Expert Garden Design to Transform Your Outdoor Space
Tailored garden design services to fit your style, space, and budget — bringing your garden vision to life!
Upcoming Workshops
Transform your garden
22 August
Karori, Wellington
Stop wasting time and money trying to fix your garden. This interactive and practical workshop will show you exactly how to identify what needs changing, uncover hidden potential, and create a beautiful, functional garden. Leave overwhelm behind as you confidently decide on a full or part makeover for a new reimagined, beautiful garden. For life.
Style your garden
5 September
Karori, Wellington
Create a garden you'll love coming home to. This practical workshop helps you define your ideal garden style starting with a mood board. Match it to your home and personality, and develop a clear plan to confidently create a beautiful, outdoor space that fits how you want to use it. Make it uniquely yours. For life
Planting Combos & Characteristics
19 September
Karori, Wellington
Take your planting to the next level. Learn how to combine plants for year-round interest, colour, texture and balance to create a garden with real wow factor. Discover how simple edits, thoughtful plant moves and strategic additions can transform your existing garden into a beautiful, cohesive space—without starting over. For life.
Colour in your garden
3 October
Karori, Wellington
Unlock the power of colour to transform your garden. Learn how to choose and combine colours that reflect your style, complement your home, and create the mood you want. Work with your existing plants and features—editing, adding and refining - or redesign from scratch. Master simple steps to create a garden that turns heads all year round.
Pots, planters & patios
17 October
Karori, Wellington
Be bold and accessorise your outdoor areas with stunning pots and planters. Discover how to choose containers that create impact, enhance your space and suit your style. Learn the secrets of plant combinations, proportions, placement and seasonal care—from choosing the right soil to knowing when to prune, refresh or start again.
Steep slopes & awkward areas
Date TBA
Karori, Wellington
If you’ve been blessed with steep slopes and areas you don’t quite know how to “work” into your garden, you’re not alone! Discover practical design solutions to make steep areas safer, more accessible and visually stunning. Learn how to use plants, materials and creative ideas to transform unusable or awkward spaces, while understanding the budget, planning and support needed to bring your vision to life.
Welcome to Luxe Gardens, where your dream garden becomes a reality.
Whether you're looking to completely transform your yard or simply refresh a few areas, I’m here to help.
Meet your Garden Designer & Tutor!
Yvette
Michalska
Kia ora! I am so glad you have found me!
I’m a professional garden designer with a passion for landscaping.
My goal is to create custom garden designs that truly reflect your personality and style.
After back-breaking hours in the garden and expensive attempts to create my own dream outdoor space, still nothing was right. So, I decided to just “get it done, get it right” and signed up for professional garden design.
And with no real budget to speak of, I now have a gorgeous garden! I love it - it suits my character, the environment and my family’s needs...
From experience I know the enjoyment of having a beautiful area outside in nature – whether it’s a small courtyard, a pocket-sized patch or vast sweeps with vistas. I have a deep down need to spread the joy of having a beautiful outdoor space and helping to design a garden that is no longer just a hope.
I’ve seen dreamed-of-spaces become reality through valuable advice and intentional, personalized design support.
Whether you’re rich and famous, or broke and willing to give it a go (or anything in between), I’m dedicated and will get you to the finish no matter your budget!
Let’s make your dream garden a reality!
Services
Luxe Gardens offers two options to help transform your garden and bring your vision to life.
Select between Luxe Gardens Customised Designs & Consultations or design it yourself through Learning and Guidance.
Customised Garden Designs & Consultations
Select Luxe Elite and Luxe Lite Designs for a tailored service that designs your garden for you.
Select 1:1 Luxe Consultations for advice and guidance. In person or on-line, a short “hour of power” can make all the difference.
Learning & Guidance
Design your own dream garden in a course or workshop.
Join the 6 week courses starting soon:
Landscaping Design 7 May 2026 - Wellington High School
Planting Design 30 July 2026 - Wellington High School
Book here for the Landscaping Course and here for the Planting Design Course
Magic Mood Board Workshop - Karori 14 March 2026
Register here to find out more
Community & Inspiration
Join our social field trips to local Wellington gardens and garden centers, exclusively for those who attended in-person courses. Stay connected, get inspired, and see how others are bringing their gardens to life.
The perfect way to continue learning, share ideas, and stay motivated on your own garden journey.
Case Studies
"The course was very good and provided some very good advice and ideas. The discussions with others and being inspired by each other was great!"
— Linda F.
"Empowered me to get into action. There was a sense of inclusion and not criticism - a relaxed feeling. Yvette helped me be open about my own property and structure my thinking. Wonderful and valuable."
— Tessa B.
kind words from clients & students
kind words from clients & students
"I really enjoyed this landscaping course; sharing of experiences and ideas were great. Yvette is very knowledgeable and great at sharing her knowledge. She’s highly personable and approachable. Nothing is ever a chore!"
— Helen T.
"Yvette transformed our jumbled garden ideas into an impressively coherent design, patiently listening to our vision while guiding us with her encyclopaedic knowledge of plants and their visual impact. Her gift for design and collaborative approach made her the perfect partner in re-designing our previously utilitarian space into something we hope will be truly special for years to come."