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About
At Susan Young Garden Design, we help you make the most of your garden or outdoor space. When a garden is thoughtfully designed and well managed, it becomes a place you actually want to spend time in - not a job that hangs over you every weekend.
We specialise in transforming unattractive or hard-to-manage gardens into calm, practical spaces that are modern, easy to care for and enjoyable for the whole family. From full garden redesigns to small or awkward areas, we make sure every bit of space earns its keep.
Working closely with you is at the heart of everything we do. Your ideas, lifestyle and budget shape the design from the very beginning, ensuring the finished garden feels personal and fits the way you live.
About Susan Young
Susan Young is a gardener and garden designer with over 20 years’ experience. Since 2002, she has worked with clients to create individual gardens tailored to both their setting and the people who use them.
Susan offers a complete service, from site survey and evaluation through to design, construction monitoring, planting and advice on ongoing garden maintenance.
She trained in horticulture and garden design with Writtle College at Shuttleworth, holds the Royal Horticultural Society Diploma with Commendation, is a member of the Association of Professional Landscapers and the Professional Gardeners’ Guild, continues her professional development with the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers and a Fellow of the Professional Gardens Consultants Association.
Susan spent over three years as the qualified gardener at Tofte Manor in Bedfordshire. Then 2007 to 2018 as the professional gardener at Cranford Hall, Northamptonshire, carrying out new planting, garden management, pruning and maintenance. Since 2020 the team are managing gardens of historic properties in Colmworth and Chawston.
By combining landscape gardening and garden restoration with creative garden design, Susan offers the best of both worlds. This hands-on experience ensures every garden benefits from practical knowledge as well as strong design thinking.
Susan is particularly known for planting schemes that:
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encourage wildlife and pollinators
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create fragrance within the garden
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provide year-round colour and interest
Every planting plan is carefully considered to suit the garden, the soil and the level of maintenance required.
Susan is fully involved in every project, working on site and collaborating with a trusted team of skilled professionals when required. This approach guarantees a consistently high standard of workmanship from start to finish.
Her work has been featured in Garden News, Garden Illustrated magazine and other publications.
Susan gives talks to gardening clubs and like-minded groups on:
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Cottage Gardens
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Design in Your Garden
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A Banquet for Pollinators
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Kitchen Gardening
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Rain Gardens
She also occasionally opens her own half-acre cottage garden, designed and planted to attract wildlife, as part of the National Garden Scheme. Opening dates for Park End Thatch, Stevington, Bedfordshire can be found on the National Garden Scheme website.
Professional memberships:
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Member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture
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Designer Member of the Association of Professional Landscapers
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Pre-Registered member of the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers
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Fellow of the Professional Garden Consultants Association
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Member of the Professional Gardener’s Guild
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Life member of the Royal Horticultural Society
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Associate of the British Society of Soil Science and outreach member.
Please see more about our Awards, Memberships and Gardens Illustrated online magazine, the Garden Design Journal and other publications, on our news page.
Meet our Team
Susan Young has co-authored Stevington the Natural History of a Bedfordshire Parish (2015) IBSN 978-0-9540703-5-9:
"I wanted to drop a line to say how wonderful your book is. It’s so thorough and smoothly put together with stunning written and visual illustrations; it drags you in to know more; to read the next bit. It truly is a masterpiece. Please pass this on to everyone else who was part of making it happen; I’m sure those that were involved early and didn’t make it through must have been played their part to the final work."
- G.R., Stevington, Bedfordshire.