Ever Wondered What a Typical Week in the Life of a Sussex Garden Designer is like?

From creative design work and client meetings to hands-on planting and garden maintenance, no two weeks in the life of a garden designer are ever quite the same. Based here in Steyning, Sussex, my working week is a balance between time in the “office” and time out on site each playing an equally important role in bringing gardens to life.

Monday: Reset, Refocus, Reorganise

Mondays are all about getting back on track after the weekend. It’s a chance to catch up, review ongoing projects, and restructure the workflow for the week ahead. There’s always a fair amount of invoicing and general office admin to tackle, along with responding to emails and scheduling client meetings.

If time allows, I’ll also get stuck into some design work, developing concepts, refining plans, or working on 2D and 3D visuals. It’s a productive, desk-based day that sets the tone for everything that follows.

Tuesday: Hands-On at The Mill House, Balcombe

Tuesday offers a welcome change of pace. It’s spent maintaining a beautiful garden at The Mill House in Balcombe, West Sussex, a garden I’ve been caring for more than 25 years.

These days are invaluable. Staying closely connected to the practical side of gardening not only keeps skills sharp but also informs better design decisions. Understanding how plants behave over time, how spaces evolve, and what truly works in a real garden setting is something you only gain through hands-on experience.

Wednesday: Design Focus

Back in the office on Wednesday, it’s time to really focus. This is typically a “nose down” kind of day, spent at the drawing board working through detailed designs.

Whether it’s developing planting plans, refining layouts, or producing presentation visuals for clients, this is where ideas begin to take shape. It’s a quieter, more creative day, but no less demanding.

Thursday: Another Prestigious Garden in Balcombe

Thursday is back out on site in Balcombe, maintaining another prestigious garden. Like Tuesday, it’s about careful, considered garden care, ensuring the space looks its best and continues to thrive.

Working regularly in established gardens provides ongoing insight into seasonality, plant performance, and long-term maintenance, knowledge that feeds directly back into new designs.

Friday: Surveys, Meetings & Preparation

Fridays are often a mix of everything. Site surveys, client meetings, and preparation for upcoming projects all need to be fitted in.

It’s also a key day for planning weekend planting, organising materials, checking plant availability, and making sure everything is ready to go. Alongside that, there’s usually some design work to progress as well.

With so many moving parts, Fridays require flexibility and good organisation to keep everything running smoothly.

Saturday: Planting Day

Saturday is, without question, one of my favourite days of the week.

After weeks of groundwork, landscaping, and, more often than not, mud, this is when the garden truly starts to come alive. Plants go in, structure softens, and the whole scheme begins to take shape.

There’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing a design move from paper into reality. It’s the moment everything starts to connect.

Fitting It All In

Throughout the week, client meetings need to be carefully slotted into any available gaps. It’s a constant juggle, but an essential part of the process, ensuring each project is tailored, collaborative, and runs smoothly.

Seasonal Shifts

Like all things in gardening, the rhythm of the week changes with the seasons.

Spring and autumn are by far the busiest times, driven by the planting season. These are the months when schedules are packed and days are full.

Late autumn can be just as demanding, with large-scale cutbacks, tidying, and mulching required across many of the gardens we maintain, setting them up for the colder months ahead.

More Than Just a Job

It’s a lot to fit into a single week, and it certainly keeps things busy. But when you genuinely love what you do, it rarely feels like work.

Most days feel more like a hobby than a job, being outdoors, working with plants, creating beautiful spaces. Of course, there are exceptions… particularly when the Sussex weather has other ideas and the rain sets in.

But overall, it’s a career that blends creativity, practicality, and passion, something different every day, and always rewarding.

If you would like to discuss how we can help you with your garden, please feel free to contact us, details below: