Kate Gould Gardens

Initial meetings and design good though obvious flaws were in the design such as providing plants that were not hardy and hence died after the first year, not putting in any slope or steps to the raised part of the garden, and placing larger shrubs and annuals in front of smaller plants. Her men assured me Kate would come and over and advise on moving some of the plants etc but although we are within easy walking distance of her studio she did not return emails requesting a visit. So all in all I would not recommend.

We have worked with Kate on our Lincoln Road and St. George's Terrace projects. On both she has brought considerable insight and expertise - proposing designs that compliment the architecture and enhance the connection of inside and out.

We met Kate after talking to six other leading landscape companies and her design interpreted our brief and what we hoped for, perfectly. She has been a pleasure to work with, always accessible and helpful and knowledgeable about all the aspects of the project. Her advice on the planting is wonderful and she has been charming in her work with both the architect and building team. She has taken a derelict windswept terrace and turned it into a sanctuary.

As communications director at the time of an important anniversary for the magistracy in 2011 (the 650th anniversary of the confirmation of the office of Justice of the Peace) I was keen to find many varied ways of publicising the important role of the JP in society today. A magistrates’ garden at the Chelsea Flower Show was my dream and thanks to Kate’s wonderful design and Leo’s amazing capacity for sheer hard work we pulled it off. Securing the sponsorship money at the 11th hour severely limited time for design yet Kate managed to respond to everything given in the brief in such an imaginative way to catch people’s attention and sell our story about the magistracy, past and present. The request from the RHS to have a bigger garden was a mixed blessing – more exposure but more money needed but Kate responded in such a positive way with suggestions that enabled us to take this opportunity. Our members, many of whom are keen gardeners loved it. The huge number of visitors smiled when they saw the special BENCH and absorbed plenty of facts and figures on the ‘court room window’ etched glass. Our helpers manning the garden answered a wealth of queries about magistrates as well as planting details which really enriched our new rose, aptly called Justice of the Peace. Despite such a tight timetable I felt fully engaged all the time as the garden progressed from the drawing board to reality. Thanks to Kate and Leo the magistrates’ garden delivered exactly what I had dreamt of with a great deal of fun and fulfilment along the way.

Kate planned and planted our very small courtyard garden from scratch. What was just a small concrete yard became a beautiful place to sit - green, lush climbers and planters. We have received many compliments. And the maintenance is easy - gets better every year.

With her amazing vision Kate Gould transformed my garden/patio into a modern inviting outside space. The space is divided into 2 "rooms", one leading out from the sitting room, the other from the master bedroom, divided by a water feature, a pergola and a miniature hedge. The whole area is paved with recessed lighting to maximise the effect at night, and a wall at the far end is disguised by mirrors - creating an illusion of a much larger outside space and reflecting the light. The work had been carried out to perfection by the dedicated team recommended by Kate. We are delighted with Kate's creation and the wonderful service we received from her team. It has become a talking point in terms of garden design possibilities among our friends and neighbours.