Gardens in dialogue with architecture
Jane Houghton Garden Design Studio creates landscapes shaped through a close relationship between architecture, setting and the way a space is lived in.
Each project begins with a careful reading of the site, establishing a clear spatial structure that brings together movement, proportion and planting.
The result is a garden that feels composed and intuitive — not imposed, but entirely part of its setting.
For the right kind of project
Designed in response to architecture, setting and use
The studio works on projects where the garden is carefully developed as part of a wider composition — shaped alongside the house, its setting and the way it will be lived in over time.
This may include architect-designed homes, substantial family houses, listed buildings, rural properties and more restrained but carefully anchored town gardens.
Each project is approached with a clear framework, allowing the garden to feel balanceded, clearly organised and entirely part of its surroundings.
Cross House, Chester
A garden shaped in direct relationship to the architecture — structured to be experienced from within as much as from the landscape itself.
Defined views, controlled geometry and structured planting establish a clear framework, allowing the garden to read as a continuation of the house.
Selected work
A range of settings, one consistent approach
From architecturally led town gardens to more expansive country settings, each project is developed in response to the character of the site and the life around it.
Comprehensive redesigns typically begin from £75,000. Each project is shaped in response to the house and its setting, carrying the spatial clarity, atmosphere and lived character of the architecture out into the garden.
Whether the garden is intended for entertaining, retreat, immersive planting, swimming, family life, working outdoors or a richer relationship with wildlife, the objective is not simply to add features, but to create a landscape that feels deeply fitting — settled, unified and as though it has always belonged.
Cross House
Architecture, views and structured planting in close dialogue.
View project ProjectThe White Garden
A atmospheric setting for a converted barn, shaped through restraint and planting.
View project ProjectThe Tinkwood
A landscape framework developed alongside a georgian manor.
View project ProjectNordic Soul Garden
Urban garden design with clever levels solutions and strong material presence.
View projectConsidering a project?
Begin a conversation
We take on a limited number of projects each year, allowing each garden to be developed with clarity and care.
The process
A structured route from first conversation to completion
The design process is structured, but deliberately paced — allowing ideas to evolve, be tested and refined before they are fixed.
Early stages focus on spatial clarity and overall composition, establishing how the garden will be experienced and how it relates to the house.
Detail is introduced gradually, ensuring that material choices, levels and planting are resolved with precision and buildability in mind.
Planting
Planting as structure, atmosphere and longevity
Planting schemes are developed as an integral part of the design — shaping movement, seasonal change, softness and rhythm across the garden.
They are designed to feel natural yet intentional, rooted in the character of the site and the practical realities of how a garden will be cared for over time.
Places
Gardens shaped by region, setting and character
The studio works across Cheshire, North Wales, the Wirral and Merseyside — often in collaboration with architects, or as part of wider property renovations.
Each location brings its own character — from the structured settings of Cheshire’s towns and estates, to the coastal landscapes of the Wirral, and the more open, rural conditions of North Wales. The approach remains consistent: to create gardens that feel entirely grounded in their setting, and closely aligned with the architecture they surround.
Cheshire Gardens
Design-led gardens for rural properties, villages and architecturally distinctive homes across Cheshire.
Explore CheshireNorth Wales Gardens
Gardens shaped by landscape,for rural properties, coastal settings and architecturally distinctive homes across North Wales.
Explore North WalesFurther reading
Journal, guidance and frequently asked questions
Alongside project work, the journal and guidance pages offer a deeper view into the studio’s approach — from process and planting to the wider thinking behind the work.
A considered garden is not the result of instinct alone, but of a structured process — one that allows ideas to be tested, refined and resolved before anything is built.
The journal explores this in more detail, from the role of the masterplan and the value of early design thinking, to how projects move from concept through to construction.
The studio
Private landscapes for considered homes
We work on a limited number of projects each year, allowing each garden to be developed with care, precision and long-term attention.
Projects often sit alongside architectural works, broader renovations or a desire to create a garden that feels fully resolved in relation to the house.
Each garden is developed to be lived in — and to become more rewarding over time.