Rachel Bailey Studio

Rachel Bailey Studio Ecological garden design Glasgow | Helensburgh | West Scotland | By awarding winning and landscape industry registered garden design practice.

With a passion for plants and our natural environment, I bring an expertise in garden design to help you create your perfect garden - however large or small; one tailored to your style, practical needs and budget. Plants add drama and atmosphere to a garden. I also provide a planting plan service, designing planting schemes based on the your site conditions and your style for existing borders as well as your newly designed garden.

We are delighted to have achieved 'Green Business Certification' for the 5th year in a row! We have actively engaged wit...
03/09/2026

We are delighted to have achieved 'Green Business Certification' for the 5th year in a row!

We have actively engaged with a practical action plan to reduce the environmental impacts of our business. No business is perfect and with each new year comes new actions whilst continuing with ones we have achieved. This makes us try harder and be better. Our action plan was audited by (now known as Green Business).

This is in addition to us actively measuring the environmental impacts of our designs using - the landscape sustainability tool. Together, we can minimise the bad stuff (embodied carbon & waste) and maximise opportunities to do good (biodiversity, water infiltration, carbon sequestration, places for people, protect soil).

The Common Land at Helensburgh's waterfront could be this..... a park for our future: One that provides for wildlife and...
02/08/2026

The Common Land at Helensburgh's waterfront could be this..... a park for our future:
One that provides for wildlife and nature,
One that offers climate resilience; and
One that offers outdoor sports for our young and not-so-young residents.

It could also serve as an attraction for visitors to come to Helensburgh where they can support our already existing shops and cafes..... this could rejuvenate Helensburgh, put it on the map and offer Helensburgh and its people a FUTURE.

**Of note, all the features mentioned would be set amongst diverse ecological planting in brownfield substrate. The planting would work with the habitat, conditions and substrate. Together, this offers huge biodiversity benefits in an urban environment, requires less, but skilled aftercare, and therefore can rejuvenate public gardening skills - offering skilled jobs for future generations.

It could also reduce capital costs resulting in more money for aftercare of the park.

Firstly though - please complete the consultation to stop our common land (Helensburgh's water front) from being sold. See Bio for link to consultation



Helensburgh Community Council
Helensburgh Advertiser

To the people of Helensburgh and surrounding areas. Please object to the sale of the Helensburgh Waterfront, which is Co...
02/08/2026

To the people of Helensburgh and surrounding areas.

Please object to the sale of the Helensburgh Waterfront, which is Common good land - ie belongs to the people - for a supermarket.

This brownfield site has so much potential to provide a nature park - one that links outdoor sports, wildlife, nature and people that offers climate positive solutions for the town* (more on this in the next post).

BUT FIRST - we need to stop the sale by Argyll and Bute Council - so please respond to the consultation by NOON on 10th AUGUST using the following words to ensure there is no misinterpretation of what you are asking:
https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/my-community/community-planning/consultations/consultation/helensburgh-waterfront-consultation

"I object to the proposed disposal of the Helensburgh waterfront common good land. I do not support any sale or commercial development, including for a supermarket.

The site has not lost its common good character. This land should remain protected as common good property and be retained for the benefit of the people of Helensburgh.

I ask the council to preserve its common good status and ensure it continues to be used for public benefit and public use."
Quoted words crafted by Helensburgh Community Council

We’ve just finished this light touch garden in Troon that has undergone a huge transformation.The clients wanted an info...
28/07/2026

We’ve just finished this light touch garden in Troon that has undergone a huge transformation.

The clients wanted an informal, relatively low maintenance garden softened with lots of planting, that offers views from the house and the summerhouse, as well as a variety of places to sit within the garden, and a place that offers a place for their grandchildren to play.

what we did:
• advised painting the summerhouse including window frames and the boundary fence black (the clients undertook this task after the roof was repaired)
• got rid of the existing artificial turf (the clients found a new home for it)
• retained the existing paving as there was nothing essentially wrong with it
• created a strong geometry to make the most of the awkward shaped garden
• softened it with deep borders

the result: an immersive garden that offers year round interest - even as a newly planted garden there has been a huge change. It will only get better with time.

looking forward to supporting our clients with the development of this garden

design and planting team: liam brooke’s, Marissa Carrara & Rachel Bailey
landscape contractors: Scott rennie - Juniper Landscapes Glasgow

all plants supplied by JA Jones except pond plants - they came from waterside nursery

gravel from Ced stone

We have transformed this lovely little west end Glasgow garden with the skilled craftmanship of  from two levels with an...
08/07/2026

We have transformed this lovely little west end Glasgow garden with the skilled craftmanship of from two levels with an imposing drop and failing walls to three inviting levels that open the garden up and created lots of planting beds to eventually create an immersive space.

