Ruth Treacher Garden Design

Ruth Treacher Garden Design We create climate-responsible, bio-diverse gardens, underpinned by a strong contemporary aesthetic for clients in south London.

Five Plant Combo No. 3: Dry ShadeDry shade is one of the toughest areas in which to create interesting. There are many p...
03/06/2026

Five Plant Combo No. 3: Dry Shade

Dry shade is one of the toughest areas in which to create interesting. There are many plants, however, which have adapted to cope and here is a selection that works brilliantly to create interesting and varied foliage, with delicately coloured flowers. These plants are also all evergreen, so you will have something to look at all year:

Epimedium pubigerum: produces an impressive bushy mound of heart shaped leaves that are flushed with bronze in spring. Tiny cream, pink and yellow flowers are held above on wiry stems.

Helleborus argutifolius: a tall, strong-stemmed hellebore from the mediterranean, with toothed leaves and bold clumps of lime green flowers.

Geranium nodosum: a delicate woodland plant that, after a couple of years, will happily spread and self seed, offering luminous pale purple flowers.

Luzula nivea: fine and furry strappy leaves, with sprays of fluffy white flowers.

Hedera helix ‘Sagittifolia’ or ‘Star’: an ivy for people who hate ivy. Leaves like a centaur’s spear, this will smother an ugly fence without taking over the whole garden.

Have you got a dry shade garden? Visit our website (link in bio) and look at our ‘Shade Garden’ project for more ideas.

27/05/2026

This little front garden in Brixton was designed using ‘cottage garden’ plants that not only look classic and romantic, but up the stakes in terms of biodiversity and fragrance. By using a range of plants with long flowering periods, the garden not only looks gorgeous but is a magnet for pollinators. Flower colour and shape is important: we have included a climbing rose called ‘Francis E. Lester’ from selected for its simple, open blooms with easy to reach nectar.

Traditional cottage gardens mix edible and ornamental plants, and here we have added thyme, fennel, marjoram, lavender and a crab apple tree.

By choosing many plants that are resilient to drought, the garden is surprisingly low maintenance, needing just a light w**d once a month and a late winter tidy.

We used reclaimed Yorkstone for paving and repurposed the gravel we found on site.

Could your front garden bring joy to you and your street? Visit our website to see how we can help. Link in bio.

30/04/2026

My latest client review:

“Ruth is completely dependable from start to finish and she gave me such confidence in what otherwise would have been a very daunting experience. Ruth is meticulous; from testing the different soils in my garden to taking exact measurements for pathways, the patio, planting beds and the pergola which really helped the construction team. Ruth included nods to my Mediterranean background in both the choice of the stone paving and pathways and some of the planting too. Ruth really listened and she also gave excellent advice on what was actually practical in my garden setting. She was always available to make adaptations when needed and to reassure me if my confidence wobbled during the total makeover of what is actually a large space for a London garden. My garden came with many challenges - party walls in poor condition, a plot that was neither square or flat and a customer who needed to be calmed and reassured !! Ruth’s computer generated designs are meticulous, which really help you to visualise the end product. Family, friends and neighbours have really complimented the end product and it is a really peaceful oasis which I am really enjoying. I can thoroughly recommend Ruth. Whatever the size of your garden rest assured that it will be a pleasure to work with her and you will undoubtedly enjoy the end product.

Michele, Brixton

24/04/2026

I paid a return visit to our Mediterranean garden in Brixton today to see how things were going.
I was glad to see everything had survived the horribly wet winter and that the Cercis siliquastrum was in full flower. Alliums were putting on a show and the perennials had grown enormously in the spring sunshine.

Just five months after planting, the garden already feels established, but by the end of the summer this year, I expect all the borders to be full.

The garden is now a brilliant space for family get togethers, and my client’s niece will be hosting her hen party and wedding celebrations in the garden this summer. The garden should make an excellent backdrop for the photos!

If this has got you thinking about transforming your own garden, visit our website for details of how we work.

