'Me and my barrow'
About Me
I have been gardening longer than I can remember. Growing up helping my grandfather tie in sweet peas was the beginning of an inherent love of being outdoors and an appreciation of the workings of nature. This enthusiasm, an aptitude for understanding and visualising proportion, and a creative flare enables me to design gardens that are exciting, beautifully planted and in harmony.
My design philosophy encompasses two approaches. One is to create a beautiful space to be enjoyed both from within the garden and when viewed from the home, where each aspect of the garden, balances and relates to another. The other is that a good garden designer needs to consider practicalities, soliving problems such as the difficult shady corner or how to successfully accommodate cars and increasing numbers of wheelie bins in the front garden.
- Designed over 438 gardens
- Commissioned to write for Homes & Gardens
- Published in Grand Designs & Surrey Life
- Lectured to local groups and contemporaries
- Exhibited at the At Home exhibition (Olympia)
- Interviewed on Growing Spaces (Radio 4)
The above skills and design philosophy are combined with an ability to objectively analyse an outdoor space, its potential, its challenges and most importantly to understand the client’s requirements and their preferences. I use my inherent strengths to the full, ‘thinking outside the box’ to come up with imaginative solutions to an outdoor space.
To create inspiring places of pleasure and calm, for entertainment and contemplation and to see a happy client getting so much enjoyment from their garden, is very satisfying. I recently asked a client why they choose me; they responded, ‘we knew you’d give us the garden we wanted’.
Qualifications
MSGD - Registered member of the Society of Garden Designers
To be a registered member, designers have to have had a number of years experience and be assessed by panelled adjudication.
Dip. EGS Chelsea (1993/94)
Garden Design Diploma achieved with distinction at The English Gardening School at The Chelsea Physic Garden. Award for highest marks.
President of the Surrey Garden Design Group (2001 to date)
Membership includes part-time designers, designers, landscapers and registered members of the Society of Garden Designers.
MA(Oxon). St John’s College, Oxford
Dissertation work examined the relationship between pollution related increases in rain acidity, to soil acidity and subsequent alterations to leaf matter.