In the world of garden and landscape design, the difference between an ordinary outdoor space and an exceptional one often comes down to vision – and, of course, the ability to execute it with precision. Whether it is bringing order to the sprawling grounds of an English stately home or breathing life into a compact London plot, the best landscape designers and gardeners featured in the Spear’s Index can be relied upon to transform even the most unwelcoming space with their green-fingered expertise.
Those featured in the latest edition of the Index operate at the very top of the profession, with portfolios that span projects for institutions such as the Natural History Museum and the Royal Academy of Arts, as well as award-winning gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
At this level, landscape design is as much about experience as it is about aesthetics. The gardeners and designers in the Index combine architectural structure with softer, naturalistic planting to create environments that are able to evolve over time. As acclaimed landscape designer Dan Pearson puts it, the aim is to ‘encourage people to connect with nature by producing beautiful, inspiring environments that provoke contemplation and self-reflection’.
Collaboration is a key part of their work. Many team up with architects and interior designers to ensure gardens feel like a natural extension of the property rather than an afterthought. More and more, they’re also working with luxury brands, where outdoor spaces are expected to reflect the same level of detail and finish as the interiors.
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Explore the 2026 Spear’s Home & Design Indices:
The experts tell Spear’s that clients are increasingly placing emphasis on commissioning gardens which respect biodiversity and have a strong sense of place.
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For Angel Collins, this means designing ‘with passion, vision and attention to detail, using classic design and strong planting’, while ensuring ‘the correct plants for the house’ are chosen. Gavin McWilliam takes a similarly considered approach, as he focuses on ‘sensitively locating a new building in the landscape and getting the most out of it’, usually using local materials to create spaces that feel grounded.
Ann-Marie Powell reflects this same shift, but from a more explicitly ecological perspective. ‘We believe gardens create ecosystems that support biodiversity and make a difference in the natural world… The work I like to do is very much about changing people’s access to nature and to wildlife,’ she says.
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- Methodology
- The best landscape designers and gardeners: some names to know
- The best landscape designers and gardeners: the complete list
- Contact us
Methodology
Each year, the Spear’s Research Unit reassesses and refreshes its rankings of the leading providers in each sector by gathering data from and about the advisers and firms themselves, assessing submission forms, collating nominations, carrying out peer reviews, reviewing data from third-party sources, gathering references and recommendations, canvassing experts and conducting hundreds of interviews.
Advisers are evaluated using a proprietary scoring system that assigns different weightings to certain attributes. These scores feed directly into each new set of rankings in the Spear’s Indices. Each of these indices are published first online (according to the research calendar) and then in print. Print publication takes the form of the annual Spear’s 500 directory, which includes the top advisers in every index.
[See also: A guide to The Spear’s 500: Everything you need to know]
Each featured adviser is profiled on spears500.com. The site allows users to search the Spear’s database of more than 4,000 entities to find one (or more) to meet their specific requirements by filtering for specific attributes such as an adviser’s location, their specialist expertise and information about their client base.
The best landscape designers and gardeners: some names to know
Ann-Marie Powell
- Focus: Innovative use of materials
- Ranking: Top Recommended
- Firm: Ann-Marie Powell Gardens
Ann-Marie Powell is a multi-award-winning garden designer who has been running her own practice since 1998 from a studio on the West Sussex/Hampshire border.
She creates gardens that are bold, vibrant and ecologically rich, blending contemporary design with naturalistic planting. ‘We believe gardens create ecosystems that support biodiversity and make a difference in the natural world,’ Powell tells Spear’s. ‘The work I like to do is very much about changing people’s access to nature and to wildlife.’
Her impressive portfolio includes Grade I- and Grade II-listed private gardens, private school grounds, roof terraces and Gold-winning show gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Read Ann-Marie Powell’s full profile at Spears500.com
Charlotte Harris
- Focus: Sustainable garden design
- Ranking: Top Recommended
- Firm: Harris Bugg Studio
Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg founded their garden design practice, Harris Bugg Studio, in 2017 and have since established a reputation for delivering creative and eye-catching gardens.
From London, Exeter and Isle of Skye studios, the firm takes on a wide range of projects, including high-end residential gardens, public spaces, and historic and commercial properties. Harris Bugg Studio has also been appointed to revamp the landmark eco-Brutalist gardens of the Barbican Conservatory.
Read Charlotte Harris’s full profile at Spears500.com
Sue Hetherington
- Focus: Bespoke gardens
- Ranking: Recommended
- Firm: Courtingtons
Sue Hetherington co-founded landscape architecture firm Courtingtons over two decades ago with Jon Courtney-Thompson, the firm’s director of architecture.
A chartered landscape architect, Hetherington started in the industry ‘when garden design wasn’t a big thing’, she tells Spear’s. Today, she works across commercial and domestic projects across the UK, with a portfolio that includes a planned boathouse on the banks of the Thames, as well as a number of high-end domestic properties in the Cotswolds and beyond.
Read Sue Hetherington’s full profile at Spears500.com
Matt Keightley
- Focus: Naturalistic planting schemes
- Ranking: Top Recommended
- Firm: Rosebank Landscaping
Matt Keightley founded landscape design practice Rosebank Landscaping in London with business partner Cameron Wilson in 2016.
Since then, Rosebank has prospered and won multiple awards, including six RHS Chelsea Flower Show medals, a Grand Gold at the Shenzhen World Flower Show, and the 2023 Pro Landscaper Business Award for best design and build company. In 2025, it opened a second studio in the Cotswolds – an area it says inspires its connection to ‘heritage and landscape’.
Read Matt Keightley’s full profile at Spears500.com
The best landscape designers and gardeners: the complete list
Click on the individual names to be directed to more detailed profiles on spears500.com. The table is ordered by ranking and then alphabetically.
Contact us
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With additional reporting from Livia Giannotti.