Hard landscaping by the excellent

11/02/2026

When the building work is finished and the plants are in the ground, it can still be hard to imagine a garden ever being mature.

In most planting schemes, you’ll be amazed how much perennials will grow in just one season. In years two and three, borders are likely to be full.

With a little bit of magic we have brought our Mediterranean-inspired garden in Brixton to life.

If you need help realising your garden transformation, get in touch for a chat.
Link in bio.

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08/12/2025

Site visits are an essential part of achieving your dream garden.

I like to go to site regularly whilst projects are being built to check the contractor is following the design closely, the work is of a high standard and to help resolve any issues that may arise.

Last week on our Richmond project, I went to site to test the soil in various locations. The soil across the garden varied from gravelly loam to heavy clay. Each area will need to be prepared differently before we plant and plants will be selected that are appropriate to the soil type.

Whilst on site I spotted that the pointing being done on the retaining walls was not right, so I started a discussion with (who is leading the renovation of the house) and the contractor to agree how it should be done.

I also paid a visit to the next-door neighbours to make sure they were happy with the specification of the new fence.

After each visit I report back to my Client, keeping them up to date with progress.

I was on site in Brixton checking progress with on this large south facing garden. Very excited to see the new cobbles ...
24/09/2025

I was on site in Brixton checking progress with on this large south facing garden.

Very excited to see the new cobbles and stone going down. I wanted to reduce waste on this project so asked the team if they could re-purpose the old concrete slabs. Edgars and his team have made a brilliant job of relaying them in the access alley.

Last image shows the concept design. The planting scheme will be a resilient mix of Mediterranean plants inspired by my client’s Maltese heritage.

Went to a great tour and talk by Darryl Moore, Director of last night. Darryl talked through a number of his projects i...
19/09/2025

Went to a great tour and talk by Darryl Moore, Director of last night. Darryl talked through a number of his projects in the London Bridge area where he has used funding from local businesses and corporations to develop pockets of resilient urban greening.

I learnt a lot from the talk and it has given me the confidence to test the techniques he has been using in my own planting designs.

Most of the schemes we explored used aggregates as a planting medium - often crushed concrete from local demolition sites and recycled sand. The restricted nutrients in this medium means plants become more resilient with shorter but tougher stature. Considering the intensely dry summer this year, the unirrigated plants were coping extremely well.

A few details I found particularly interesting:

- crushed concrete creates a similar habitat to chalk grassland due to its high lime content.

- this type of ‘dry’ garden can work just as well for shade tolerant plants, mimicking the dry conditions created under large trees.

- many plants have a surprisingly large range when it comes to conditions they will tolerant.

- Darryl works using a planting matrix rather than conventional plans, where he works out quantities of plants by percentage and arranges them in layered groups imitating conditions in nature.

Darryl spoke about the importance of creating public spaces that give joy to the local community and the satisfaction he feels when someone stops him while he’s working to say how much they are enjoying the plants.

At least two of the schemes were previously made up of elements from former RHS Chelsea show gardens, re-homed through ’Project Giving Back.’

Lovely to get some pictures from .outdoors.uk today of a planting scheme I designed in Brockley, implemented in autumn 2...
16/09/2025

Lovely to get some pictures from .outdoors.uk today of a planting scheme I designed in Brockley, implemented in autumn 2023.

In its second summer season, it has completely filled out to create a beautiful, naturalistic garden in front of this impressive Victorian villa. It includes evergreen structure in the shape of Osmanthus, a selection of grasses for texture and movement and many drought tolerant species such as Stachys, Euphorbia, Lavandula and Achillea.

Providing some contrasting formality to screen the street, is a row of Viburnum tinus half-standards in containers, underplanted with flowing Erigeron.

On the drawing board this week:A compact terraced garden in Camberwell featuring three multistem trees for shade and sec...
16/09/2025

On the drawing board this week:
A compact terraced garden in Camberwell featuring three multistem trees for shade and seclusion, brick pavers and a gravel garden.


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