four years since we moved in. An old shed took up much of the space and the rest of the garden was planted with large trees and bushes, leaving little available space to enjoy. We asked Catherine to design a patio garden that we could spend lots of time in and have various areas for entertaining. She came up with a really excellent solution that maximized the available space and gave us both a seating and dining area. Importantly there was also lots of room for planters that have a really nice mix of flowers, plants and trees. We worked closely with her to finalise the design and then used a garden landscaper that Catherine had used before and rated highly. This worked perfectly as he and his team were excellent, produced a very high quality finish and liaised at all stages with Catherine to iron out any issues. We could not be happier with the result – we spend as much time as possible in the garden now and have had lots of friends round to enjoy it.
– Brian
We are incredibly grateful to Catherine. She created a functional yet beautiful space for our family. Our garden was covered with cement, pebbles and old fashioned flower beds that took up all the space. It was awkward and dangerous for a small child. We weren’t able to use it at all and in fact barely ever went there for 5 years that we’ve lived in this house. It seemed hopeless and we almost made peace with not having any outside space.
From our very first conversation, Cathrine immediately had a clear idea of what was actually possible to achieve; and it really took quite a leap of imagination to figure out how to transform that space. Catherine redesigned the space completely with incredible professionalism. She is very knowledgeable and understands what will work, while being very open and listening very carefully to what the client wants to achieve. She then somehow, almost by magic, married what was practically feasible with our hopes and wishes and came up with a stunning result.
Catherine is very approachable and generous with her availability and advice, and goes above and beyond to achieve the desired effect. She spent quite a lot of time looking for the tree in the right size and shape – I was truly surprised and am very grateful considering the lenghts she went to for the project.
While being imaginative and spot-on from the point of view of design, Catherine was also very aware of our budget as well as timing issues, and executed the project smoothly, making use of what was already in the garden to keep the cost within the budget.
Catherine has contacts for all the professionals you will need to create your garden, including a fantastic team of landscapers. Both Catherine and the landscapers were simply amazing. They worked flexibly to make the project work alongside our house renovations which interfered to a degree with their work.
The final result exceeded all our hopes and expectations. We love the new space and feel almost like we moved to a new house, this time to one with a garden. Our one year old loves it too and wants to go there all the time. Thank you!
– Anna and Kiru Rajasingam
Catherine has been instrumental in helping us to achieve our dream garden. She was happy to work collaboratively to create the design, and patient in working out all the details along the way. Her expertise and experience was incredible, allowing us to enjoy the whole process while teaching us about plants, design and light in the garden. Her relationship with the recommended landscaper was excellent, allowing this to be a seamless project from start to finish. We had a long list of requirements and a relatively small space, but somehow Catherine managed to fit them all in without feeling compromised on space. We are so happy with the results and wholeheartedly recommend Catherine to anyone that is considering her services!
I employed Catherine’s Garden Design Services to totally re-design my front garden to create an impactful, garden to compliment my home which I had recently had renovated. I was very keen to work with a locally based business and am so glad I did. Catherine took time to discuss my requirements & creative inspiration and created the most wonderful design taking all of this into consideration. This included the hard landscaping, lighting, irrigation & of course the planting layouts. Catherine was an absolute pleasure to work with, responsive & highly professional she guided me on every step of the journey and oversaw the planting day. She has created the garden of my dreams, I really could not be more happy and therefore highly recommend her services.
We chose Catherine to redesign both our front and back gardens after seeing some of her work online. Catherine was a pleasure to work with and had transformed our neglected garden into a gorgeous outdoor space that we can use for both socialising and relaxing. The sloping garden is now in terraces, with a couple of seating and eating areas and beautiful planting. Catherine listened to what we wanted and then came up with some great ideas – she was happy to make adjustments and oversaw the whole process. Bes landscapes – the contractors that Catherine recommended – were equally fantastic and the whole process ran very smoothly. Nothing was too much trouble for Catherine – including ordering some garden furniture for us earlier this year. We love it!
