[A colorful Nashville residential home entry garden design framed by a mature crepe myrtle, conifer specimens, TN native perennials, groundcovers, and grasses] — residential garden design Nashville TN
 
 
 

Fine Garden Design

You already know the difference between a landscape that was installed and one that was designed. You've felt it — at someone's home, in a garden abroad, in the way certain places make you slow down without knowing why.

That's what I do. I design that feeling.

I'm Clare Horne. I run The Grass Girl — a garden design studio based outside Nashville. I take on a handful of residential projects a year in Middle Tennessee. I have a drawing table, a truck, a deep knowledge of what grows in this clay, and the kind of attention that only comes from working on one thing at a time.

 
 
 
[Gorgeous rose garden with orange blossoms towering over Nashville residential home entry by garden designer The Grass Girl] — fine garden design Nashville Tennessee by The Grass Girl
 
 
 

The Work

You receive a complete, buildable garden design — spatial layout, planting plan, material selections, and the specifications that ensure what gets built is what I designed. Everything is resolved on paper before anyone picks up a shovel.

The process starts on your property. I walk the land slowly. I read the light, the water, the grade. We talk — not just about what you want the garden to look like, but how you actually live out there. Where you have your coffee. Where the kids disappear to. What you see from the kitchen window that you wish were different.

From there, I design. Rooms take shape. Pathways find the route that feels right, not just the route that's efficient. The planting palette comes together layer by layer — structure first, then seasonal movement, then the ground-level details that only reward someone who's paying attention.

I'm not designing for the photograph. I'm designing for the Tuesday morning in April when you walk outside and something blooms that you forgot was there.

 
 
 
[The Grass Girl's garden design depicting a formal french back yard garden with a southern twist, featuring tall framing conifers, blooming pink azaleas, and pom topiary hollies] — residential garden design Nashville TN
 
 
 

Beyond the Design

Some projects benefit from having me involved through the build — sourcing the exact plant specimens the design calls for, selecting the right contractor, or directing the installation on site so the finished garden is composed, not just constructed. Those services are available. We'll talk about what makes sense for yours.

 
 
 
[Native TN prairie cottage garden design featuring lillies, sunflowers, and liatris blooms] — residential garden design Nashville TN
 
 
 

Getting Started

Every project starts with a conversation. You tell me about your property and what you're hoping for. I tell you honestly whether my approach is the right fit.

If it is, I'll send a detailed proposal — scope, pricing, process, and timeline. Everything you need to make a clear decision, with nothing left to wonder about.

If it isn't the right fit, I'll tell you that too.

Want to know exactly what happens from the first phone call to a finished design? Here's the full walkthrough.

 
Get In Touch