What's the difference between a Garden Designer and a Landscape Architect?

For people looking for garden designers in Glasgow or elsewhere, one of the first areas of confusion is the difference between garden designers and landscape architects. As a general rule, landscape architects tend to look after commercial scale projects often in the public realm, whereas garden designers tend to look after residential garden designs. 

The situation in Glasgow is no different to elsewhere and is not always clear for the client. A landscape architect will have a landscape architecture degree, and occasionally they will go on to become garden designers. Garden designers are not required to have any formal training, though they often do. For clients looking for a personal service with a passionate knowledge about the plants as well as the design, garden designers often end up being the people they turn to.

 Therefore the best way to approach things is to work out what you want - are you after large scale structural changes, or are you needing a more plant-focused approach? The division is still blurry however, and it is always a good to see who you get on with, who understands your ideas, who you click with. There are numerous garden designers out there undertaking cutting edge design, and landscape architects creating homely small gardens, so you should not stick too closely to the stereotypes of the different professions.

I have always wanted the design approach at Angel Horticulture to be a plant-focused one. I am a horticulturist by training, so whilst I love clever and imaginative garden design, for me it’s the plants that make the garden. I relish softening modern designs with lush planting, and creating garden designs precisely tailored to how much maintenance the client will be able to invest in future years. This ensures gardens stay looking as fresh as the day they were built, whilst the plants grow and mature into their spaces. 

Tom Angel is a Chartered Horticulturist and Award-Winning Garden Designer who trained at the British Academy of Garden Design where he received a post-graduate diploma with Distinction. Tom also trained with the RHS and is currently studying his Master of Horticulture (RHS) which he is due to graduate from in 2022. Tom’s garden design studio is based in Glasgow.