Landscapes & Gardens
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Special gardens don’t just happen.
The picture above is from a classic French village, in this case it was a restaurant we stopped at during a summer vacation. It was special because it drew the eye and the multitude of geraniums seemed to go on for ever. Red is by the way a great attention grabbing colour !
Sometimes a garden landscape just seems to ‘pop’ right out at you and you look almost spellbound by its balance and harmony. This doesn’t happen by chance very often. It is a result of a client choosing the right designer and then working together as a team to create a dream. A living stage if you will , that constantly changes with the seasons, and yet develops into this amazing restful, visual smorgasbord of colour, contrast and functionality.
Today I thought it might be fun to show some projects under construction, you will notice that most are ordered, very little mess to clutter the picture ( the cleaner you can keep a site the more efficient and the higher the final quality often is).
So with out further ado, here are a few true craftsmen at work.
This was an exhibition , with all the parts pre designed, when everything arrived on site, we realised that the back of the site had been raised 18 inches ( 450mm) and this required a complete re-adjustment and refit on site, so Tony and his co-worker did just that. You would never know looking at the final result.
This roof garden looked just like a normal roof, for a little while..then Mike and his co-worker went to work.
It’s hard to believe that this roof above became the picture below…
Or we started with…a real mess!
Some 300 tonnes of sub base, 100 tonnes of sand and 30,000 bricks, 250 tonnes of soil, 500 sq m of turf, 200 plants later….
became this..
What you cannot see, is that these are natural bricks, selected because they are softer looking, colour fast ( they do not bleach with time as a concrete block does) and because they are ‘fired’ they are not all the same size or shape. This is significant because it is almost impossible to lay a continuous pattern without it running out of line, it takes quite a bit of skill to get it just right.
or we started with.. the brickwork in the picture is the edge of the conservatory..
and created…
it is both exciting & fun to create a dream space for someone… here an old set of steps leading to a lawn is completely revamped, we extended the terrace, drained the lawn and raised the levels some 6 inches (150mm).
with a little extra effort…
and looking back..
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Views: 227
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There really is something special about some gardens.
We had quite an experience last night, that is Ann my co-host on Growing Trends ( our new radio chat show) . We were interviewing another creative lady business owner, in her beautiful, tranquil garden enjoying a glass of wine. It was like being transported into another place, time flew by, the conversation was about connecting with nature and the calming effect a well thought out garden creates. We exchanged examples of experiences, a few anecdotes and then took a tour of her 10 acres. The more we find garden landscapes like this the more I want to film them at the same time !
I wonder is it possible to capture the moment ?
Views: 24
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The clock is ticking, Growing Trends will be on air soon
You have to hand it to the Swiss, they make incredible clocks, this one was seen in Geneva a few years ago.
Views: 28
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A walk around a garden can be very therapeutic.
I received an email from a client today, it was most thought provoking, all about the therapeutic effects of a well thought out landscape, in her case an ancient woodland area.
I’ve been designing and building some amazing landscapes since graduating way back in 1975.
Sometimes when we finished a project the garden took on it’s own aura – one a Chelsea Flower Show exhibit literally changed colour and became this amazing golden yellow, you could almost feel the colour ( if that’s possible)
I’m in the business of creating dreams for people – if we manage to design well the garden does indeed make folks feel happy and at peace. More often than not we tend to energise folks into taking more time to enjoy what we have created.
One of our favourite additions is a path around the garden, it needs to be wide enough for two to walk side by side so about 5ft wide is ideal, in this way the enjoyment of the garden becomes a journey with a destination as well as a practical gardening use.
In this case we added a pergola for a little shade as you walk, as well as a focal point from the terrace, in the distance you can also make out a well feature, so the path has various destinations as you walk around.
It’s also a good idea to create a firm edge to a path, to prevent it from migrating into the landscape, the path itself is made with a sub base of limestone and a dressing of finer binding gravel to act as a wearing surface – requiring a little weeding and a rake & roll every two months.
Always set the lawn level about 1/2inch (15mm) to an inch(25mm) above the path edge, in this way you can clean cut the lawn with just the mower, and those dreadful strimmers can be left in the truck !
You can hear more about our techniques, ideas, views of experts, interviews with home owners with beautiful gardens on our new radio show called Growing Trends – you can find us a www.growingtrends.org
Views: 119
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Sometimes it’s the pool that just has to go !
The before picture, oddly we often removed swimming pools, especially when young families moved in.
