Garden Designer in Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire has no shortage of garden designers. What it has rather less of is a garden designer who takes on a limited number of projects, designs each one personally, and stays with it from the first sketch to the last plant in the ground.

Cotswold Garden Designs is that kind of studio. Founded by Steve Andrews and based on the Gloucestershire–Oxfordshire border, it serves Oxford and the county with bespoke, sustainable garden design — never templated, never handed off to a junior, and always rooted in the landscape around it.

A different way of working

Larger practices win on volume. This studio is built to win on attention.

Every commission — whether a compact college-city courtyard or several acres beside a village manor — receives the same research-led process: careful listening, a thorough survey, and a design developed collaboratively until it feels unmistakably yours. Materials are chosen for longevity and low environmental impact; plants come from reputable growers; construction is tendered to skilled trades and overseen personally, with a 12-month warranty on the built work.

The result is not simply a garden that photographs well on completion day, but one designed to deepen and improve for decades — a green legacy rather than a makeover.

Where we work in Oxfordshire

Based just over the county line in the Cotswolds, the studio is well placed for west Oxfordshire and travels comfortably across the county:

Oxford — city gardens, walled plots and family homes in Summertown, Jericho, Headington and beyond.
Witney, Burford and Chipping Norton — Cotswold-stone properties where the design brief and the landscape are inseparable.
Abingdon, Didcot and Wantage — growing towns with new-build gardens waiting to be given real character.
Henley-on-Thames — riverside and country gardens at the county's southern edge.

Somewhere else in Oxfordshire, or further afield? Design-only projects are also undertaken worldwide via Zoom, with consultations, drawings and planting plans delivered remotely.

Small garden design in Oxfordshire

Oxford is a city of hidden gardens — terraced back plots, courtyards behind period façades, and new-build spaces measured in metres rather than acres. These are some of the most rewarding projects the studio takes on. Thoughtful small and urban garden design turns a modest footprint into an outdoor room: somewhere to eat, entertain, work and grow, arranged so it looks after itself while you get on with life.

For rural properties, the same care scales up. Large garden design is delivered in sensible phases — starting with the areas nearest the house — so quality and budget are protected from inception to completion.

How a project unfolds

Consultation. Around an hour at your property (or over Zoom) to walk the space, understand your brief and explore ideas — followed by a written report.
Proposal. A tailored design proposal with a clear quotation, so you know exactly what is included before committing.
Survey. Qualified surveyors laser-measure the site, and any planning considerations are checked.
Design. Scale drawings and 3D visuals let you see the finished garden before a spade touches the soil, with drafts refined until everything is right.
Planting and construction. Detailed planting plans complete the picture; key elements are marked out and built by trusted trades under Steve's supervision.

"Considerate, hard-working — and he really listened to our priorities."
— Mr & Mrs Reeve, Oxfordshire

Begin with a conversation

The best gardens in Oxfordshire start the same way: with someone describing, in their own words, what they wish their outdoor space could be. Share yours through the contact form and we will come back to you with a considered, tailored proposal.