What We Do
We specialise in trees and landscape garden design in the public and private sectors.
- Tree planting strategies and specifications
- Tree planting design
- Development site tree surveys [to BS 5837]
- Tree condition surveys, inspections & risk assessments
- Tree inventories/Botanical surveys
- Tree, Woodland and Estate Management Master plans
- Sourcing, selecting & ordering trees and other plants
- Woody Plant identification
- Pest and disease identification and control strategies
- Tree Preservation Order & Conservation Area works applications
- Arboricultural site supervision
- AutoCAD site plans and tree plotting
- Tree works schedules and specifications
- Decay detection
- Ancient and Veteran tree management
- Woodland & Shelterbelt management & planting specifications
- Hedgerow management & planting
- Ecological & habitat surveys and reports
- Adam Architecture, Winchester
- BBM Architects, Sussex
- Bedales School, Hampshire
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Belgium
- Cranleigh School, Surrey
- Crawley Borough Council, West Sussex
- Cumnor House School, East Sussex
- Galliard Homes, London
- Gardener & Theobold
- Grosse Kelle Estate, Mecklenburg, Germany
- Historic Royal Palaces
- Imperial College London
- Lennox Boyd Landscape Architects
- London Youth
- Marston House, Somerset
- Matthew Homes
- Mid-Sussex District Council
- Novartis
- Oxford Hotels & Inns, Surrey
- Pringle Richards Sharratt Architects, London
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
- St. Georges Augustinian Care, Sussex
- The Crown Estate, Windsor
- The Weymede Estate, Surrey
- University of Brighton, Sussex
- Site Assessments
- Garden and Landscape Designs – Public and Private sectors
- Planting plans
- Planting schedules and specifications
- Sourcing, selecting & ordering plants
- Overall Site Master plans
- Landscape Management plans
- Landscape specifications
- Contract management & site supervision
- Estate management
- Plant identification
- Pest, Disease and Disorder identification
- Soil analysis
- Wild flower meadows
- Walled gardens
- Hard landscape detailing
- Fruit & vegetable production
- Adam Architecture, Winchester
- Al Barari, Dubai
- Bailiffscourt Hotel & Spa, Climping
- Fukuoka University [Tsuzuki EF],Fukuoka Japan
- Luciana Wong [LNS], Hong Kong
- LUISS University, Rome Italy
- Numerous private/domestic clients since 1978
- Ockenden Manor Hotel, Sussex
- Pringle Richards Sharratt Architects, London
- Tamano City, Okayama Japan
- The Broadlands Estates, Hampshire
- The Marks Hall Gardens & Arboretum, Essex
- The Saga Group, Kent
- The Spread Eagle Hotel & Spa, Midhurst
- Workspace
- Lecturing and Tutoring
- Mentoring
- Presentations at seminars & conferences
- Short courses and workshops
- Garden visits/tours
- Nursery visits/tours
- Teaching
- Garden and gardening advice
- Staff training
Lecturing:
- Inchbald School of Design - 1982 - 2003
- London College of Garden Design - 2008 to 2023
- Merrist Wood College - 2004 - 2008 & 2011 - 2014
- Plumpton Horticultural College - 1985 - 2010
- RHS Garden, Wisley for LCGD - 2013 to 2023
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, School of Horticulture - 1983 to 2023
- The Garden House, Brighton - 2010 to 2012
Seminars/conferences:
- Arboricultural Association BS 8545 National Roadshows - 2014
- Beeches Barn, Barcombe - 2015
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission - 2011 - one day seminar on tree management and planting
- Hong Kong - 2011 - two day seminar on trees, roof gardens and vertical
- RBG Kew - 2007 to 2011 - Seminars on Designing with Trees & Landscape design
- Trees Master Classes and Designing with Trees at Barcham Trees - 2012 to 2020
Our Gallery
Below are a few examples of projects and work carried out by The Thurman Consultancy.
About Peter
Peter’s 40+ year career as a landscape and garden designer and tree, environmental and horticultural consultant started after studying and qualifying in arboriculture to Level 6 equivalent and subsequently all aspects of the plant kingdom and the environment more generally for three years at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
A fellow of the Arboricultural Association and the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, he has chartered status in trees & forestry (ICF), horticulture (CIH) and the environment (SocEnv). Peter has designed gardens and landscapes throughout the world and advised on tree management widely both at home and overseas. Until recently he taught and was an examiner at RBG Kew and for many years, lectured at both the Inchbald School of Design in London and the London College of Garden Design.
Although now officially retired, he still accepts some landscape and environmental commissions and continues to share his extensive knowledge and experience with others by speaking at conferences, seminars and workshops. He also continues to write regularly for various professional publications.
Peter Thurman
PrincipalPeter can be contacted on LinkedIn link below or see the Contact Us link
Testimonials - What People Are Saying
Below are just a few testimonials regarding Peter's work.
Peter is the plantsman I go to when I need a species of tree or shrub identifying as his ability to recognise/recall the name of the plant, quite often including the cultivar, is extraordinary. He recently went one better and identified a fungus I had not come across before. Keep up the good work Peter!.
Peter is a fantastic and inspiring teacher. He is extremely knowledgeable and very supportive. I loved his lectures and still rely on him whenever I have a horticulture or planting design question.
Peter is a very knowledgeable plantsman with very positive and strong views about landscape design. His understanding of plant association is excellent and his reputation for high quality work both in UK and abroad is well known.
Peter is an excellent plantsman. I was taught by him at London College of Garden Design. His teaching style is very accessible and inspiring. I have since used Peter as a consultant on developing planting schemes, and would happily recommend him as a garden designer, arboriculturist or lecturer.
Like many at the top end of the arboricultural profession, my first experience of Peter was as a tutor and examiner. Since then I have had the pleasure of working with him on development projects, and engaging him as a landscape architect to redesign the soft landscape around the main entrance to a stately home surrounded by a Capability Brown park. Peter was my first choice for this project and he was able to create a fresh and impressive design befitting of the estate's main entrance whilst working perfectly with the wider historic landscape.
Peter is an engaging teacher and a font of knowledge, whom I have asked arboricultural questions of and always received willing answers. Highly recommended for your projects.
