Tom Angel Studio

Tom Angel Studio Ecological Landscape Design, Consultancy & Planting | Tom Angel CHort, MHort (RHS), PGDip(GD)

15/05/2026

When is a garden design consultation not JUST a garden design consultation?

People come to us expecting a garden design consultation and are often surprised by how much broader the conversation turns out to be. That's because at heart I'm a horticulturist, with over 20 years of hands-on experience. Everything I do, whether it's design or ecology, is grounded in that. Between the team, we cover everything from horticulture to soil science, rewilding and landscape design.

So when I visit your garden, you're not just getting ideas about how it could look. You're getting advice on what will actually thrive, how to support wildlife, and how to make the whole thing work long term.

Whether you're looking for a one-off horticultural consultation or are embarking on a full garden design project, this is the breadth of expertise that comes as standard with Tom Angel Studio.

06/05/2026

Safe to say this did not take 30 seconds...

It is so important to put the work in when creating a meadow, particularly when working in an area that has had significant grass and plant cover, in this case those plants being Dock, Thistle and Colt's Foot.

By spending time removing w**ds, cultivating the compaction out of the soil and spreading 30 tonne bags of sand, we are physically surpressing w**d growth and reducing the fertility of the seed bed. Wildflowers can tolerate much lower nutrient levels than grass so this also helps reduce competition.

Meadows sown in spring should have a nice flush in the first year but will really hit their stride in the second year if managed properly, so we will be back in Autumn to give it a cut so we will keep you posted on the progress!!

If you are struggling to imagine what shifting that much sand is like, it is equivalent to 6000 sausage dogs, 200,000 hamsters or three tenths of a blue whale.

28/04/2026

We like to make sure that wherever we put in our bee posts there is also plenty of forage for the bees to reach. This is often existing but sometimes it needs created.

This particular mix from contains a mix of annual, biennial and perennial wildflowers including Devils-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) as well as six grass species. It has been specifically put together to support pollinators in cities and this meadow sits right outside the classroom windows so hopefully it will be buzzing with life year on year for the pupils to learn from.

There are different methods of creating meadows and as this is particularly small scale we opted for the turf cut and sand route.

This is a great example of how a day's work can instantly boost a small space. Let us know if you want a meadow in your garden!

16/04/2026

There are a few genuinely simple things that make a dramatic difference in a garden that many people skip. What I'm doing today not only improves the health of your plants, it looks good too - mulching.

A bit late to it in garden, the best time is autumn and winter, but late is absolutely better than not at all. A 7-10cm layer of composted bark keeps moisture in the soil as temperatures rise, regulates soil temperature, and creates the conditions that soil life needs. Worms, fungi, bacteria, beetles - they all depend on organic matter breaking down at the surface. That's how woodland soils work, and it's what we're replicating here.

Healthy, biodiverse soil is fundamental to effective garden management. As the mulch breaks down from the surface, the decomposers do the rest, worms pull organic matter down into the soil, fungi spread through it, and the whole system feeds itself. No digging required, that would just disrupt the soil structure we're trying to build.

The plants in this bed go into summer with insulated roots, retained moisture, and a functioning soil ecosystem underneath them.
So if you've not done it already, get it down this weekend!

26/03/2026

This bed is managed for wildlife, horticulture and aesthetics - and those three things don't always agree!

We designed and planted up this garden five years ago. Charlotte and Kane at .gardens do a superb job looking after it with real care and understanding. This balance of cosmetic, horticultural and ecological thinking is harder to get right than it looks.

A bed like this isn't managed for tidiness alone. Some of the old pieces of Cephalaria stems are left in-situ for invertebrate shelter. Feverfew arrived as a w**d and earned its place. Anemanthele lessoniana has been allowed to colonise its own corner - nicknamed Anemanthelland! The hedgehog house has a resident. The log pile is doing its job.
That doesn't mean anything goes, spanish bluebells and ground elder have needed persistent, pragmatic control. Dense planting of grasses, herbaceous and shrubs is now doing the work of suppression. Plant supports are in before the plants need them. Deep mulch across the whole bed keeps the soil healthy. The Vinca - white and purple mixed - is coming into its own. Cecilia the Abelia quietly does her thing every autumn without being asked.

This is what good maintenance looks like at five years. Not just kept, but understood and managed as a dynamic, living, ever-changing system.

Our bee posts are of course homes to bees but they are also an ode to dead wood. Dead wood, and standing dead wood in pa...
12/02/2026

Our bee posts are of course homes to bees but they are also an ode to dead wood.

Dead wood, and standing dead wood in particular, is something that is severely lacking in our landscapes.