The garden is now ready for most of its plants..... with the rest going in after the boundary walls at the bottom of the garden have been rebuilt (planning only just granted) and another bed and more trellis added.

We used new bricks that tone in with the buff sandstone of the building, reused the existing paving that was lifted and relaid in a new way, and through cut and fill, we have reorganised the soil layers from previous bad treatment and added PAS 100 compost to start breathing life back into the soil. Once the plants go in, the microbes will follow.

Watch this space for the next instalment......

A beautiful plant-filled coastal gravel garden we designed and planted two years ago. The garden is mostly planting that...
02/06/2026

A beautiful plant-filled coastal gravel garden we designed and planted two years ago. The garden is mostly planting that envelops a dining area, a fire pit gathering space, and a species-rich lawn. The photographs were taken and sent to us by the client and in their lovely words:

“We are really happy with the garden, the plants have really filled out when compared with pics from last year.”

As part of our aftercare service, we’ll be revisiting over the summer for an annual review and guidance with helping the garden develop to its full potential.

We love revisiting our gardens and seeing the clients we worked with for over a year to bring the garden to fruition. We look forward to our continued relationship as the garden develops under their care.

Designers: Rachel Bailey
Build Team:
Planting team: .gardendesign &

You don’t need to spend a fortune to create your own slice of the Chelsea Flower Show at home. A beautiful, inspiring ga...
29/05/2026

You don’t need to spend a fortune to create your own slice of the Chelsea Flower Show at home. A beautiful, inspiring garden doesn’t have to mean tens of thousands of pounds spent on replacing perfectly good paving or removing mature shrubs and trees that already bring character and structure to your space, and contribute to carbon storage and wildlife habitat.

Often, the most rewarding transformations come from working with what you already have. Existing shrubs and trees can be rejuvenated, planting schemes refreshed, and new borders introduced to breathe fresh life into the garden.

Thoughtfully designed borders can completely change the feel of a space. Borders that wrap around seating areas create a sense of seclusion and immersion, while planting that extends into - or even replaces sections of - the lawn can draw you through the garden and create magical spaces for children and grandchildren to play, explore and imagine.

Sometimes, simply rethinking the layout through planting can give a garden an entirely new identity. It opens up opportunities for richer planting, greater biodiversity and more wildlife, while creating a space that feels beautiful, inviting and somewhere you genuinely want to spend time - all without breaking the bank.

And perhaps most importantly, a garden doesn’t have to be completed all at once. Having a well-considered design and help with understanding how the garden will evolve over time can be one of the best investments you make.

Slow gardening allows you, your plants and the garden itself to grow together naturally, creating a space with depth, character and lasting enjoyment.

Sometimes you can work with what you’ve got hard landscaping wise (except a few new steps) and envelope those areas with...
28/05/2026

Sometimes you can work with what you’ve got hard landscaping wise (except a few new steps) and envelope those areas with huge amounts of planting. The plants were selected based on habitat and how they will grow together in a community. This garden is looked after beautifully by the professional gardener, Ian Gallagher, and we review the planting a couple of times a year - such a joy to do! We are also developing a woodland area that was once Sitka spruce - now removed - in conjunction with

26/05/2026

Garden revisit and planting review | this bank was nothing but mown grass when we first saw it back in 2018 as part of a large multi-area planting design. Following planting in 2023, it now hosts textured layers of planting that are creating its own community beautifully cared for by the gardener, Ian Gallagher.

What was lovely to see was plants endemic in the garden moving in and contributing to the ground layer planting. Plants such as Lysimachia nemorum and Prunella vulgaris joining Ajuga reptans weaving between Geranium, Brunnera, Eurybia divaricata, Carex remota among many other plants.

We lost two mature birch trees that offered dappled light in storms, resulting in a change in conditions. Given the moisture levels in the soil and that these plants are now well established, the plants appear to be coping well.

Birch saplings are now seen popping up through the planting, and where in good positions, will be nurtured and last autumn, we added back some height with the addition of bigger multistep birch and Euonymus europeaus.

Immersive city garden | drawing upon the surrounding architecture, we created a strong layout softened by rich layers of...
20/05/2026

Immersive city garden | drawing upon the surrounding architecture, we created a strong layout softened by rich layers of planting - building a community of plants - that together offered a sense of place and somewhere you just don’t want to leave.

This north-facing, shady narrow garden was also transformed from the relatively bare and open space that it once was .

Photography:

Address

Ardenbrae, Glenoran Road
Helensburgh
G848JU

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+447870208977

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