Catherine has completely transformed our boring, nondescript, messy back garden into a contemporary cottage garden which we now thoroughly enjoy looking at and looking after. We only have a small space and yet we were very demanding. We wanted it to look modern and spacious yet crammed with bee and butterfly-friendly planting. We also needed Catherine to design a ferny jungle area underneath some metal stairs as well as suggest shade-loving screening plants to give respectful privacy to our neighbours’ downstairs flat. She has done all this and we are absolutely thrilled. Catherine had so many clever ideas and design tips that we wouldn’t have thought of and she knew about plants that I’d never heard of. We feel so lucky to have found Catherine.
We found Catherine via an online search, where we loved the look of some previous projects she had worked on, and were encouraged by the favourable reviews.
We sought Catherine’s help primarily to completely remodel and redesign our 30mx15m front garden, which was previously a wasted, unusable and ugly space consisting of an excessively large pebble driveway, wood chipping, and some mature trees.
We had thought long and hard how to transform the area, but couldn’t figure out the practicalities. Catherine listened to our thoughts and ideas and quickly came back to us with some clever solutions and plans.
The area is now transformed and unrecognisable. It was not just the just use of space that was so impressive, but also the attractive planting, and in particular a creative and inspired idea for a stone path to gently bend through the middle of the garden to the front door. Catherine’s work has made every time we come home a genuine pleasure.
In addition to the front garden, we also had Catherine’s input into some minor reworking of the back garden, where we are similarly happy with the results. We have a little more that needs doing to it, and we’re looking forward to working with Catherine again.
The one error we made was not using the landscape gardeners that Catherine usually works with, thinking we could save quite a bit of money getting someone else who could do the job (on the face of it) substantially cheaper. The company we used was chaotic, overran, caused daily stress and inevitably ended up substantially more expensive than originally quoted. Despite the landscape gardeners also being very difficult to deal with on a personal level, Catherine showed admirable force of personality to ensure the gardeners stuck to the design and did their work with sufficient quality, even though it wasn’t her job to project manage them.
We’d highly recommend using Catherine – she is a pleasure to work with.
Following a modern extension project on our Victorian house we finally gained an extensive view of our garden. We therefore wanted a garden design to reflect the more open feel of the house, whilst maintaining privacy from the neighbouring houses which we had enjoyed previously, and keep the local foxes out!. Catherine fulfilled the brief perfectly and came up with a wonderful stylish design with slatted wooden fencing on top of our wall, colour matched to the door frames, and brick walled borders planted with semi mature trees and shrubs. Catherine designed the planting scheme whilst taking into account requests from both my husband and I for the few plants we can actually name, or at least describe. Catherine recommended & supervised a brilliant landscaper & his team and before we knew it we had a gorgeous new garden which is looking more lovely by the week.
30 April 2019
We’re so delighted with our new front and back gardens. Catherine has been absolutely superb. She took on board everything we wanted and has helped us transform the gardens on budget and on time. She worked to tight schedules and has continued to offer us help and advice as and when needed. I couldn’t be more pleased and grateful.
Highly recommended!
February 2019
Catherine took the time to get to know us both at the pre-design stage to give us a garden which reflected us, our lifestyle and our low maintenance requirements, outdoor living whilst giving us the wow-factor to the garden. She transformed what had been ‘dead space’ behind out kitchen/side return into amazing floating steps ensuring good views from all angles and windows. Our old boring brown shed was transformed into a lovely summer house. She used curves in the edging to the grass and the design elongated our garden. It truly was the most amazing transformation. We would not hesitate to recommend Catherine.
October 2017
Catherine is both creative and practical – she’s helped us achieve front and back gardens that look lovely but also work well with the demands of family life. She was really easy to work with and happy for me to get stuck in with choosing plants and planting up, whilst taking all the hard landscaping headache off my hands. The gardens just keep getting better – we get so many compliments! I’d wholeheartedly recommend her.
April 2018
Catherine has an extensive knowledge of plants and trees. She is very thorough in examining the site and working with existing plants. Her design was (as we requested) simple but elegant. She is very prompt with communication, fun and friendly to work with, and takes onboard the client requests with much patience. She was very hands on, helped us choose trees, was there on planting day, and sorted out all snags efficiently.
