Garden designWater & wellbeingPlanting design3D & virtual realityDesign & buildWedding gardens
Water & Wellbeing Gardens
I believe a beautifully designed garden can do much more than transform the space around your home. It can change the way you feel.
My Water & Wellbeing Gardens bring together water, planting and nature to create restorative outdoor spaces where you can relax, reconnect and spend more meaningful time outside.
The restorative power of water
Water has an extraordinary ability to shape the atmosphere of a garden. A waterfall can soften background noise, a still pool can create calm reflections, and moving water brings life, sound and a strong connection to nature.
I carefully consider how water relates to planting, seating, paths, lighting and views from the house, creating a garden that engages the senses throughout the seasons.
Natural water features designed around you
Depending on your garden and lifestyle, I can incorporate:
- Naturalistic waterfalls and streams
- Wildlife and ecosystem ponds
- Reflective pools and contemporary water features
- Swimming ponds and natural swimming areas
- Relaxation and meditation spaces
- Outdoor entertaining areas beside water
- Atmospheric garden lighting
Water, planting and wellbeing
For me, wellbeing garden design is not about simply adding a meditation space.
It is about creating an environment that naturally encourages you to spend more time outdoors.
Layered planting brings softness, movement and privacy around water. Trees provide shade, grasses move in the breeze, flowering perennials attract pollinators and foliage creates beautiful reflections. The result might be somewhere to read, practise yoga, entertain friends or simply sit quietly surrounded by nature.
The Art of Designing for Wellbeing
A garden’s contribution to our wellbeing goes far beyond providing a peaceful place to sit. It is about how a space makes us feel, how it encourages us to connect with nature, and how naturally it becomes part of our everyday lives.
The Royal Horticultural Society recognises the importance of gardens for wellbeing through its Wellbeing Garden Blueprint. Its principles, from creating a sense of serenity and encouraging exploration to supporting biodiversity and celebrating the character of a place, closely reflect my own approach to garden design.
I believe the most successful gardens offer a balance of experiences: peaceful corners for reflection, welcoming spaces for spending time with family and friends, planting that changes beautifully through the seasons, and moments of discovery that encourage us to explore.
Water can add another dimension, bringing movement, sound, reflection and life into the landscape. But ultimately, wellbeing is not created by any single feature. It comes from the thoughtful relationship between people, plants, water, architecture and nature.
A beautiful garden should inspire you, support the way you live, and make you want to spend more time outdoors.
Sustainable water gardens
Where appropriate, I use natural ecosystem water-management systems that keep water healthy without relying on conventional chemical treatments.
Rocks, gravel, aquatic planting, biological filtration and circulating water work together to create balanced, wildlife-friendly environments. I also consider permeable surfaces, responsible water management, drought-resilient planting, soil health and the reuse of existing materials wherever possible.
Wellbeing doesn’t have to be added to a garden. The garden itself can become part of your wellbeing.
Create your own garden sanctuary
Your own Water & Wellbeing Garden might be an expansive landscape with waterfalls and swimming ponds, or simply a quiet corner where the sound of water and surrounding planting helps you switch off at the end of the day.
If you would like to explore what water could bring to your garden, I would be delighted to discuss your ideas.
Three Waterfalls: A Private Garden Designed Around Water and Wellbeing
One of my most ambitious private garden projects brings this philosophy to life on a large scale. Designed for a family with four children, the garden combines wellbeing, entertaining and connection with nature. At its heart is an extensive water garden with three waterfalls, a series of ponds and an island with a Breeze House, creating a peaceful destination within the landscape.
A woodland wellbeing garden provides a more secluded retreat, with a dramatic three-metre corten steel moongate, water, intimate seating and a large fire-pit area for gathering with family and friends. The wider garden also includes swimming, entertaining and family spaces, all designed to feel connected as one landscape rather than a collection of separate features.
QVC’s Reflective Retreat: Where Water, Nature and Wellbeing Meet
An Award-Winning Rain Garden at BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2025
Designed for BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2025, QVC’s Reflective Retreat brings together everything I believe makes a garden truly restorative: the calming presence of water, beautiful naturalistic planting, thoughtful design and a strong connection with nature.
At the heart of the garden, a naturalistic waterfall cascades into a still pool, creating a contrast between movement and tranquillity. A sculptural glass water feature adds another dimension, capturing reflections and changing light, while lush planting softens the landscape and creates a peaceful, immersive atmosphere.
But the garden was designed to do more than provide a beautiful retreat. As a rain garden, it demonstrates how excess rainwater can become a valuable resource rather than a problem, with carefully selected plants thriving in areas where water naturally collects.
Sponsored by QVC’s My Garden Escape, the garden received Platinum, Best Commercial Garden and People’s Choice at BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2025, followed by recognition at the Pro Landscaper Project Awards 2026.
For me, Reflective Retreat perfectly illustrates how water, planting, sustainability and wellbeing can come together to create a landscape that is both beautiful and purposeful.
Let's talk about your garden
A free conversation about your space, with no obligation.
Professional Recognition
“The scale, vision and technical execution of this project are hugely impressive. Kitti and her team have created a calming, immersive landscape that feels beautifully connected to nature. What really stood out was the balance between strong construction detailing and sensitive planting design. The material palette flows effortlessly, the workmanship is sharp throughout, and the whole garden already feels like it has belonged there for years. A seriously impressive piece of landscape design and construction. Brilliant work Kitti.”