Profile
Kate’s lifelong passion has always been plants and planting. Whilst she came from a keen gardening family, she initially started on another career route before the call of her vocation became too strong to ignore. On completion of her studies at Weald ~College, Kate launched her business as a garden designer, growing the business successfully through word of mouth recommendations and of course, her high profile activity at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Everyone at Kate Gould Gardens is a team-player and well-versed in working with other professionals, especially architects and builders, in order to translate a client’s vision into a stunning end result: gardens that are easy to maintain, appropriate for the site and conditions and which continue to work well both throughout the seasons and year upon year.
Awards
Silver Medal – RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2005
Winner – RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2007 – Best Chic Garden
Gold Medal – RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2007
Winner – RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2009 – Best Urban Garden
Winner – BALI Award 2009 – Best Domestic Garden (£20-£50k)
Gold Medal – RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2009
Nominated – 2009 Observer/Courvoisier – Future 500 rising stars across the UK
International Design & Architecture Awards 2010 – Best Eco House
Silver Gilt Medal – RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2010
Silver Gilt Medal – RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2011
Meet the team
Kate Gould
Kate Gould is an award winning garden designer with more than a decade’s hands-on experience transforming gardens of all sizes. A regular exhibitor at the Chelsea Flower Show, Kate writes a regular blog for the Guardian blog filled with tips for transforming your garden.
www.kategouldgardens.com
Leo Baistow
Leo has been a fundamental member of the design and build team at Kate Gould Gardens since 2010. Having studied for his horticulture and design diplomas at Hadlow College, Leo went on to spend five years working with Landform Consultants where he built many prestigious gardens as well as a number of show gardens at Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows.
The ability to visualise, interpret and successfully bring to life a living breathing garden from a 3D drawing, is an expertise that requires a profound understanding of hard and soft landscaping combined with skillful planting and care. Brought up against a backdrop of horticulture, (both parents enjoyed careers as garden writers and photographers), Leo has quite literally been gardening since he could walk!
Lucy Hodgkinson
Lucy is project coordinator overseeing every plan, assignment and development undertaken by Kate and Leo with consistent care and attention to detail. She brings a wealth of organisational experience to the office from her previous life as a travel coordinator for Steiner leisure and office manager for a team of surveyors and property management consultants.
Alongside ensuring all deadlines are met and everything runs smoothly; Lucy keeps communication flowing between the team and works closely on the all-important design plans so that we can hit the ground running. In short we couldn’t manage without her!
