Anita Sullivan Gardens

When it came to redesigning our overgrown north facing front garden, Anita was the obvious choice. Our requirements were to make a safe path with no trip hazards, get rid of the scrubby lawn and all plants except for one luscious red rose. Anita’s concept was to replace the angular concrete path with a curved slope leading into a spiral formation of large rocks as a centrepiece. Anita worked closely with us to decide what plants worked best in the location and also provided colour and variety throughout the year. All planting fitted the organic design and a basic colour palette or red, white, green and silver tied the whole theme together. Her husband, Ben even provided us with some driftwood sculptures to complete the effect. The garden has gone from being an eyesore, to a joy every time we look at it.

Anita is a thoughtful designer who really listens to what you want and doesn't inflict any contradictory opinions on you. She has a huge knowledge of planting and also an appreciation of native flora and wildlife, which was very important for my project. She's gentle and patient and was really easy to work with.

When we first spoke to Anita we planned on tidying our garden and created a low maintenance area. What we didn't expect was to have a dream garden. From the start Anita sat down and found a list of likes and dislikes to then come back with a transformation we could never have imagined. We love the reaction from people visiting who always go 'Wow'. We asked for low maintenance and that is exactly what we got, a little bit of deadheading here and there. And lots of sitting and admiring. Anita has also managed too give us an all year array of colours as one set of plants fade away another springs into life. We sit out of an evening in the sunshine and enjoy the buzzing of bees and an array of butterflies who also enjoy the garden.

Anita saved my sanity! Unable to enjoy peace and quiet in my back garden due to an ever-increasing noisy neighbourhood, Anita TRANSFORMED my front garden – once derelict and overgrown – into a secluded, beautiful paradise... a place where I can escape to and relax….. absolute bliss! Thank you, Anita x

I can’t have been the easiest client. A man who wanted a garden but hates gardening. But Anita Sullivan was not deterred. She visited, she looked, she asked, she listened and she measured. Anita is also a playwright and so is an excellent communicator. She sent me a brief which included the line: “Bob wants a low-maintenance garden. Well, let’s just say no maintenance”. And this is what she delivered. She produced designs which even I could understand. When my work dried up and hit the budget, she accommodated. Ben Fearnside worked with her to expertly repair neglected woodwork and I was encouraged to paint fences and a shed, which I enjoyed. I'm now very pleased with my back garden. It is much more open and light, my prized magnolia tree is more healthy than it has ever been and my hot-tub has a nice place in the corner, resting on soft tiles found by Anita and made from recycled rubber tyres. Former weed-filled beds are now weed-free, covered in attractive slate pieces with pretty plants peeking through. I couldn't tell you what they are called, but I like them. She also produced a design for the front garden which I can’t wait to do when I have saved up the funds. Highly recommended.

I have worked with Anita on a number of occasions from maintenance and taming of our unruly olive tree to the design of a Jacobean Herb garden for a theatre production. Anita has a flair for design and practicality and worked with me to ensure that everything suited my requirements. I only wish the herb garden could have been a real one - maybe one day...

I asked Anita for advice when planning my garden project as I'd seen some of her projects online and liked them. She spent a lot of time working through my ideas with me, providing suggestions and expertise as needed. She prepared a scale plan of the garden and a written report to help clarify my plans. She was on call for hand-holding and advice as needed over following months. I found her friendly, knowledgeable, very supportive, flexible, professional and reasonably priced. I'm looking forward to working on a planting plan with her next.

Anita Sullivan demonstrated considerable technical expertise and creative flair to solve various problems with our garden. She carefully considered all aspects of the site, our requirements and budget restrictions and provided excellent designs and suggestions. I was impressed by her knowledge and understanding of plants, which has delightfully transformed our garden.

We have a small city-centre back garden and two young children. Anita visited and talked through our ideas for how we could create a safe space for the children to play and also somewhere we could sit and relax in. She listened to our ideas, asked questions and made suggestions, to help understand exactly what we needed. The resulting designs, planting plan and cost breakdown were clear, beautifully put together and promptly delivered, and have given us a brilliant plan to follow. Anita was patient, informed and creative, and also very relaxed about whether we went ahead with her plan in full, with her help to build the structures and do the planting, or chose another supplier, or just undertook the plans step by step ourselves. The whole experience was incredibly helpful and enjoyable. We're following Anita's design together in stages ourselves and the garden is already transformed into a space we use everyday.