Rory Andrews Landscape Design

29/08/2026

We went to see Japanese Garden Cornwall this week and it was absolutely amazing; the light was on point.

If anyone has been on a pilgrimage to see garden in Japan and they haven’t been to this Cornish garden, they’re missing a trick. The bones of this garden are mostly aged, moss-covered native Oaks (amongst others), but their forms and tones (windswept and gnarled) lend themselves well to Japanese garden aesthetics, so someone has expertly built a Japanese garden around them.

I assume it’s a temperate rainforest climate here (the grass on the local rec was green, would you believe) and the atmosphere here transports you to another place entirely. I look forward to another visit!

shade

29/08/2026

The few photos I took on our visit Eden Project | Cornwall, UK this week. It’s a huge and impressive place, with a diversity of planting areas and styles. I wouldn’t recommend walking to site from the furthest car park, carrying a complaining toddler, with about 15 kilos of camera equipment, on a rainy day. Too many people and too tiring. I’ll return on a ‘work trip’. So much to see!

08/08/2026

One of my favourite shots from a photoshoot by Alister Thorpe of a contemporary swimming pool garden that’s now in its 3rd year of planting. I’ve admired Alister’s work for some years and have had this project earmarked for him, once the planting had established. It was a pleasure to meet him and see him work.

Huge credit to the clients who are very hands-on, as well as the gardener benfoster0911 who is at the top of his game.

See link in bio for the photos and blurb that I have added to the portfolio on my website.

09/06/2026

The bountiful bowls that are the seedbeds of Silene dioicus, otherwise known as . These seeds provide a food source for a variety of wildlife. It’s also a telltale sign of why they’re such prolific self-seeders!

I’ve been harvesting these any casting the seed under the giant chestnut on the village green. Fingers crossed.

03/06/2026

Less than one year after planting and this little front garden is going great guns. See final image for what the garden looked like a year ago. Often the smallest gardens bring the greatest satisfaction and make the most striking transformation. I’m consistently persuading the client (a friend) to get a couple of lounge chairs and coffee table to complete the west-facing terrace.

Plants by .nursery and great trees from

Materials from and

Beautifully built by

30/05/2026

Some landscapes shots from a couple of weeks ago. Perfect timing for the glut of Rhodos and Azaleas, not to mention peak Iris!

17/05/2026

17/05/2026

Photos sent to me by a client just over a year after this small garden was built. It was designed in lieu of a free consultancy won as part of a charity auction (given the scale, the masterplan took as long as a written brief, so was drafted as a plan instead).

Beautifully built by with planting from and . Paving was reused from site, whilst the pergola was sourced and self-binding gravel

Photos were taken during the ‘green gap’, albeit Astrantia ‘Buckland’, Iris sibirica and Erigeron are trying to fill it. Much more colour to come from Geranium, Echinacea and Veronicastrum - to name just a few.

12/05/2026

The first spring in this compact but well considered front , having been planted in a rather hot August last year. Great planting from , and .nursery. The huge Himalayan Dogwood and Japanese maple had to be craned into place.

A brief for the garden was to consider access to the front door (which is now wheelchair accessible for future proofing) and the side access, whilst creating somewhere to sit and enjoy the evening Sun, as well as doing justice to the lovely Edwardian façade of the house. The final photos shows what we started with.

Materials include ‘antique Romsey’ brick , self-binding gravel and reclaimed York stone .

Given the addition of 3 new trees to this space, as well as the northwest facing aspect, most planting is shade tolerant and will create a lush, verdant space in the years to come, whilst still soaking up the evening sun. Other structural planting includes a mix of yew and beech topiary, all organically shaped to create year round structure, as well as screening to/from the road beyond.

11/05/2026

Spring/early summer always seems the best time to visit . The entrance of damp, shady conditions is beautifully planted in a way that perfectly blends the natural with ornamental, but the whole garden is a treat, right down to the red and green garden for the cafe. The tables and the plethora of green structure will be bolstered by red from peonies and roses shortly, but we were just a bit too early. Highly recommend a visit!