Dead wood is crucial for:

♻️Nutrient cycling - the decaying of woody material released nutrients back into the soil.
🐝Insect reproduction - many specific species of insects and invertebrates rely on deadwood to make nests and lay eggs in.
🦇Nesting birds and bats - larger holes in standing dead wood are used by cavity nesting birds and bats.
🪲Insectivorous birds - birds like Woodpeckers and Treecreepers are adapted to hunt insects the live under the bark of trees, dead wood is a fantastic source of these!
🍄 Fungi - Dead wood is the home to many many species of fungi that are critical to the functioning of our ecosystems.

Our bee posts are specially designed to mimic standing dead wood for the insects that need it for nesting and reproduction and it is not only bees that you might see calling it home.

Don't worry though, we have also designed them to stay out of the nutrient cycle for a good while!

05/02/2026

Brownfield sites are fascinating - often these spaces are havens of nature, whilst being considered by some to be eyesores and signs of neglect. I've been doing an invasive w**ds survey today, and aside from a lot of Buddleja and Crocosmia, most of what I've come across has been wild flowers and interesting garden escapees such as Viburnum bodnantense, Fuchsia, Asters and Hypericum. The wildflowers have included Plantain, Vetch and Leucanthemum. Not the prettiest of sites, lots of litter (including a full nappy hanging from a tree...at head height!), but nature carries on regardless!

**d

We’re in our hedging season and busy planting up a variety of species. Species selection is crucial as not all hedges ar...
30/01/2026

We’re in our hedging season and busy planting up a variety of species. Species selection is crucial as not all hedges are the same. Let's meet some of the team:

Beech & Hornbeam
🍃 Marcescent hedges: once mature, they keep dead leaves over winter, giving an attractive screen all year.
🍃 Both native and great for wildlife! All rounders.
🍃 Only need trimming once per year once established and both species when in a hedge are visually similar.

Mixed, native hedges
🍃Definitely more rustic looking but the best hedges for wildlife, providing shelter and food. Our favourite player!
🍃Only need trimming once per year once established, or you could learn some new hedge laying skills!
🍃 Often a mixture of Crab Apple, Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Guelder Rose, Hazel, Dog Rose.

Garden Privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium)
🍃 Essentially indestructible and your classic garden hedge.
🍃 The flowers are great for wildlife if left to flower in mid-summer.
🍃 Needs trimming three times per year.

Holly (Ilex aquifolium)
🍃 Beautiful, native, evergreen hedge that wildlife loves
🍃 Can more costly but a cracking hedge!
🍃 Look at the leaves high up on a tall Holly and you’ll see the leaves aren’t jaggy as they are out of reach of browsing animals!

Portugese Laurel (Prunus lusitanica)
🍃A glossy, evergreen hedge.
🍃Again, slightly costlier hedge but it's a reliable and attractive variety.

Yew (Taxus baccata)
🍃 The 'king of hedges'! Despite graveyard associations it’s beneficial to a number of birds and insects for food and shelter.
🍃 Native, evergreen and highly tolerant of different light conditions.
🍃 It does demand a well-draining soil so has very specific planting requirements, best in a formal setting.

Cherry Laurel & Leylandii
🍃 There is demand for a hedge to be fast growing and evergreen, but these guys stay fast growing and they grow BIG.
🍃 They’re also very competitive so it’s wise to be careful where they’re planted.
🍃 There are almost always better options than these, whatever the desired hedge outcome. Best to leave on the subs bench.

Hedge planting season runs to March so get booked in soon! Call or email for advice on which might suit you best.

22/01/2026

🪺Do you have bird nesting habitat in your garden? 🪺

Appropriate nesting habitat is just as important as food availability for our feathered friends and is a really great way to boost the populations in your green space.

Scrub, trees and hedges are all favoured nest spots but adding in nest boxes is also extremely valuable and will encourage breeding birds while you wait for your trees to grow!

Different birds do have different box preferences but we can help with advising and installing boxes to suit your birds, as well as thinking about what other habitat and food sources can be provided to benefit them.

If you'd like to help the bird but aren't sure who pops by, the .scotland Big Garden Birdwatch is happening this weekend and is a great way to get an idea of what birds visit your garden!

Check out the RSPB website for how to take part and send us a message if you want us to help you boost those BGBW numbers for next year! 🐦‍⬛

Fantastic team trip to the inaugural conference at the University of Manchester - an incredibly motivational and import...
16/01/2026

Fantastic team trip to the inaugural conference at the University of Manchester - an incredibly motivational and important gathering with talks from the leading minds in horticulture, ecology, entomology, design and rewilding. Fascinating talks about what green spaces must look like in the future, and how we can all collaboratively make it happen. Returning to Glasgow thoroughly inspired and ready to put lots of ideas into practice.

Address

Suite 1, 55 Ruthven Lane
Glasgow
G129BG

Telephone

+441414321141

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