The Friendly Garden Co.
Some gardens are designed to impress. Ours are designed to be lived in.
An impressive garden looks right in photographs.
A lived-in garden feels right on a quiet Tuesday morning, when you step outside with a cup of tea and it asks nothing of you except to be present in it.
That’s what we’re working towards with every garden we take on.
How this began
Michael spent nearly two decades at The Lost Gardens of Heligan, one of the most celebrated and complex gardens in the country.
He arrived as a gardener and went on to become Head Gardener, helping to steward a vast, evolving landscape through every season, every setback, and every quiet transformation that only time allows.
It was extraordinary work.
But over time, the questions that mattered most became simpler.
Why does nothing grow in this corner?
How do I make this space feel calmer?
What will actually thrive here, not just survive?
These were the questions people were asking about their own gardens.
And they were the questions Mike realised he wanted to spend his time answering.
The Friendly Garden Co. grew from that.
Not as a traditional landscaping company, and not as a design studio, but as something more considered. A way of bringing real horticultural experience into the gardens people live with every day.
How we work
We take on a limited number of gardens each season. That’s deliberate.
This kind of work takes time, and attention. Every garden is different, and understanding it properly is where everything begins.
We’re based in Cornwall, and that shapes every decision we make. The light, the soil, the coastal air, the exposure to wind, even within a few miles, conditions can change completely.
We don’t apply a fixed style or formula.
We start with the garden itself, and work from there.
Most relationships begin with a Garden Advisory. Time spent walking your garden together, understanding what’s already there, and exploring what it could become.
From there, some clients take things forward themselves. Others choose to continue working with us over time, shaping and guiding the garden season by season.
What we believe
A garden isn’t something you complete. It’s something you develop a relationship with.
The best ones take time. They change. They go through phases. They reward patience.
We believe in working with that rhythm, rather than against it.
In choosing plants that belong in a space, not just ones that look good on paper.
In creating gardens that feel calm, natural, and quietly full of life.
And in helping people feel more confident in their own gardens, with the right guidance.
That’s really what we’re here for.