Sussex & Kent Garden Design
Designing & Crafting
We’ll bring your ideas to life with creativity, care, and plenty of finesse. We’ve spent years learning how to make each garden design work beautifully with its local environment, while still adding those little “wow” moments that make it uniquely yours.
But don’t just take our word for it – hear from some of the lovely people along the South Coast that we’ve worked with in our testimonial videos below.
Our Team
Designers & Specialists
Our Award-Winning Approach
Every extraordinary garden starts with extraordinary people. Our team unites creative talent with deep horticultural knowledge, bringing together backgrounds from working at prestigious gardens like Sissinghurst Castle to award-winning RHS show gardens.
Our friendly team from our two coastal studios, blend big creative ideas with real hands-on horticultural know-how. Whether you’re looking for garden design along the Kent coast or across the Sussex coastline and countryside, we bring the same mix of artistic flair and practical skill to every project.
From contemporary coastal gardens that thrive in sea air, to timeless country retreats tucked inland, we design spaces that feel right at home in the South East.
Who We Are
Hi, we’re Mark and Annabelle – and we’ve been bringing beautiful gardens to life since 2014. What started as a shared passion has grown into Ivy & Whyte Garden Design: two buzzing design studios – one by the sea in Hythe, Kent and the other in the heart of Brighton, Sussex.
Over the years, we’ve become known across the South East for creating gardens that are as practical as they are beautiful.
Our team is bold with ideas but friendly in approach – we’ll listen carefully, throw around creative concepts, and then roll up our sleeves to make it happen. Between us, we’ve got decades of experience in landscaping, horticulture, art and architecture, plus a fair few RHS medals and even two spots at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show under our belts.
As registered members of the SGD (Society of Garden Designers) and the APL (Association of Professional Landscapers), we’re proud to say our garden design services in Sussex and Kent meet the very highest standards – but it’s the personal connections with our clients that we value most.
Our Process
Concept & Completion
When you work with us, you’re never left wondering what happens next – we’ll be right there with you from the very first chat to the moment you’re enjoying your new garden (and long after). Think of us as your creative partners: we’ll listen to your ideas, share our own, and guide you through every step in the garden design process.
From those first site surveys, through the design stages, to planting day and ongoing aftercare, our friendly team make the whole journey feel exciting and stress-free. And while we’re rooted in Sussex and Kent, we bring the same care and creativity to gardens all over the South East. Here’s how it all works…
Begin your garden transformation with a *free no-obligation consultation. This involves a visit to you and your garden to discuss the things you like, the things you don’t and how you envisage your outdoor space.
*free within a 10 mile radius, charges apply beyond
If you decide to go ahead, we will come back to measure your garden, confirm your brief and get ready to start designing your garden. For larger gardens and more complicated projects, we outsource our site surveys to a trustworthy surveyor.
Then we chat over a selection of moodboards and styles with you to really get an understanding of your perfect space. Once we have a full understanding of your wants and needs and any challenging aspects, we can get on with the actual design.
Once the perfect design is signed off, we work to produce detailed construction drawings and site plans to enable your garden to be built by landscapers or builders. Information and samples of materials are shared and tweaked to perfection.
Throughout the whole project, we’ll actively participate and collaborate with clients, contractors & suppliers, helping to assist with the tendering process, offering weekly site visits, phone call assistance with landscapers and delivery & planting of plants.
We can provide you with a planting quote at any point during the project, source your plants from the best suppliers, arrange delivery, plant them and we even offer an aftercare maintenance service to keep your plants looking their very best.
Coastal Garden DESIGN
We Wrote the Book On It
Although we design many different types of garden, we have a specialist knowledge in the area of coastal design. Coastal Garden Design is our first published book! This has been many years in development – we wanted to capture the elements of living by the sea, share some insights and show you how to create your own coastal garden paradise, wherever you live. We are very proud of the outcome!
What Our Clients Say
Amazing company. Went to a coastal garden workshop and learnt so much. The staff were really attentive to my unique needs and creative in helping to bring my ideas to the page. If you're looking for creative, professional, experienced garden designers this is the team.
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We bought our first home in Brighton last year and needed some help with our empty garden. We appointed Ivy & Whyte Sussex to totally redesign the space to bring in lots of colour, insects and interest. We were really happy with the result and all of the ideas Annabelle, Isabelle and Poppy gave throughout the whole process. They were very communicative over the phone, in person and on emails. They made the process enjoyable and easy for us.
