Austin Design Works

17/08/2026

thank you Together Gloucestershire for featuring us in your latest newsletter. The basic philosophy of the Together Gloucestershire group is one where members are here to engage and get involved, spectating is not an option.

At Together Gloucestershire, we bring together a great group of local businesses, committed to doing more business in the County. In our new series, we’re sharing their news and events. You can also get access to exclusive Member to Member offers via our email newsletters. Cheltenham Town Communit...

06/08/2026

Heritage Buildings. Thoughtfully Reimagined.

Working with listed buildings is at the heart of what we do.

This 16th century property is a wonderful example of why heritage projects require a thoughtful, considered approach. Every decision is carefully balanced protecting the building’s historic character while creating spaces that work beautifully for modern family life, with sustainability in mind.

From navigating listed building consent to developing sensitive design solutions, we enjoy helping owners unlock the potential of historic properties without compromising what makes them so special.

It’s a privilege to work with these remarkable buildings and play a part in preserving them for future generations.

15/07/2026

If you had thought a show garden was all glamour, Racheal has been sharing the last couple of days of taking the garden down. Her team have been potting the trees and plants and taking them to either places that loaned them or to the Grace Garden School in Bristol, where the garden will be installed permanently for their students to use. The heat continues, and many trips have been taken back and forth. Finally Rachael has finished and will now be catching up with emails for the foreseeable!

12/07/2026

Where do we begin? Firstly thank you to RHS - Royal Horticultural Society for choosing and supporting the Ruskin Mill Trust Artisan Woodland Craft Garden and for putting on such an AMAZING inaugural show at .

Thank you to the RHS - Royal Horticultural Society and Ruskin Mill Trust for believing in and sponsoring the garden, without your support we wouldn’t now be able to transfer the garden to the Grace Garden School, Bristol to be enjoyed by students currently studying there and in the future.

Thank you to all my colleagues and customers of Austin Design Works especially Matt my brother for supporting this project and Carole for amazing support behind the scenes.

A huge thank you to Daniel Hoyle of Greener Landscapes, for not flinching through all my ideas for this garden, and rotavating the hard ground 8 TIMES in a heatwave! You and your team are amazing, nothing phased you and to win a gold on your first show garden just proves the high standard of your work 💪

Of course to create the garden took a lot of materials which have been donated, lent or grown by the best of the best in the business Elmtree Building Services, Woven Wood, BTA Structural Design, Old Sodbury Tree and Plant Nursery, Allgreen, Natural Grower, Voltaire's Wood, Nature First, VRD Stroud Blue Diamond, EverEdge and Graduate Gardeners for giving us hundreds of used pots & Hobbs house bakery/cafe for loaning us the bread trays!

And my sincere gratitude to Chris the Bodger, demonstrating wood turning in a heatwave, happily sharing his love of his craft was a joy to witness and who knows, hopefully inspired a few? Sincere thanks to garden maker and mentor John Hill who loaned so many special plants from his nursery in Sherborne.

And finally the thousands of people visiting the show over the last five days, thank you so very much for your words of appreciation and support, thank you thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Now pass me a chilled Rosé!

Rachael 🌱

09/07/2026

please vote for our garden in the People's Choice Award at RHS - Royal Horticultural Society Badminton https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-badminton-flower-show/awards/rhs-peoples-choice-award

08/07/2026

The director general Clare Matterson CBE surprised us today with the ‘best Artisan Garden’ award. Thank you and the RHS, a wonderful way to start the show.

08/07/2026

Thrilled to welcome to the Artisan Woodland Craft Garden ~ look out for us on BBC Gardeners World.

07/07/2026

“I really liked making the garden, that’s a bit of a bonus, isn’t it?” Said garden designer, Rachael Austin as she was award a GOLD medal 🏅 for her Ruskin Mill Trust Woodland Craft Garden.

Thank you sponsors and volunteers and the amazing Greener Landscapes who have helped create this beautiful woodland craft garden, it looked amazing today and the very prestigious RHS - Royal Horticultural Society judges obviously thought so too!

If you would like your garden designed by Rachael, get in quick as she’s bound to be in high demand, especially for anyone who has seen this garden!

The RHS Badminton Flower Show is on from Wednesday 8th - Sunday 12th and the glimpses we’ve seen across the show ground everything looks wonderful from feature gardens to small planters, there’s something for everyone, even shade from the beautiful parkland veteran trees! We hope to see you there 🌿

Garden Designer
Rachael Austin

Built by
Daniel Hoyle, Greener Landscapes

Sponsored by
Ruskin Mill Trust

With special thanks to

Woven Wood
Old Sodbury Tree and Plant Nursery
Allgreen
Natural Grower
Voltaire's Wood
Nature First
VRD Stroud
Blue Diamond
Ever Edge

Canopy designed by BTA Structural Design & built by Elmtree Building Services