CGLA

09/10/2026

What does it take to transform an entire country estate? 🌿

When we first became involved with this Berkshire garden, much of the landscape was simply laid to lawn — with few defined spaces and even the beautiful view towards the lake hidden from sight.

Our masterplan has transformed the estate gradually, creating elegant terraces for entertaining, formal and informal gardens, water features, sculpture, a pergola garden and extensive new planting.

One of the most important changes was opening up the landscape itself — creating views, routes and moments of discovery that draw you from the house through the gardens and towards the lake beyond.

And because a garden of this scale is never really 'finished', our horticultural team continues to care for the planting as it matures and evolves.

Take a one-minute tour around the finished garden.

Explore the full project via the link https://cgla.co.uk/portfolio-items/country-estate-garden-design/

07/10/2026

Contemporary architecture. Timeless landscape. 🌿

For this contemporary country garden, the challenge was to create a landscape that felt as considered as the new-build home, while sitting naturally within the surrounding countryside.

Natural stone terraces extend the living spaces outdoors, while layered planting softens the architecture and brings movement, texture and seasonal colour.

Beyond the more formal garden, a sweeping wildflower meadow creates a beautiful transition into the woodland and countryside beyond.

The result is a garden that doesn't compete with the house or its surroundings. It connects the two.

Take a look around the finished garden and discover the full project.

👉 Explore the case study via the link below
https://cgla.co.uk/portfolio-items/contemporary-country-garden-design/

21/09/2026

What makes a garden somewhere the whole family actually wants to spend time? 🌿

This Berkshire garden was neat and established, but it lacked clearly defined places to entertain and an underused corner offered much more potential.

Our design transformed it into a series of connected outdoor spaces while retaining the mature trees that already gave the garden so much character.

A contemporary covered pavilion now brings together an outdoor kitchen, dining and lounge area, creating a real extension of the family home. Across the lawn, a corten steel water feature provides a striking focal point, surrounded by generous layered planting and subtle garden lighting.

The result is an elegant garden designed not simply to look beautiful, but to be lived in.

Take a look around the finished garden and see how we brought it together.

Explore the project: https://cgla.co.uk/portfolio-items/elegant-family-garden-design/

17/09/2026

What would you do with a garden this steep?

When we first saw this Buckinghamshire garden, the levels made much of the space difficult to use. Access was steep and slippery, the existing retaining walls were deteriorating and there was very little practical space for entertaining.

But a sloping garden doesn't have to be a compromise.

Instead of trying to flatten the site, we worked with its natural contours — creating terraces, generous steps and pathways that gradually lead through a series of different outdoor spaces.

The main terrace now provides space for dining and entertaining, with a covered lounge and bespoke fireplace, while planting flows around the retaining walls and leads towards more secluded areas higher in the garden.

It's a great example of how one of a site's biggest challenges can become the thing that gives a garden its character.

Take a look at the before photographs and the finished garden — the transformation is quite something.

Explore the project: https://cgla.co.uk/portfolio-items/steep-sloping-garden-design/

15/09/2026

How do you create a contemporary garden without losing the character of its natural setting?

That was the challenge with this Buckinghamshire project, surrounded by mature woodland.

Rather than competing with the trees, we designed the garden to work with them. A restrained palette of natural stone, corten steel, timber and gravel provides the contemporary structure, while generous, naturalistic planting allows the garden to settle beautifully into its surroundings.

A reflecting pond creates a quiet focal point, while the kitchen garden combines raised corten planters, fruit trees and a vine-covered pergola. Elsewhere, spaces for entertaining sit alongside quieter places to retreat amongst the planting.

Take a look around the finished garden — which part would you choose for your own?

Explore the Contemporary Woodland Garden
https://cgla.co.uk/portfolio-items/contemporary-woodland-garden-design/

10/09/2026

If you want a beautiful garden next summer, the decisions you make this autumn matter. 🍂

It’s tempting to start with the exciting things — the outdoor kitchen, the pergola, the fire pit or even the pool.

But where should your garden budget really go first?

A successful garden starts with getting the fundamentals right: the layout, levels, drainage, access and how the different spaces connect. Then comes the question of where to invest, where you can save and which elements are worth doing properly from the outset.

And sometimes, the smartest decision is to do less — but do it beautifully.

If you're starting to think about transforming your garden for next year, our latest advice is a useful place to begin.

Read the full article here: https://cgla.co.uk/where-should-you-invest-your-garden-budget-first/

We are a multi award-winning group of highly artistic garden design and commercial landscape specialists. We transform outside space through inspired design, top-quality construction, and ongoing nurturing, for private and commercial owners.

14/08/2026

Will your garden still look beautiful after another hot summer?

With hotter, drier summers becoming more common across the UK, now is the time to think differently about how our gardens are designed.

The good news? Creating a garden that's better able to cope with heatwaves doesn't mean giving up the lush planting and timeless character of a traditional British garden.

In our latest Insight, we share how thoughtful planting, healthy soils and intelligent landscape design can help your garden flourish, whatever the weather.

🌿 Read the full article
https://cgla.co.uk/climate-resilient-garden-design-british-gardens/

06/08/2026

The best gardens aren't finished on the day we leave.

Great gardens are never just about how they look.

They're about how they make you feel.

A place to gather with family, entertain friends, reconnect with nature or simply enjoy a quiet moment outdoors.

This short collection of recent CGLA projects showcases our approach to creating timeless landscapes that feel as though they've always belonged.

Which garden inspires you most?

06/08/2026

The best gardens aren't finished on the day we leave.

They're just beginning.

These are some of our recently completed gardens, photographed the following year once the planting had settled, matured and begun to reveal the landscape as it was always intended to be.

It's a reminder that great garden design isn't about instant results. It's about creating landscapes that become more beautiful with every passing season.

🌿 Ready to begin your own garden transformation?

06/08/2026

Great gardens are never just about how they look.

They're about how they make you feel.

A place to gather with family, entertain friends, reconnect with nature or simply enjoy a quiet moment outdoors.

This short collection of recent CGLA projects showcases our approach to creating timeless landscapes that feel as though they've always belonged.

Which garden inspires you most?