Bronze
A complete spatial design: layout, structure, surfaces, levels, and materials. The bones of a garden that will work properly, and keep working, for years to come. Planting plan not included.
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Gardens designed for real life and everything in it
I design calm, low-maintenance gardens for Yorkshire homeowners who want something beautiful to live with, and a space that quietly gives something back to the world around it.
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Most gardens start with good intentions
I'm Sally Tierney, an award-winning Yorkshire garden designer and horticulturalist who's been designing private gardens since 1997. I hold a Chelsea Silver-Gilt Medal, two consecutive Harrogate Flower Show Golds, and I'm a Registered Member of the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers.
Most of the gardens I'm asked to redesign share the same story. They started with good intentions, but somewhere along the way they became something to manage rather than something to enjoy.
I design gardens that change that. Spaces that are calm to be in, realistic to maintain, and quietly rich in life, without any of the chaos or overwhelm that wildlife gardening sometimes suggests.
I listen carefully, ask the right questions, and design around the real version of your life, not an idealised one. And always, always with one eye on the soil, the seasons, and the creatures that share your garden.
And I draw every design by hand, never from a template, so what you get is shaped entirely around your garden and no one else's.
How I work with you
Every project starts with a conversation. From there, you choose the level of support that suits where you are. No pressure, no obligation. A garden consultation is £300 + VAT, and there's no obligation to go further.
Silver
Everything in Bronze, plus a detailed planting plan: exactly the right plants for your soil, your light, and the amount of time you actually want to spend in the garden. Clear, usable, and entirely yours.
Gold
The full process: design, planting plan, plant sourcing, and I'm on site to oversee the planting. You step into a finished garden, with everything in its right place from the very first day.
A beautiful garden should fit your life. And if it can quietly give something back to the world around it, all the better.
Sally Tierney
Some of the gardens I've designed
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What my clients say
We'd been putting the garden off for years. It felt overwhelming every time we walked outside. Sally listened properly. She didn't design what looked impressive on paper; she designed what would actually work for us. Two years on, it's the room we spend most of our time in.
I was worried that wanting a wildlife-friendly garden meant giving up any sense of order. Sally showed me that was never really true. We have bees, birds, and hedgehogs, and the garden still feels calm and cared-for. I'd never have found that balance without her.
I came to Sally with no real idea of what I wanted, just a feeling that something wasn't right. That turned out to be exactly the right place to start. The consultation gave me more clarity than I'd expected, and the design followed naturally from there.
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Reviews from Google
5 from 30 Google reviews
Independent reviews from people whose gardens I have designed.
Competent, conscientious and creative! An RHS employee advised us to use a member of the Society of Garden Designers…because anyone can call themselves a garden designer! Sally has a robust combination of qualifications, experience…and medals, which underpin delivery of a professional yet personal garden design service. Sally has written a book called The Garden Equation, which really resonated with me. Three foundation steps are needed to balance the equation! 1. Experience of the garden - what you want to have, or do, in your garden. 2. Physical conditions - work with nature! 3. Maintenance - tailor the plan to your timeframe! Working through these steps helped us work through our priorities and communicate our preferences. Sally’s objectivity provided us with invaluable insight and a new perspective. Sally’s knowledge and skills have enabled us to transform our space. The gardens were a space we worked in and walked through. Now our two front gardens feel connected, even though they are separated by a road. We feel that our home extends into two beautiful garden rooms, where design underpins purpose and effort is rewarded with enjoyment.
Sally's work was recommended to me initially by a 2 new neighbours, but then we also saw a totally different garden she has designed and really loved the blend of plant knowledge with varied hard landscaping and creativity. Each garden with which she was involved was unique. Our patch was a real challenge for any gardener, having poor drainage, heavy clay, two mature trees just over our fence, and nothing but rough grass. Sally was encouraging, enthusiastic and also realistic. She showed flexibility in her approach, amended the planting as necessary and always communicating clearly and in a timely way. She listens carefully to her clients' needs, hopes and fantasies, and is pragmatic in her approach. She makes clear the various options available, right at the start, so you can commit financially to the level of her input you want with confidence. She's incredibly hardworking when actually creating the garden physically, preparing beds, laying turf sourcing, planting, and she's also very generous with her time and effort. We are thrilled with the transformation achieved in a relatively short time, and cannot recommend her highly enough.
Excellent garden transformation - highly recommend! We're absolutely delighted with the work Sally has done for us. After extending our house, we lost part of our garden and wanted to make the most of the remaining space, but lacked both the time and knowledge to do it ourselves. Sally was recommended to us and she's been wonderful from start to finish. She presented us with thoughtful ideas and options, then took care of arranging all the work, making the whole process stress-free. The result is fantastic - the garden looks beautiful even now in winter, and we're excitedly looking forward to seeing it come alive in spring and summer. We couldn't be happier and would highly recommend Sally to anyone looking for a skilled and reliable garden designer.
Ready to start thinking about your garden?
Every project begins the same way: a quiet conversation about your space, your life, and what you'd like to change. There's no pressure, and no obligation to go further.
Let's start with a conversation