On the road (and seeing gardens a bit differently)
Over the last few months, I’ve spent more time in other people’s gardens than I have in the studio. Not presenting. Not designing in the formal sense. Just walking spaces with people, talking things through, and getting a feel for how they actually use them.
It’s been one of the most useful things I’ve done in a long time. Because when you’re stood in it with someone, you see everything differently:
- Where they naturally walk.
- Where they pause.
- The chair that never quite gets used.
- The view they’ve stopped noticing.
And almost every time, the conversation lands in a similar place.
Not a lack of ideas. There are always plenty of those. It’s uncertainty. Too many options. Too many opinions. And a nagging sense that getting it wrong will be expensive, or hard to undo. That’s really what led to The Northern Designer Tour Of Britain 2026. It’s a way of working that sits somewhere between a quick bit of advice and a full design project. More direct, more grounded in the space itself, and a lot easier to act on.
There are two ways we’ve structured it:
A Little Bit of Lee
This is a focused visit. We walk the garden together, talk through what’s working and what isn’t, and you come away with a clear sense of what to do next. It’s practical, honest, and usually quite revealing.
The SmartPlan Garden Design Package
This takes things a step further. More structure, more detail, and a plan you can follow if you’re moving into a larger project.
