About us & reviews
You’ll receive expert designs, great communication, and practical support for every step in your garden journey
I recently had the great pleasure of appointing Philip to design and create a garden for me (he was working with an almost blank canvas). His attention to detail throughout the entire project was incredible. He sourced, co-ordinated, planted and installed with immaculate care and professionalism. No task was ever too much trouble for him.Philip is an extremely talented garden designer and horticulturalist and, moreover, he is a genuinely honest, reliable and very nice chap! I would not hesitate to recommend him.
We needed part of our garden which had previously been used as a chicken run to be redesigned and replanted. Philip made sure he understood all our requirements and the soil/garden structure he had to work with and put forward a comprehensive plan and clearly defined pricing plan.We asked Philip to complete all the work himself which we are delighted with.Philip is very professional, he is easy to deal with, he kept us informed throughout, the amount of work he completed each day when on site was truly amazing. He also cleaned the site every day so we were not left with any mess and was more than happy to answer any questions we had on other areas of our garden.We would fully recommend Philip to others.
Contacted Philip to see what could be done with a shady east facing plot.I was very impressed with his graphic design and his choice of lovely plants.Philip sourced all the plants at my request and planted them. ( love to hear him talking to plants as he is planting ) absolutely thrilled with results. He also supplied maintenance plan. An absolute pleasure to work with and left everything here clean and tidy . Carol Sutton
What an impressive, professional and helpful service I received from Philip when I asked him to redesign a border in my garden. In the end he did the whole thing, sourcing the plants, putting them in the ground and leaving everywhere clean & tidy. He has also provided a maintenance plan so the border will hopefully flourish under my fairly amateur care! I cannot fault any stage of the process. Philip was a joy to deal with.
Philip was a pleasure to deal with. He completely renewed our frontage maintaining a cottage garden look with vastly improved maintainability . His use of modern graphic systems made visualisation extremely easy and his very hard work ensured that the project was completed on time. All in all a very professional job.Gill & Chris Nelson
I am half way through a garden design project and I cannot thank Philip enough for his vision, enthusiasm and expertise . I wanted to get involved as much as I could so opted for a day of working alongside him to plant 34 Yew hedge plants ! I appreciated his guidance when it came to preparation as the hedging was quite an investment. I feel that those plants got individual attention and the best start in their new home as they could get . I picked up so many hints and tips along the way and we had a fun time . I particularly enjoyed his spontaneous singing and the way he interacts with plants – as of course they are living things ! I look forward to part 2 of the garden design .
I commissioned Philip for the re design of the small front garden of my cottage. Philip was a joy to work with from the initial design work to the supply of beautiful plants !He listened intently to the type of look and feel I wanted to achieve and produced a very high quality 3D design in no time at all! Plants were delivered within the timescale I’d hoped for, ready for me to plant and make the most of the Spring growth. Even though I wanted to plant the garden myself, he helped me position the plants according to the design and gave me some additional hints and tips along the way !His knowledge and expertise is exceptional and I’ve learnt so much from him, whilst having great fun too ! I’ve learnt how to prune a Wisteria!!I will definitely be asking him for help with my back garden in the near future . I highly recommend …… thank you Philip !
Philip took the time to understand my needs, created a beautiful garden design, and was excellent value for money.Highly recommended!
The thing I liked was Philip’s up-front approach. He also listened to what I wanted. I was a bit hesitant to get a professional involved in my ‘past-its-sell-by-date garden’, but Philip couldn’t have been more helpful. He worked out a renovation plan that dealt with all the problem areas and did it efficiently with very impressive computer images so I could easily see what I was getting. Very glad I went to Philip.
Philip is friendly, enthusiastic and really helpful – and its genuine. He took my ‘cluelessness’ and turned it into a great garden design that met all I wanted by way of affordability, minimum maintenance and plant variety. He even supplied the plants, and cheaper than garden centres. If you want good old fashioned service, I recommend Philip and Brighten My Garden.
Philip came to our gardening club to give us a talk about managing garden problems organically and we all throughly enjoyed it . He is very knowledgeable,informative and entertainingWe are definitely booking him to do another talk
Philip gave us a very informative talk on gardening organically,we all enjoyed it very much.Perennial garden club.
“We love Philip’s garden design and are quite ‘blown away’ with it. I am thrilled that so many elements of my ‘ideal’ garden have been incorporated. We can’t wait to get going!”
Dot, Badby, October 2023
“Thanks so much for all of your work and efforts in pulling all of this together so quickly and beautifully! It has made an amazing improvement and looks fabulous!”
Homeowner near Daventry, October 2023
“Philip’s energy and enthusiasm are second to none, as is his sense of optimism and success. He’s able to look at the ‘bigger picture’ whilst also being in complete command of the detail.”
Julia, London, June 2023
“Philip listened really well. He designed two flower beds and made my layout more practical. My garden was stressing me out because I didn’t know where to start. Now I love my garden again! Philip also supplied plants that will grow in my soil and were great quality. Philip is now designing my friend’s garden!”
Sophie, Northamptonshire, October 2023
Hear it first hand
Most of our customers kindly offer to speak to people thinking about booking Brighten My Garden. We’re very grateful for this, and proud. Once you’ve received a quote from us, we’ll happily introduce you to a customer to discuss their experience of working with us before you make a decision.
Our approach
We’re reliable
- Our expertise is backed by professionalism and flexibility.
- Our communication is first class – we listen to you; we keep you well-informed.
- We use clear and transparent pricing.
- We include more specialist services, such as pruning skills and eco-friendly watering systems.
- We operate sustainably.
We most value
- Achieving what you want from a garden for yourself, other people, and nature.
- Providing high quality and value for money services and products.
- Being your proactive partner who shares expertise and perspectives.
- Adding low (or enjoyable) maintenance and taking away worries.
Your designer
Philip Turvil
BSc (Hons), MSc, FIoL, MCIHort
- Six national awards
- First-class degree in horticulture
- Chartered Institute of Horticulture member
- Former programme director at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- Designed and led the UK’s Master Gardener programme
- Published hundreds of articles for local and national gardening magazines.
- Frequently interviewed by local radio and TV. Currently heard every month on BBC Radio Northampton
- Trustee and gardening consultant for Together TV; the UK’s only social change broadcaster
- Opens his garden for charity in Badby with the National Open Gardens Scheme.
What to expect when working together
- High quality – You’ll receive creative designs that satisfy what’s important to you. Your design will be achievable in your preferred time and budget using high quality plants and materials. You can then create your own space or work with us and others to create it for you.
- Reliability – we’re on time, every time. You’ll receive clear messages with updates and choices. Your garden is a personal space, so it’s a privilege to develop it with you. This means we listen to you and communicate clearly. You’ll have your own designer from start to finish, so will always speak to the person who knows you and your garden the best.
- Professionalism – you’ll have time with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic expert. We don’t rush meetings, so you won’t feel hurried. We’re trained designers with years of practical experience creating spaces to benefit people and plants. And we love it.
- Easy and transparent pricing – you’ll receive detailed quotes with clear costs upfront. Where costs are estimated, these will be updated and discussed as your garden progresses based on the design and your preferences. You’ll also receive suggestions to make your money go further.
- Problem solving – gardens and plants throw up surprises. It’s part of the fun of gardening! But if there’s a problem, we’ll work with you to make sure you’re delighted with the result.