Actual Landscapes

Actual Landscapes: award-winning garden design across North Wales and North West England

Actual Landscapes is a landscape design and construction company that works across North Wales and North West England. The company presents itself as an award-winning landscape design firm and states that its team has evolved from a diversity of skills provided by individual employees, forming a multi-talented and experienced group of landscape artists.

The team is led by Rory Tompsett, described as a fully qualified HND Landscape Science Principal with over 40 years of landscape-based experience. The design team is also led by Rory Tompsett (HND Landscape Science & Design), and the company emphasises that the entire process comes under one roof, reducing the dilution of design principles that can happen when dealing with separate designers and contractors.

Garden and landscaping services

The company offers a range of garden and landscaping services, including:

• Patios and patio services
• Driveways, pathways and paving
• Garden decking
• Water features and fish ponds
• Artificial turf
• Garden lighting
• Garden makeovers
• Planting schemes
• Garden design
• Smaller garden works

These services cover both design and installation, with the company stating that the entire process is handled under one roof.

Awards and recognition

Actual Landscapes has received several awards, including:

• RHS Gold Medal Garden – Gold Medal winners, the highest honour awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)
• RHS Silver-Gilt Garden x2 – two Silver-Gilt Medals reflecting high quality design, planting and execution skills
• RHS Silver Medal Garden x2 – two Silver Medals from the Royal Horticultural Society
• People's Choice Best in Show x4 – awarded four times
• Marshalls Multi Award Winner x3 – the company is a Marshalls Accredited Installer and a three-time award winner

Training and staff development

The company recognises that developing skills and competence at all levels requires investment in its staff. Actual Landscapes has an ongoing evaluation and training programme in conjunction with Coleg Cambria and Work Based Learning Programmes. Two staff members have won Learner of the Year awards.

Areas covered

Actual Landscapes serves customers across North Wales and North West England. The areas listed include Cheshire, Flintshire, Wirral, Ellesmere Port, Denbighshire, Wrexham, Conwy, Shropshire, Merseyside and surrounding areas.

Design philosophy

In its blog, the company expresses a design philosophy focused on creating gardens that are practical and enjoyable to live in, rather than merely photogenic. It notes that a garden can photograph beautifully and still be awful to live with, and that the company would rather design a garden that looks beautiful on a Tuesday morning in November than one that only works for a photograph in July. The blog also discusses the importance of structure first, then planting, then details, and the value of sensory gardens that engage all the senses.