About Prisca
Twenty years of learning what London gardens need.
Prisca Matt Botanical Design was built on two decades of hands-on experience, a deep love of plants, and a firm belief that every garden — however small — can be a place of genuine ecological value.
The story
From a childhood spent in gardens to a practice built on them.
Prisca grew up with her hands in the soil. A childhood spent in her grandmother's kitchen garden in Kent gave her an early understanding of how plants behave, how seasons shape a space, and how much a garden can give back when it's properly cared for.
After training in garden design and horticulture, she spent her early career working across some of London's most demanding residential projects — learning the particular challenges of urban gardens: poor soil, limited light, the relentless pressure of city life on both plants and people.
Prisca Matt Botanical Design was founded twenty years ago with a simple ambition: to create gardens that are genuinely beautiful, ecologically sound, and built to last. That ambition hasn't changed.
Training & experience
Twenty years. Hundreds of gardens. One consistent approach.
Formal training in garden design & horticulture
Qualified in both the design and the science of gardens — understanding not just how a space should look, but how it will grow, change, and behave across the seasons.
20 years of London residential practice
Two decades working exclusively in London and Greater London — from Islington terraces to Richmond estates. Every London microclimate, soil type, and planning constraint is familiar territory.
Specialist in biodiversity & ecological planting
Deep expertise in planting for wildlife, pollinators, and ecological resilience — creating gardens that support biodiversity without sacrificing beauty or usability.
Drought-tolerant & wet-winter planting
Specialist knowledge of planting schemes that thrive in London's increasingly unpredictable climate — resilient through dry summers and waterlogged winters alike.
The philosophy
A garden should give more than it takes.
Every decision Prisca makes — from the plants she specifies to the materials she sources — is guided by a single question: does this leave the garden, and the world around it, better than before?
That means planting for pollinators and wildlife as a matter of course, not as an afterthought. It means specifying materials that will last decades, sourcing reclaimed stone and FSC-certified timber, and always asking what can be saved before anything is removed. It means designing gardens that work with London's climate rather than fighting it — resilient through drought and winter wet, beautiful in every season.
It also means being honest. About what's possible in a given space. About timescales and budgets. About what a garden needs to thrive. Prisca's clients come back year after year — not just because the gardens are beautiful, but because they trust her judgement.
What we stand for.
Ecological integrity
Every garden we design supports biodiversity — through planting choices, material decisions, and the way we manage soil and water.
Honesty & craft
We tell clients what will and won't work. We build things properly. We don't cut corners on materials, construction, or plant quality.
Longevity over fashion
Trends come and go. We design gardens that will still be beautiful — and still be standing — in twenty years.
London expertise
Twenty years working in one city gives you knowledge you can't get anywhere else. We know London's soils, its microclimates, its planning constraints, and its gardens.
Work with Prisca.
If you're looking for a garden designer who will take your project seriously — who will listen, think carefully, and build something that lasts — we'd love to hear from you.