About Robert Wadman & New Barn Garden Design

Some people think ‘design’ means how it looks.

But if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works. Before thinking about how your garden should look, I’ll help you define how it should work for you.

I make gardens as self-sustaining as possible to reduce the need for labour-intensive maintenance. Happily, this approach makes them attractive to wildlife too.  

For best-in-class garden design and counsel, my studio works with a number of fellow landscape designers and lecturers, and experts in specific fields such as arboriculture, swimming pool construction, natural ponds, irrigation and lighting.

Over time, my design career has shifted towards the tangible art and craft of making gardens. With RHS practical horticultural certification under my belt, I studied at the world-renowned London College of Garden Design at its Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew site. In 2018, I was invited by the RHS to design and deliver 4 feature gardens for the Chelsea Flower Show. Throughout 2023, for a day each month, I studied the planting methods at Great Dixter Garden, widely recognised for its continuous tradition of sophisticated plantsmanship, and Grade I listed in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

My approach to garden design in one sentence: A great country garden is a finely settled - and constantly adjusted - balance between Man’s desire for order and Nature’s sheer exuberance. If that approach appeals to you, let’s talk.