Our Team

With over 25 years of experience in garden design, we bring a diverse team of experts in design, horticulture, ecology, landscapes and creative arts to deliver breathtaking, captivating outdoor spaces that embrace nature, enhance wellbeing and elevate your surroundings.

  • Michelle Brandon

    DIRECTOR

    Michelle is an RHS award-winning landscape designer and qualified horticultural therapist. Beginning her career in 1999 designing contemporary London gardens and country estates. Her designs are deeply connected to her work in horticultural therapy, having studied Social and Therapeutic Horticulture at Coventry University and worked with Thrive, the leading charity in this field. Michelle’s 2019 medal-winning show garden at the RHS Hampton Court Flower Festival showcased the benefits of nature for physical and mental health. She designs landscapes that promote beauty and wellbeing. She is regularly requested to manage show gardens at the Chelsea Flower shows and judges for the Landscape Institute. 

  • Ashley Cruickshank

    DESIGN ASSISTANT

    Ashley is a talented designer who recently completed her studies in Garden and Landscape Design at The Eden Project in Cornwall. She has further enhanced her expertise with the RHS Level 2 Practical Course in Horticulture. Ashley’s passion for plants, biodiversity, and sustainability drives her work, reflecting her deep commitment to creating environmentally conscious designs. Her keen interest in landscape architecture informs her approach, blending innovative design with sustainable practices. Ashley is dedicated to fostering harmonious relationships between people and nature through her thoughtful and dynamic landscape projects.

  • Ben West

    With a lifelong passion for nature that began in childhood, this individual’s journey into natural history started at age ten, when they discovered an abandoned fledgling and became an avid birdwatcher. Their love for wildlife expanded through early experiences with badgers, freshwater fish, and wildflowers.

    A former landscape gardener, they developed a deep understanding of native plants and insects, particularly butterflies and bees. Now residing in the South, their focus includes foraging, bushcraft, and the chalk landscapes of Surrey and Sussex. Through Ben's website 'Where the Wild Things Are,' they aim to share their extensive knowledge of nature, wild food, and conservation.

  • Victoria Hofgartner

    Victoria is a passionate and creative qualified Forest School Practitioner (Level 3), dedicated to helping children and adults reconnect with nature.  Her goal is to create mindful, present experiences that encourage a deeper connection to the outdoors, reducing reliance on materialism and the stresses of modern life.

    I hold certifications in Paediatric and Outdoor First Aid, Safeguarding, and Food Safety, along with full public liability insurance. With several years’ experience as a nanny and in schools, I have led forest school programs and worked with children of all ages, including those with special needs.

    Currently studying foraging at Wild Harvest School.

  • A study by Public Health England (PHE) highlighted that outdoor exercise can result in **20% higher energy expenditure

  • Research shows that people who are more connected with nature are usually happier in life and more likely to report feeling their lives are worthwhile. Nature can generate many positive emotions, such as calmness, joy, and creativity and can facilitate concentration.

  • According to studies nature connectedness is also associated with lower levels of poor mental health, particularly lower depression and anxiety. 

  • It's been proved that you burn more calories because you have more energy and you tend to exercise for longer and harder outside as you are not 'clock watching'.
    You are not breathing in recycled air as you would in a gym but fresh air thanks to the trees.

  • Natural England found that 1 in 5 adults (20%) spent little to no time in nature 

  • The same survey found that 16% of children spent no leisure time outdoors during a typical month.

  • Research by Mind (2020) revealed that one in four UK adults felt their mental health worsened because they were spending too much time indoors and isolated from nature.

  • A 2021 survey by the Mental Health Foundation showed that 62% of adults felt time outdoors improved their mental health, yet many struggled to make time for it.