Small Garden Design in the Cotswolds
A small garden is not a lesser garden. Some of the most memorable spaces we create measure only a few metres in each direction — and it is precisely that intimacy which makes them so rewarding to design. Thoughtful small garden design treats every square metre as an opportunity: for planting, for seating, for scent, for stillness.
Cotswold Garden Designs is a founder-led studio based in Sherborne, near Cheltenham. Every project is designed personally by Steve Andrews, a pre-registered member of the Society of Garden Designers with more than a decade of horticultural and design experience. If your courtyard, terrace or town garden currently feels cramped, overlooked or simply unloved, it can become the most-used room of your home.
Gardens We Design for Compact Spaces
Our small and urban garden design work covers a broad range of plots across Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and the wider Cotswolds:
- Courtyard gardens — enclosed spaces beside period cottages and townhouses, where walls become planting opportunities rather than limitations
- Urban gardens and town plots — city gardens in Cheltenham, Oxford and beyond, designed for privacy, greenery and calm
- New-build gardens — blank canvases turned into established-feeling spaces with structure and maturity from day one
- Terraces, side returns and awkward corners — the leftover spaces that, well designed, quietly transform how a whole property lives
Whatever the plot, the principles are the same: borrow light, blur boundaries, layer planting for depth, and give the eye somewhere beautiful to rest. Garden designs for small gardens succeed when they feel generous rather than crowded.
Low-Maintenance by Design, Not by Accident
Most of our clients lead busy professional lives. They want to enjoy their garden on a Friday evening — not spend Saturday morning working in it. That is why low maintenance small garden design underpins everything we propose:
- Planting chosen for its ability to thrive in your soil and aspect, so it looks after itself
- Quality hard landscaping in honest, durable materials that weather gracefully
- Irrigation, lighting and clever storage considered from the outset, not bolted on
- Year-round structure, so the garden holds its shape in January as well as June
A well-designed small garden should ask very little of you. Ours are planned so that a few unhurried hours each season keep them looking their best — and every design comes with maintenance guidance included, so you know exactly what to do and when.
How the Design Process Works
We keep the process simple and collaborative, however compact the plot:
- Consultation — we visit your garden (or meet via Zoom), listen to how you want to use the space, and take photographs and site notes
- Design proposal — a clear outline of the design direction, followed by mood boards to explore materials, planting styles and atmosphere
- Survey and master layout — accurate measurement, then scale drawings and 3D visuals so you can see your new garden before a spade touches soil
- Construction and planting — we tender the work to trusted local trades, oversee the build, and complete the planting plan that brings it all to life
"We worked with Steve over several months to redesign the small back yard beside our Cotswold cottage. The design included living walls, low flower beds, a herb garden, a built-in bench and a fountain — he tendered the work and oversaw the construction. The result is a haven for people and wildlife."
— Charlotte Waelde, Cotswold cottage courtyard
Recent Small Garden Projects
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does small garden design cost?
Every garden — and every brief — is different, so we quote each project individually rather than publishing fixed prices. After an initial consultation you will receive a design proposal with a clear quotation for the design work, so there are no surprises. Tell us about your garden and we will prepare a tailored quote.
My garden is tiny and overlooked. Is it really worth designing?
Emphatically yes — small plots benefit most from professional design. Screening, layered planting and carefully placed focal points can turn an overlooked yard into a private retreat, and clever use of vertical space often doubles the amount of greenery a plot can hold.
Can you design a courtyard garden that needs almost no upkeep?
Yes. Courtyard garden design is one of our specialities, and low-maintenance planting is usually part of the brief. We select plants suited to the specific light and soil conditions of your courtyard, so they establish quickly and need minimal intervention.
Do you work outside the Cotswolds?
We work in person across Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties — including Cheltenham and Oxford — and offer design-only projects worldwide via Zoom.
Ready to Make the Most of Every Square Metre?
Whether it is a courtyard beside a cottage or a new-build plot waiting for character, we would love to hear about it. Explore all of our services, or get in touch and tell us about your garden — we will prepare a tailored proposal and quote.