We wanted someone who would make the whole process easier and not ‘over engineer’ the garden, and Catherine filled the brief perfectly.
April 2018
We loved working with Catherine to redesign our garden. She totally transformed our grey & overgrown backyard into a luscious, colourful & fragrant garden. Catherine is an experienced, knowledgable and creative designer who was flexible, fun and open to my suggestions. I would certainly recommend Catherine and her extended team of contacts.
March 2018
Catherine was recommended to us by a mutual acquaintance and I would not hesitate to recommend her in turn.
We have a small garden within our inner city terrace house. The garden is a typical size for such a property, ie small! However the real challenge came from the fact that it is an unusal shape because the side street cuts into the normal oblong plot, leaving us with a triangle. We desperately needed a garden designer.
Within a matter of days, Catherine came up with several innovative drawings and after a discussion about the design/layout options and planting plan, we gave the go-ahead.
Not only was this speed a very welcome surprise, we then found that Catherine had contacts with all the necessary skilled workmen. She effectively instructed them and managed the project on our behalf. Again their speed and quality of work was such a positive. How many builders finish a job on time and within budget?
We are very pleased and have a brilliantly designed lovely garden. Everyone says so.
Philip and Rachel. Brockley SE4. July 2015
We had been at a loss with what to do with the garden of our small home in Greenwich since we moved in nearly three years ago. We live on a steep hill, and the garden is correspondingly very steep – and it was very overgrown. It was effectively unusable, and reducing the light in our living room. As this is our first home and first garden project we were fairly daunted by the whole process, but from the first meeting Catherine was friendly, clear, and really helpful. She was full of suggestions and information, but also very good at listening to our ideas and focusing on creating the garden we wanted within our budget. The result is that Catherine has managed to create exactly what we wanted despite our hazy understanding of gardens and gardening. She was also very prompt to help with any concerns during the building, and very patient in explaining any on-going maintenance requirements. We’ve had breakfast in the garden every morning since completion, and it is blissful. Our friends are convinced we’ve somehow doubled the space. It has made such a difference to our lives already.
We love it, thanks, Catherine!
Jessica Ballantine and John Robb,
July 2013
We moved into a victorian terraced house in late summer 2011. It has a lovely long south-facing garden and although the hard landscaping had already been done (path,patios) and a lawn laid ,there was very little planting in the two west and east facing borders. We’d been without a garden for four years and were really keen to have something lovely to sit in,look at and enjoy as soon as we could. I found Catherine’s website, loved what I saw and asked her if she could create something lovely for us. And she did just that and more. Discussing the design,the effect,the feel and the plants for the borders with her was really enjoyable as was the actual planting in late April. Catherine transformed our garden,we are totally in love with it and have absolutely no hesitation in recommending her.
Jenny and David, Lee,
August 2012
When we bought our house the garden was just grass and concrete. We wanted an old-fashioned garden that would complement the house. As we knew nothing about garden design, we were vague about details. Catherine listened carefully to what we outlined, and gave us exactly what we had been looking for. She really had a vision for our garden. The following year we invited Catherine back to work on the front garden, which was just a depressing concrete square. We had no idea what to do with it. Catherine came up with a great design and her suggestions for plants suited the location perfectly. Many people have stopped and commented on how our smart and interesting the front garden is. This was some years ago, and the gardens, front and back, have continued to thrive and gives us huge pleasure throughout the year.
Kate & Dan Jan 2012.
Back garden completed 2006, front garden 2007
We really are so pleased with our garden. Thanks for everything, it was a pleasure to meet you and our garden is a delight now, really feel we have made the most of the space.
Sarah and Ben Sept 2012.
Our garden was an overgrown mess, and although we had some vague ideas, we really needed help. Catherine listened and drew up several alternative designs for us to consider, which we then tweaked. Having someome who knew about suppliers and contractors saved us endless time and made it cheaper as well. When the building work was finished she returned, went plant shopping with us and helped us plant everything out. Our garden seems twice the size and will be so much more enjoyable in good weather. We’re really pleased.
Duncan, Charlton, December 2011
Our patio was very dark and unwelcoming; so much so that except for the odd barbecue in a hot summer day, we literally never wanted to spend any time there. With a growing family, we felt that we should make use of the space we had so we got Catherine to draft some options. We quickly opted for a complete re-design of it, adopting the same style as our internal décor. We quickly realized how much space that had been wasted. We now have a lovely, attractive and low maintenance patio that is adaptable: it can be a nice and safe place for the kids to play as well as a lovely place for entertaining on a summer evening. There are storage hidden everywhere and the shed is our back garden wall! My favorite time of the year is spring when all the bulbs that she planted peep out… it is a real fire-works of colors and senses!
Cecile and Martin
September 2010.
When we bought our house we inherited a pond with some koi carp fish. The pond was just a little square hole at the back of the garden and the garden itself was a large square lawn with huge hedge like plants that had never been trimmed. We wanted to have a garden that was modern in design and based around a pond feature but we did not have any other idea of how the garden could be designed. I always wanted to have a swing and a pergola in my garden. I wanted to grow some vegetables. I also wanted a garden that was easy to manage and did not have to plant flowers every year for colour. With this in mind Catherine came up with a design for the Pond Garden.
The design that Catherine created encompassed everything that I could have ever imagined in a garden and more. We have a huge pond with lots of space for the the Koi carp, there is a lovely sitting area where we can watch the fish, there is a bridge that under which fish can get shelter, i have a large raised vegetable bed, Catherine came up with a planting design incorporating trees and shrubs which wouldn’t require too much attention.
The contemporary pergola leads to my swing, and when the climbing plants grow over the pergola, it will make the garden even more interesting. Catherine has great vision and artistic ability and this is demonstrated in the design she came up with. In addition to this, she is passionate about what she does and this showed in her commitment to actually deliver the garden to time and budget. We will enjoy this garden for many years to come, it is another room and an extension to the house and important feature of our living space. We love it…
Bhavna, Pinner, Middlesex,
September 2011
Catherine and her team transformed a dreary and delapidated urban terrace backyard into a beautiful little sanctuary garden. It’s a joy to be in and a joy to gaze out at. After an initial consulation, the work was done within a matter of days. Catherine sorted everything out – from the practical, like organising the skip, to the georgous and creative planting. I didn’t have to do a thing apart from get home from work each day and marvel. Gardens are so important. If you have only a small space in an urban setting perhaps they become even more important.
I am so glad to have found Catherine’s company. This was one of the most important pieces transformative work I have had done on my house (though not in terms of cost) and it has made such a difference. My next step is to get Catherine working on the (even smaller) front garden.
Sarah, Lee, April 2008
Sheila recommends Catherine Clancy, a gardener who lives in Blackheath. She says “Her website is www.catherieclancy.com and you can see examples of her work on there – her contact details are on there too. We asked her to come in and revitalise our garden, on the basis she had done our next door neighbour’s garden and they rated her very highly. She came in to do ours, was really flexible about timings, gave lots of helpful advice by email about what we could do ourselves and offers a service whereby she can come 3 or 4 times a year to do the major work, allowing you to do some of the easier work yourself. She also did a really good job on our garden, so both my next door neighbour and I would highly recommend her!”
Sheila, Greenwich, August 2009
Catherine transformed our garden from a pile of builders rubble into a beautiful victorian walled garden which has changed our lifestyle. She has the ability to create both a brilliant design and ensure that the build and planting are smoothly executed on time and budget.
Mr Morton, Greenwich,
Dec 2006
“…Catherine was friendly, clear, and really helpful. She was full of suggestions and information, but also very good at listening to our ideas and focusing on creating the garden we wanted within our budget.”
“Catherine transformed our garden,we are totally in love with it and have absolutely no hesitation in recommending her.”
“Catherine came up with a great design and her suggestions for plants suited the location perfectly… and the gardens, front and back, have continued to thrive and gives us huge pleasure throughout the year.”
Contact us on
Mobile: 078796 61923
Email: gardens@catherineclancy.com