Garden Design Case Studies Cornwall

Explore a selection of garden design case studies completed throughout Cornwall by Gardens Of Eden. These projects showcase the transformation of outdoor spaces through thoughtful design, planting plans and ecological landscaping. From contemporary cottage gardens and wildlife-friendly landscapes to food forests and tropical planting schemes, each case study demonstrates the journey from concept to completed garden.

Oasis Garden | Newquay, Cornwall

Explore the design process for the Oasis Garden we designed and created from start to finish

Oasis Garden before. Existing garden lacked structure and a coherent theme.

Existing vegetation was selectively retained while unsuitable plants were removed. Soil was dug over and improved by adding sand.

Planting Design

Planting Plan for Oasis Garden

Elevation for Oasis Garden (north facing)

Elevation for Oasis Garden (south facing)

Completed Garden

The design made use of contrasting microclimates, with shade tolerant jungly planting on the north-facing side and drought tolerant, architectural species on the south-facing, raised side.

The finished garden combines year-round structure, biodiversity and low-maintenance planting

South facing, sunnier side of the Oasis Garden, recently planted

North facing, shadier side of the Oasis Garden, recently planted

Plant selections include varieties recognised by the RHS as beneficial for pollinators.

Testimonial from Oasis Garden clients

A dream come true ....from the moment we met Zac we knew he was the landscaper for us. His knowledge and enthusiasm is exceptional. We told him about our love of succulents and tropical plants and Zac created the best of both. A beautiful arid side full of succulents and geometric shapes and the opposite side a tropical haven full of tree ferns and lush green leaves. We are still newly planted and can't wait to see the garden evolve. We can't recommend Zac highly enough !!! Thank you so much Zac

Paula and Steve Lotter

Contemporary Cottage Garden | Liskeard, Cornwall

This contemporary cottage garden in Cornwall combines food forest design, edible landscaping and ornamental planting to create a beautiful and productive garden. Fruit trees, edible shrubs, perennial vegetables, herbs and cut flowers are woven together into a naturalistic planting scheme that provides year-round interest, supports wildlife and produces regular harvests of home-grown food. Designed and planted by Gardens Of Eden, this project demonstrates how food forest design can be integrated into modern garden design without sacrificing beauty or structure.

Before: baren garden prior to food forest design and planting.

Apples trees producing fruit within the edible landscape.

Saskatoon berries growing in the food forest garden.

Culinary rhubarb now regularly harvested in the edible garden.

Plant selections include varieties recognised by the RHS as beneficial for pollinators.

Garden Design

Contemporary Cottage Garden Planting Plan

Contemporary Cottage Garden Pant List

Contemporary Cottage Garden Elevation

Testimonial from Contemporary Cottage Garden Clients

"Zac did a great job designing, prepping and planting a garden remodel for us - a blend of edible, exotic and traditional cottage styles. He worked collaboratively and flexibly throughout, both in the design phase and throughout the inevitable on-the-job adjustments - and was happy letting us get in his way "helping out" during the actual spade work. Zac was a pleasure to work with throughout and worked well with the hard landscaper that we brought in for the stonework. We have no hesitation recommending him."

Mr and Mrs J, Liskeard

Sub-Tropical Paradise Garden | Fowey Cornwall

This subtropical garden design in Fowey was inspired by rainforest ecosystems and exotic planting. Using a layered planting approach similar to food forest design, Gardens Of Eden created a lush, low-maintenance garden filled with architectural foliage, contrasting textures and year-round interest. The result is an immersive tropical-style garden that complements the contemporary hard landscaping while supporting wildlife and biodiversity.

The flower bed before Gardens Of Eden redesigned and replanted.

Sub-Tropical Paradise Garden in summer

Bumblebees enjoy the flowers of the native Helleborus foetidus included in this scheme.

Testimonial from Sub Topical Paradise Garden Clients

"We have known Zac for 2 years. He is our gardener & garden designer at our property in Fowey.
Along with the weekly maintenance of our garden, Zac single handily designed very specific and different planting plans for 2 of our large flower beds. He was also responsible for implementing his design plans, both in terms of ordering the plants and subsequent planting. We have been delighted with the results.
Zac always pays careful attention to what he does. His design specifications are very thorough and thoughtful. Zac is very conscientious and honest, always checking that we are happy with his work and coming up with suggestions. He works very tidily, he turns up when he says he will and invoices precisely. We have found him to be extremely trustworthy.
Zac has spent the past year successfully building up his own business “Gardens of Eden”. We have recommended Zac several times and would not hesitate to recommend Zac again either as a garden designer or for general garden maintenance work."

Celia & Julian Allbut

No-Dig Food Forest Design | Newquay, Cornwall

This no-dig food forest was designed and implemented by Gardens Of Eden in Cornwall using permaculture principles and edible landscape design. The aim was to transform an underused garden into a productive, wildlife-friendly space capable of producing fruit, herbs, perennial vegetables and edible flowers throughout the year.

