At university, Zac found his design voice through a project that reimagined green spaces in prisons - creating what he called a “Willy Wonka garden,” a joyful, sensory escape rooted in social purpose. “If you can make something beautiful that also restores carbon, supports pollinators, and inspires people to think differently, then why wouldn’t you?” he says. “You don’t have to sacrifice creativity for sustainability.” That ethos shapes everything he does now. His designs are bold, “a bit in-your-face,” he admits with a grin. He favours naturalistic planting, but with structure and intention. “There’s been a great push toward pollinator-friendly and wild planting, which is brilliant, but I think people are starting to want more balance. Natural doesn’t have to mean messy.”

Working with Zac is an iterative partnership. He begins by sitting down with clients to understand their space, their habits, and their hopes for the garden. From there, he produces detailed drawings and planting schemes - the first tangible step in a process that balances art, science, and budget. “Plants vary hugely in price depending on their size,” he explains, “so there’s a bit of back-and-forth to get things right for the client.” Once designs and costs are agreed, he oversees the planting and often continues with ongoing maintenance, the part he secretly loves most. “When a garden is well designed, it doesn’t need constant attention. If I’ve done my job well, I’m almost working myself out of work!” His satisfaction lies in watching living ecosystems take hold, plants knitting together above ground as roots and soil microbes build health below. “When that balance is right,” he says, “a garden becomes self-sustaining.”

Zac’s commitment to regeneration doesn’t stop at the garden fence. He co-founded a project at the Plantation Gardens project in Fowey, part of the Edible Fowey initiative, creating community food forests that provide organic produce while sequestering carbon. Designed to be perennial and low-maintenance, they’re living examples of what he believes in, green spaces that feed people and planet alike.

He’s also an active citizen scientist with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, exploring local kelp forests through snorkelling. “I’ve got quite an erratic mind,” he says, “but underwater I’m completely present. The colours, the light, the movement... it’s meditative. And the cold water really wakes you up!”

For Zac, gardens are about far more than aesthetics. “Beauty matters,” he says, “but it’s also about taking ownership of nature - regenerating soil, locking away carbon, creating habitats for life.” He cites a recent RHS and Cambridge University study suggesting that domestic gardens can now offer more environmental benefits for pollinators than some wild green spaces. “If that’s true,” he says, “then we’ve all got a role to play, one garden at a time.”

You can find Zac’s work and contact details at gardensofedenuk.com