Now here’s the after picture….
and one looking down from above.. quite a transformation
Views: 46
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When it’s hot just add water…….
So this waterfall may be a tad large for the average home, not too mention a little complicated to set up.
The sound of bubbling water is, fortunately somewhat easier to create and has a very peaceful soothing and yet cooling
nature, if it’s really hot add a mister to cool you down more.
or even a stream…
or even a simple bubble fountain, like the one below, made from an old Mill stone wheel.
if all else fails, know when to quit and go sailing !!
Views: 25
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When the weather heats up it’s time to BBQ !
This BBQ is a bespoke tailor made version for an English client, the 8 inch oak posts and second hand peg tiles , add much of it’s charm.
The grill used charcoal, well I’m a purist, we made it in two sections so you can fast and slow cook….
The BBQ below is from a cousins in central France, they would burn the logs in the early morning, and then just use the embers to cook with, unless they were preparing a whole pig or lamb in which case they had a scooter motor adapted to turn the spit over the coals.
The rest of this lovely restful weekend house was a converted mill house.
So back to BBQ’s, cooking pork cutlets heavily coated in Dijon mustard and sprinkled with Herbes de Provence
I discovered that if you wrap these cutlets ( they need to have fat marbling ) in foil and BBQ them they taste even juicier than just simply BBQ’ing on a hot grill. Fantastic with dry Rose wine from Provence or the Rhone for that matter.. and a light salad…
The inside still had the mill stone housing, although the floor had been changed to multi color changing light show…
Views: 24
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How to start a project from a designer’s perspective.
It’s been many years since I first visited a client to sell my design & build company to them.
In all these years , some things never change and first impressions are always top most in my mind. Fortunately with many years of experience, a huge portfolio, a large portfolio of awards, and dozens and dozens of personal recommendations, it’s a little easier. However one should always remember “You are only as good as your last job” !
My system for want of a better word starts with my secretary, she will engage the potential client, take down details of why they called what they would like and, then make an appointment she knows I can keep – missed appointments or forgotten phone calls are extremely rude and guaranteed to lose you a project.
Because like most males (I suspect), my navigations skills are not particularly good, when she creates a temporary file it includes site directions, phone contacts etc.,
It also includes our questionnaire. We developed this as a means to extract information vital in providing what the customer was really seeking at the price they were willing to pay so that we could “Under promise and over supply” ..
During the initial visit, I will, listen about twice as much as talk, ( for those of you who know me well, this is a very interesting concept) discuss likes and dislikes, make a few notes, walk around the property and take site pictures, as it is usually the lady of the house only during the day, the site questionnaire is left to be completed, along with a fees for design work – I have never not charged for design work ( we may give part back on acceptance of the project), but we have worked on the principal that if you do not pay for something you do not value it !
Nothing is free in this world, and hiding your design costs inside the work is no exception, we are in business to provide an exceptional service at a fair price, that enables us to pay our staff, maintain insurances, replace equipment etc.,etc., finding the right balance is always a challenge.
Whilst walking around the site, it’s a great idea to make notes of access, height restrictions, positions of services, gate widths etc.
This initial visit would usually take about an hour perhaps a little longer, and often the acceptance rate to stage two the design would be around 55%.
Sometimes folks just wanted our award winning design skills, and that was fine as long as they paid the true price for them.
So here is the questionanaire.
Brief description of what you are looking
for : …………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………..
How you use your garden :
Do you have animals ? : Yes / No.Do children play in the garden ? : Yes / No.
Do you like gardening ? : Yes / No.Do you like cutting grass ? : Yes / No
Do you entertain in the garden ? : Yes / No.Do you like relaxing in the garden ?Yes/ No.
What sort of Budget you would like us to Design
to : ……………………………………………………
(It helps enormously if we can have a figure to
work to, we should be able to produce a Design
within 10 percent )
Some items to consider :
Lawns. Yes / No
Shrubberies Yes / No.
Rockeries Yes / NoPonds Yes / No.
Streams Yes / NoFish / Koi Ponds Yes / No.
Paths Yes / NoPatios Yes / No.
Terraces Yes / No.Walls Yes / No.
Ground contouring Yes / NoVegetable gardens Yes / No.
Garden Features :
Garden Shed : Yes / No.Power & Lighting Yes / No.
Irrigation Yes / No.Summerhouses Yes / No.
Greenhouses Yes / NoGazebo’s Yes / No.