Using a no-dig approach, organic matter was layered over the existing soil to improve fertility, reduce weed pressure and encourage healthy soil biology. The planting scheme combines fruit trees, edible shrubs, climbers, perennial vegetables and ornamental plants to create a beautiful garden that is both productive and low maintenance.

Featured plants include fig, pineapple guava, Chilean guava, sea kale, honeyberry and a wide range of pollinator-friendly flowers. The result is a resilient forest garden that provides harvests throughout the year while supporting biodiversity and improving the appearance of the garden.

Gardens Of Eden specialises in food forest design, forest gardens, edible landscapes and permaculture garden design throughout Cornwall.

The Newquay Food Forest before.

Using a No-Dig method, we marked out paths and covered the areas designated for planting with cardboard.

We laid compost over the cardboard.

We created an elevation using entirely edible plants to help decide planting positions.

The Newquay Food Forest after planting!

Chilean Guava's are harvested from the garden every autumn.

The garden is South facing and is a great opportunity to grow figs. Above is Ficus 'Brunswick' ripening well in the Newquay Food Forest. The client enjoyed this for breakfast.

We used strawberry 'Yellow Wonder' as a groundcover, the fruits are delicious and taste slightly like pineapple.

Plant selections include varieties recognised by the RHS as beneficial for pollinators.

This food forest was created for a private client in Newquay, Cornwall. Gardens Of Eden designs food forests, edible landscapes and forest gardens throughout Cornwall including Fowey, St Austell, Truro, Padstow, Wadebridge and Newquay

Woodland Wildlife Garden | Fowey, Cornwall

This wildlife garden design in Fowey combines woodland planting, native species and pollinator-friendly flowers to create a beautiful, low-maintenance habitat garden. Inspired by natural woodland ecosystems, the planting scheme provides year-round interest while supporting birds, bees and other wildlife.

Woodland Wildlife Garden: Garden is woodland themed but is predominantly a wildflower meadow. Structural plants like silver birch and ferns were planted and then the rest of the area was sown with a wildflower meadow seed mix. We chose 'Purple Haze' by Pictorial Meadows for its woodland-esc ambiance. The garden contains a native hedge along its border, with sloes hawthorns and bird cherries as well bug hotels.

After planting the structural plants, we prepped the understory for seed sowing. A layer of seed compost was applied and then directly sown with 'Purple Haze' wildflower meadow seed mix by Pictorial Meadows.

Pinks and Purples take centre stage with 'Purple Haze' meadow seed mix by Pictorial Meadows. Above is the Woodland Wildlife Garden in Spring. Note the red campions providing splashes of pink throughout.

The Woodland Wildlife Garden was created by first marking out a path and beds and then by planting the structural plants such as; Betula utilis var. jacquemontii and the ferns. Afterwards, the rest of ground designated for planting was prepped for wildflower meadow seed sowing. The ground was dug over and a layer of seed compost layered on top as a mulch, which acted as a seed bed for the meadow mix 'Purple Haze' by Pictorial Meadows was selected as a wildflower meadow seed mix for its colour scheme as well as its tolerance for semi shade. Above the Woodland Wildlife Garden in Winter. Note the windy path and various flowering perennials preparing to flower in Spring.

Prior to being designed and planted, the Woodland Wildlife Garden was effectively a giant pile of garden waste. The waste was removed and what was left can be seen above; uneven ground saturated with with Petasites pyrenaicus (winter heliotrope.) The plants and tap roots needed to be removed by hand (no chemicals were used) and then areas designated for paths and beds, marked out and levelled.

Plant selections include varieties recognised by the RHS as beneficial for pollinators.

Testimonial from Woodland Wildlife Garden Clients

"Zac has a wonderful combination of enthusiasm, plant knowledge, skill and care which he has used to great effect on our garden in Fowey. He has recently planned and planted a small area of woodland with native species, and is working to improve the planting elsewhere to encourage more wildlife into the garden. He works very hard and is as excited as we are by the improvements that he has made."

Liz and Malcolm Wall

Our Design Process

1. Initial Consultation
We visit your garden, discuss your ideas, requirements and budget, and establish a clear design brief.

2. Site Survey & Analysis
We assess the site, including soil conditions, aspect, drainage, existing vegetation and any microclimates.

3. Concept Design
Initial ideas, layouts, planting concepts and visualisations are developed and refined with your feedback.

4. Master Plan
A scaled garden plan is produced showing the overall layout, key features, planting areas and landscaping elements.

5. Planting Design
Detailed planting plans and plant schedules are created, selecting species suited to your garden and objectives.

6. Installation
Gardens can be implemented by Gardens Of Eden, other contractors or the client themselves

What's on offer?

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Science-Informed Garden Design

At Gardens Of Eden, we combine horticultural expertise, ecological principles and creative design to create gardens that are both beautiful and functional.
Whether designing a contemporary planting scheme, wildlife-friendly garden or productive edible landscape, every decision is guided by plant science, ecology and years of practical experience.
The result is a garden that not only looks stunning, but also supports biodiversity, thrives in Cornwall's climate and continues to improve over time.