Planting designer or garden designer? What's the difference
A garden designer plans the whole space: the layout, paths, terraces, walls, levels and structures, as well as the planting. A planting designer focuses on the plants themselves: which ones to grow, where, how they combine and how they change through the year. I'm a planting designer and horticulturist, and on bigger projects the two roles often work side by side.
What a garden designer does
A garden designer looks at the whole garden as a space to live in. They will survey the site, work out how you want to use it, and design the layout: where the seating goes, how paths connect, changes of level, walls, water, lighting and boundaries. They produce drawings that a landscaper can build from, and they usually include a planting plan as part of the design.
If you are starting from scratch, changing the shape of a garden or adding hard landscaping, a garden designer is the right person to start with.
What a planting designer does
A planting designer is a specialist in plants. The job is to choose the right plants for your soil, light, climate and style, and to put them together so they look good for as much of the year as possible. That means thinking about height, texture, colour, flowering times, how plants grow and spread, and how much looking after they will need.
For me it comes down to plant combinations: plants that suit each other and the place they are growing. That's the idea behind my book, What Grows Together, and it's at the heart of every planting plan I draw.
When you need a planting designer
Your garden's layout works, but the borders feel tired, patchy or hard to look after.
You've had a garden built and want planting that lives up to it.
You want a scheme that looks good through more of the year, or needs less work.
You simply want advice on what to plant where.
Ways to get planting help
A little advice: an online consultation to talk through your garden and what to plant.
A planting plan: a scaled plan and full plant list for a border or a whole garden.
On a smaller budget: a book of plant combinations, like What Grows Together, to try yourself.
A whole new garden: a garden designer for the layout, with a planting designer alongside.
How planting designers and garden designers work together
On larger gardens, shows and events, a garden designer and a planting specialist often work as a team. The designer sets the vision and the layout, and the planting specialist makes the planting happen: refining the plant list, sourcing and growing the plants, delivering them and planting them on site so it looks the way the designer imagined.
That's a role I've taken on many times. I planted and project managed the RHS and BBC Radio 2 Dog Garden, designed by Monty Don for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025. For the Gucci Cruise 2025 show at Tate Modern, with garden design by Cargill Sykes, I led the planting team for more than 10,000 plants. And for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony, Form Plants and I built a living garden of Scottish plants designed by stage designer Amalie White.
If you're a garden designer looking for a planting specialist, with plants grown and supplied by Form Plants, I'd love to hear about your project. And if you're a homeowner who wants help with the planting, my planting design and consultations page explains the options.
Quick answers
What is the difference between a garden designer and a planting designer?
A garden designer plans the whole garden, including layout and hard landscaping. A planting designer specialises in choosing and combining the plants.
Do I need a garden designer or a planting designer?
If you're changing the layout or adding paths, terraces or walls, start with a garden designer. If the structure works and you want better planting, a planting designer is the right choice.
Can a planting designer work with my garden designer?
Yes. Many garden designers bring in a planting specialist to refine the plant list, supply the plants and plant the scheme on site.
