About me

“I believe that everybody deserves to have a beautiful outdoor space they can call their own.

“ To have your own garden, allotment, balcony or collection of pots and window boxes is one of the most rewarding things you can invest your time and effort in – it is fun, beneficial for wildlife, and will boost your physical and mental wellbeing.”

My name is Nicola Todd-Macnaughton, and I am the owner of Bréagha Garden Design.

I am a trained horticulturalist, with RHS qualifications gained at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh.  I am a member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture (MCIHort), which is designed for horticulturists with high level qualifications and extended experience in the industry. I am also a pre-registered member of the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers.

I fell in love with plants when I got an allotment 15 years ago, and since then my passion for plants, gardens and outdoor spaces has grown and grown.

I started my business in 2015. What started out as a garden maintenance business quickly became a planting design business, and then eventually a garden design one. Creating gardens gives me a huge amount of joy and satisfaction. I love making beautiful spaces that are inspired by nature and filled with plants and wildlife.

I am always undertaking courses to learn more about plants. In 2021 I completed a two year diploma in Herbology with the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh.  In 2022 I completed a Permaculture Design Certificate with Lusi Alderslowe in Glasgow. 

Plants are therapy. I really believe that plants have the power to heal people on a physical, emotional and even spiritual level. I love helping people to understand plants better, whether that is through connecting to their medicinal properties, learning about their folklore or simply their ecological role in the environment.

If you have time, please read this fantastic article which really resonates with my ethos:

‘The Healing Power of Gardens: Oliver Sacks on the Psychological and Physiological Consolations of Nature.‘

Since 2022 I have been working voluntarily with the charity Bearsden in Bloom, as their horticultural consultant, helping to green up local areas and communal community spaces.

The reason I set up my business was to help people discover how they can make the most of their gardens and outdoor spaces, in a way that is mutually valuable for wildlife, and in a way that is manageable and sustainable for that individual or family too. 

Gardens are very personal spaces and there is no one-size-fits-all approach; a ‘perfect’ outdoor area will look very different to a young couple with a toddler than it will to a retired person or somebody in full time education.

I have always had a huge passion for gardening, the outdoors and nature, and this all shines through in my professional work.

My commitment is to help you connect to your outdoor space by delivering plant-led designs, inspired by the natural world.