Anna McArthur Garden Design

General information

Anna studied at Bretton Hall University College where she gained a BA (Hons) in Art & Design, specialising in ceramic sculpture. Although based in Cambridgeshire she has contacts in many parts of the world and has travelled extensively, finding inspiration from many different cultures and landscapes. She has always been interested in plants and gardens – this love developed as she grew up, helping her mother transform a derelict farmyard into a beautiful cottage garden.

Her training in design, and extensive garden knowledge meant that garden design was the natural direction to go in. So after spending 14 years building a successful career as a ceramist, she decided to train professionally as a garden designer.

Anna has a wide range of experience in designing all sorts of gardens, large and small, traditional & contemporary. She gets inspiration for the design of each individual garden from the setting and surrounding landscape, the style of the house and most especially the taste and lifestyle requirements of each individual client.

Garden design is a combination of many things – art, horticulture, and understanding of colour, texture, space and architecture, and very importantly an understanding of the practicalities of creating a design that is not only beautiful but reflects the client’s needs and wishes.

Anna has a particular interest in gardens that enhance the quality of life – whether that is the serenity of a memorial garden, a ‘Sensory Garden’ at a Children’s Hospice, or for clients who are disabled and need a haven that is easy to care for. She has also designed gardens for a community for the homeless, and a Quiet Garden for a Retreat centre. She is inspired by creation in many ways, seeks to design gardens that reflect that in some way, and she hopes to design gardens that are not only beautiful but enhance the lives of those who use them.