Ecological Landscapes

Eco-friendly gardens for beauty, climate and ecology

Design is a response to an environment and arises from that space, the needs of the people using it and the ecological restraints and potentials. Today that response has to be sustainable and climate adapted.

Bringing this to realisation is the job of a designer, one Mark Laurence has pioneered throughout Southern UK and internationally for over 40 years. He was an early practitioner of sustainable design, even before the word was popularised.

What is an Ecological Garden?

why does it make for good garden design

Putting sustainability and ecological thinking at the heart of a garden or landscape is essential for minimising the negative impacts of development, but more importantly, for maximising the environmental benefits. This gives you, the client, peace of mind, knowing that your gardens space is making a positive contribution to local ecosystems and wider climatic resilience.

You might have an urban town garden, a country retreat or a coastal home. Or you might have a commercial development that needs input and planning consent. Designing with a sympathetic set of principles will bring out the best possible result for any space.

Ecosystem Generation

creating a micro-ecosytem in every landscape

The Garden Ecosystem

We don't tend to think of our gardens or landscapes as an ecosystem, yet they are. Ecosystems though, have to reach a 'critical mass' to thrive, something that doesn't automatically happen withought some careful thought.

To do this we have to choose our plants, not just for their aesthetic appeal, but for their role in the wider system of planting. We look for their physical place, size, flower, fruit, wildlife potential, soil suitability and climate adaptive qualities. They have to work harmoniously with their neighbours, forming a coheasive whole.

A coastal garden with a palette of plants that thrive in the mild temperatures and salt-laden winds.

A wetland garden with deckwalk and raised, dry planting mounds, creating a varied ecosystem.

Design Services

Detail on services provided

I have full experience in all aspects of garden design with a focus on environmentally sensitive gardens, be that urban, beach or woodland-edge. In the linked pages below (or in menu) I explain in more detail the three disciplines I fuse together to make this all work: arboriculture, garden design and ecosystem thinking.