All about ...

The Designer   I have been gardening all my life. I have a passion for landscape and the natural world but growing up in a family of architects, I have always had an appreciation of beauty in man-made structures too. The garden is the link between these two.   My first career was in geology, where I learnt to see the bones beneath the skin of the landscape, and appreciate the effect of time on our surroundings.   I retrained in garden design at Pershore College, qualifying in 1994. Since then I have been running my own business, and have experience of working in hundreds of gardens, from tiny courtyards to country gardens of several acres. I am a full Registered Member of the Society of Garden Designers, whose members have undergone rigourous selection to ensure the highest professional standards.

Garden Design   Most of my clients, when they first approach me, have a list of things they want in their garden (patio, water feature, storage, etc) but little idea of what they want from their garden. - how to make it all work together. Without an overall design, it is all too easy for a garden to be just a collection of objects - a space without a soul.   It is the job of the garden designer to mould the space so that it becomes a place, with its own character and atmosphere.   Perhaps the most important factor in achieving a satisfactory design is one which seems least important at first. The shapes of the empty spaces are what make the most immediate impact and they continue to affect the way we feel once we begin to explore the garden. Design is fundamentally about shaping the spaces, developing them in three (or even four) dimensions, so that they evoke an appropriate response in us - tranquility, excitement, sociability.   The design needs to have a feeling of unity - to tie together all those 'must have' features - harmony, so that you feel comfortable, and perhaps most importantly a 'sense of place', so that your garden is unique, a part of your life, a part of its wider surroundings.   A well designed garden will not only give you an extra outdoor room. Many clients have said with pleasure and surprise that the garden has changed the way they live their lives.

Working with a Garden Designer.   It is important for client and designer to have a good relationship. I like to spend time talking with new clients, including both "halves" of a couple, and family too where appropriate. It helps me if I know as much background as possible, to build up a rounded picture of who will be using the garden. By the end of a complete project, we will have got to know each other well.   Every client and every site is different, and I enjoy that variety. I always keep in mind that it is your garden and has to respond to your brief and tastes. Consequently, I do not work to a particular style, and am as happy creating sleek minimalist spaces, historically accurate gardens for period properties, or informal mediterranean terraces. The basic principles of good design are common to all, and I work hard to interpret your wishes in accordance with these principles.   I don't do instant "makeovers". Creating a garden is a much more fundamental process than just imposing a superficial style.