Read full reviewAnnabelle has designed a wonderful contemporary seating area with beds and pergola to sit near the bottom of our secluded garden. It is in an area which had slopes and the solution to the problems these posed has proved to be ideal.
Read full reviewI can't recommend Ivy & Whyte enough for their exceptional garden design and planting service. From the initial design concept to the final touches, Annabelle and her team were incredibly professional, knowledgeable, and attentive.
Read full reviewWe had Ivy & Whyte do a planting design for us at our small-ish coastal garden in Kemptown last Summer. Annabelle and her team sorted all of the plants for us and planted up our garden in a day. We wanted beds which had a touch of the wild about them.
Read full reviewI really valued my experience of the Ivy & Whyte Garden Design Workshop and my experience pre and post event! The team have incredible knowledge for all sorts of budgets and I came away with the most amazing ideas for my garden.
Read full reviewA really great coastal garden design workshop with Annabelle, Poppy and Isabelle! They were all so knowledgeable and approachable. I've got some great ideas to make my garden more plant-friendly, what kinds of textures to use and how to plan.
Read full reviewI had a fantastic time at Ivy and Whyte's garden design workshop! Annabelle, Isabelle, and Poppy shared their passion for coastal garden design and gave loads of practical, creative advice on everything from layout and materials to planting.
Read full reviewThe garden design workshop was a great evening. Very informative and inspiring, the team were lovely and helpful as were all the other attendees. It has helped me visualise my garden in a different way as I was struggling to see how I could improve it.
Read full reviewThank you to Annabelle and the Ivy & Whyte Sussex team who designed us a family friendly garden in central Brighton. We had no idea what we could do with the space but their ideas blew us away and now we have a garden full of lovely plants, areas to entertain and spaces for the kids to play.
Read full reviewI had a great 90 minute consultation with Annabelle and colleague, who came up with lots of ideas for a redesign of the garden, including installing a wildlife pond, some trees and pollinator-friendly plants. I came away with two alternative designs and lots of planting ideas I can't wait to get going on! Highly recommended.
Read full reviewAfter we saw the landscape design that Annabelle Hood had completed for our daughter (who lives in West Sussex), we were excited to have Annabelle tackle our home!
Read full reviewAn interesting and fun evening with lots of takeaway ideas for my garden. Amazing value for the cost which is about the equivalent of 1 Starbucks per day for a week!
Read full reviewI found the Garden workshop very useful and it gave me lots of great ideas! Annabelle, Poppy and Isabelle were great hosts, very knowledgeable and enthusiastic!
Read full reviewAnnabelle and her team did such a fantastic job re-designing our small garden, we are so happy with the end result. She brought real creativity and attention to detail to the project and managed to fit everything into our garden that we had wanted. We hadn't thought that would be possible. Thank you!
Read full reviewWe loved working with Ivy & Whyte. They were a friendly and fun team, very professional and very responsive to all of our questions and queries. We had an uninspiring front garden that we rarely used, and now its a beautiful space that we use all the time, and it feels so much bigger! We highly recommend.
Read full reviewAnnabelle & Isabelle helped us with our long but awkward garden when we wanted fresh eyes & inspiration to make it more appealing & an enjoyable space. We are happy with the communication, ideas & result. Would highly recommend.
Read full reviewExcellent from start to finish. Mark really listened to what was important to us & produced designs that reflected & added to our vision.
Read full reviewPlanting Guides
Mastering the
Coastal Garden
We all love the coast – it’s why we choose to live and work here. From the vibrant energy of Brighton to the calmness of the Kent shoreline, we see character and beauty. As coastal garden design specialists, we share that same passion for seaside living, and we understand the unique challenges that come with it.
Our expert garden design team has years of experience designing gardens that truly belong in their coastal settings. We know which plants will thrive, how to work with your soil, and how to make the most of your property’s microclimate. From the top of the Kent coast to the edge of the Sussex coast, we’ve helped transform outdoor spaces into beautiful, resilient seaside sanctuaries that celebrate where we live.
See How We Create
Living Landscapes
Crafting Your
Garden Plan
From detailed 3D visualisations to precise technical drawings, we use the latest technology alongside traditional horticultural expertise to present you with a true-to-life visual representation of your future garden.
Get in Touch
Transform your outdoor space with Ivy & Whyte. Complete the form to schedule a* free consultation, plant design session or 90 minute advisory or receive our comprehensive brochure showcasing our award-winning gardens and services.
*within a 10 mile radius – a nominal fee may be charged for travelling outside this area – we cover Kent and East Sussex.