We are a small, friendly and welcoming team of qualified and experienced horticulturists, passionate about plants.
At Gardens by Rachel we also offer affordable garden design. We don’t mind small – small can be beautiful. It’s about plants and planting, not just hard landscaping. Everyone should have their beautiful little patch of green to relax in and enjoy – “a garden to be proud of”.
Down to earth – Honest, confident, down-to-earth, listeners.
Creative – Passionate and knowledgeable about all things horticulture; we are plantspeople. We design our gardens with creativity and care to stand the test of time.
Teamwork – Individually strong, collectively great. We use the eyes, ears, hearts and knowledge of everyone in our team to build the best service, best gardens and create the best atmosphere for everyone.
Local – We aim to support and celebrate local, building strong communities and local links. We use local suppliers and volunteer in the community when we can
Sustainability – As a smaller business we take pride in trying to look after habitats, ecosystems and the climate as carefully as we look after our client’s gardens. We believe good gardens grow from working with nature.
We choose climate resilient plants that suit the site conditions favoring hardy and native varieties that need less water and maintenance, whilst supporting wildlife. We prefer to only plant annuals grown from seed ourselves. We care for soil – naturally composting green waste where possible and avoiding chemical use. We encourage our clients to have composting and leaf mould areas. Using green bins gives us limited space for garden waste and limited access to home made compost/ mulch.
By reusing materials, sourcing locally and working thoughtfully on every site we aim to create good gardens that are healthy, sustainable and built to last – green spaces to enjoy for years to come.
Gardens by Rachel encourage and promote volunteering opportunities and provide time for the team to take part in voluntary work and horticultural related charity work.
We allow regular volunteering sessions and actively support the local horticultural charity The Social Gardening Project. We have assisted them with local planting projects, offered design services, plants, compost and labour.
Find out more:
To support or join the group
www.socialgardeningproject.co.uk
Rachel Goldsmith MCIHort:
My husband says when he met me I was an ‘Outdoor-a-phobe’! However, since having my daughter Ella, I have found that I love to make the most of outdoor spaces and to really enjoy spending time in them. My family and I have an allotment plot which we visit weekly together and it’s very satisfying taking home our own fruit, veg and flowers. We grow organically without using any pesticides, chemicals or fertilisers and have been practicing the no-dig method for a few years now with great success.
I love being outdoors, (if not gardening then running, cycling or walking or visiting gardens) and my aim is for others in my local community achieve the same benefits and enjoyment from their gardens too.
Training:
RHS Level 3 Certificate in The Principles of Plant Growth, Garden Planning and Applied Propagation
RHS Level 3 Certificate in Practical Horticulture
RHS Level 2 Certificate in Practical horticulture
RHS Level 2 Certificate in Principles of Horticulture
Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh Level 2 in Practical Horticulture
City and Guilds Practical Garden Design
B.E.S.T in Horticulture Practical Propagation Course
1 day Winter pruning – fruit (Hill Close Gardens Warwick)
1 day Summer pruning – fruit (Hill Close Gardens Warwick)
1 day Salvia growing and propagation (WFGA)
1 day Rose pruning (Birmingham botanic garden WFGA)
1 day Dahlia growing and propagation (WFGA)
Kiki grew up in an arboretum so plants and nature are in her genes, but for most of her working life has worked in classical music. Now moving into horticulture and design, Kiki has completed RHS qualifications to level 3 and a technical course in plant propagation and also can turn her hand to dry stone walls! She also holds a Diploma with the Oxford College of Garden Design. Kiki is passionate about creating sustainable and contemporary designs using climate resilient plants to create a stylish garden with a sense of place. Kiki joined the team in October 2024 and in her spare time she Loves to draw and paint.
Kirsten is a keen amateur gardener having re-designed and planted her own town garden in Warwick. She successfully completed the National Design Academy Diploma in Garden Design in 2021 and went on to re-level and re-design the garden at The Stag in Offchurch. Leaving full time corporate life behind, Kirsten joined Rachel’s team in November 2025. A keen designer and gardener Kirsten is adding to her experience by studying the RHS certificate
A keen gardener with a passion for thoughtful, practical design, he has transformed a range of outdoor spaces—from compact city gardens to expansive three-acre landscapes. John holds a Diploma from the Oxford College of Garden Design and is always looking to build on his knowledge, continually exploring new skills and ideas. His approach blends creativity with real-world experience, creating gardens that are both beautiful and usable. Outside of design, he enjoys long walks with his dog, photography, and discovering new cultures through travel.
Sophie is loving her new career in horticulture, enjoying all aspects of the work and learning, having not been sure what to do after leaving school. Sophie is at home outdoors with her hands in the dirt and has a very natural instinct when it comes to plants! Sophie joined the team as an apprentice and now has completed her level 2 qualification in horticulture at Pershore college. Sophie looks forward to completing a design course this coming year to compliment her extensive plant knowledge.
Katie joined the team in August 2023 having met Rachel at horticultural college. Katie also holds RHS level 2 and 3 certificates and a wealth of knowledge and experience.
Katie is passionate about animals, nature and wildlife, having previously worked for the local Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. Get in touch if you’d like to chat to her about bringing wildlife into your garden…
Jess has spent more than a decade of developing and experimenting in her own garden, allotment growing, volunteering at Hill Close Gardens and visiting several dozen gardens, alongside a varied career in agriculture. In 2025, Jess decided to turn off the computer screen to spend even more time gardening and started a Work and Retrain as a gardener traineeship, expanding her skills into box and yew shaping, summer fruit pruning, propagating perennials, practising weeding and growing some muscles.
Jess has recently attended courses on Winter Fruit Tree Pruning (Heart of England Forest), Growing and Propagating Salvias (WFGA) and a Bulb Bonanza workshop (WFGA).
Chris loves to get stuck in, his speciality is pruning, particularly apple trees, which reminds him of being with his dad in the garden as a young boy.
Chris also volunteers at Hill Close Gardens in Warwick, and in his spare time enjoys theatre, the orchestra and music.
Alison started working for Rachel as a WRAG gardening traineee in April 26, having enjoyed gardening as a hobby for many years.
Coming from a career in the corporate world, the opportunity to work outdoors helping clients to make their gardens look beautiful is something she is really excited about. Alison particularly loves growing flowers from seed, propagation and pruning and strives to make plants healthy, strong and beautiful.
Alison is currently studying the RHS level 2 in practical horticulture.
Having spent the last couple of years studying RHS level 2 Principles and Practices of Horticulture and the RHS level 3 in Practical Horticulture and Level 2 in Garden Design from Winterbourne House in Birmingham Lucy has a lot of knowledge on plants and design methods. She loves gardening and has always preferred being outdoors, so is really enjoying getting stuck in and offering her learned knowledge to the team.