Pergolas Yes / NoSeating Yes / No.
Please add any other comments on the back of this sheet,
the more we know the better the design.We also suggested that a likes and dislikes list was created so we knew what to add or avoid.
Finally, rather than try and describe the items or styles we suggested that clients either take pictures, or articles from a magazine or bookmark web pages. so we could begin to build a profile picture of the type of landscape they sort.
We can go into this in more detail on our radio show at Growing Trends on www.cravingtalkradio.com
Views: 35
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Growing Trends internet radio show
Well, it finally happened, it’s definitely been awhile coming. Ann & I are just a few interviews away from having our very own radio show on the internet !
This is quite an event, especially as my brother ran two radio stations for many years in the UK, some other parts of the family have run a Newspaper for almost 100 years in the sleepy lovely little town of Henley-on -Thames, where I was born enough moons ago to wonder what on earth I’m doing ?
Well, it sounded like fun at the time, I’m all for fun !
We will probably give some ideas to a bunch of folks, as we discuss and interview homeowners & experts from around the world on such diverse topics as, planning a project, design, construction, plants, growing fruit and veggies, likes and dislikes, brickwork, stonework, fencing, trelliage, gazebos, pergolas, seeding and turfing, planting, ponds, pools, roof gardens, xeriscapes, irrigation, lighting,
If you would like to be considered for a Garden visit, send us an email at info@grotrends.com telling us why we would enjoy visiting your garden.
Views: 69
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Making an Impression
Some years ago I visited my daughter whilst she was at University, on a trip to the local pub we came across ……
Feeling this might be a rather extreme form of abstract art, I asked why it was here.
Apparently the chap had fallen out with the planning department over some modifications and settled on this rather more attention seeking alteration.
Which reminds me of a neighbour of my first wife’s parents.
They lived in the South of France in a lovely private park, well of course they would it’s nice down there.
Anyway back to the story,the neighbour had just had a new house built in this beautiful private park, and felt that his wife’s car a ‘2CV’ ( yes that’s two horsepower), Citroen was perhaps not in keeping with the gawdy modernistic box they had just constructed, so he had a white stone plinth built , took the car to a scrap dealer and had it ‘cubed’ ,then placed in the garden as a statue, he said for his wife’s birthday…
Unfortunately cars are made from metal, when metal gets wet it rusts, so said statue on white plinth now looks quite tacky covered in rust.
- a definite case of post modernistic fatigue.
Fortunately some folks are much more creative and artistic when recycling old items..
The City of Amsterdam is a case in point. Captured on a street corner was….
Which I’m pretty sure is a spent cannon from the days of tall ships, Nelson, Hawkins and Frobisher, oh all right if you insist let’s add Henry the navigator – as he was Portuguese.
So to find something more modern…. found hiding in the Floriade of 1992 was this fascinating parting of the waters.
Finally I guess we must find something at least a tad attractive, useful, and functional….
The modern periscope.
Well it meets the functionality test, fails on useful as it’s blocking everyone else’s view, and it’s not very attractive…mmm on reflection I’ll stick to watching Formula One on the TV !
So here we have attractive, functional, useful….. and natural, amazing how nature has it all if we just take a look !
Views: 63
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Have you found time for that ‘Rare moment’ ?
“The commitment and sheer hard work required to achieve career success
nowadays takes a heavy toll on our lifestyles.
All of us need to counterbalance a busy working schedule with the right level of relaxation.
For centuries gardens have been places of retreat and contemplation where our minds,
detached from everyday problems, can resolve conflicts and plan confidently for the future.
A rare moment of peace in the perfect haven of a garden brings us renewed harmony with nature”
Views: 49
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School ‘themed’ garden
One of my favorite projects is a themed garden for a Primary School in
South London.
The idea was to create a ‘dry’ replica of a Kentish Riverside,
on what was a tarmac car park.
We achieved this by starting with a ‘dry’ riverbed of kidney stones
laid in a flowing pattern, with ceramic fish set into them.
Next we designed and built a miniature Oast house, and
a Kentish Barn.To comply with disability access requirements we added a
jetty to the dock.
Then constructed three mock sailing boats using trees as masts( to facilitate shade in the Summer months).
We also added a typical stone bridge, a gravel path around the
garden area, and a fallen tree ( depicting the great storm of 1987).
Here you can see the ceramic fish set into the dry stone riverbed.
Here you can just make out the natural stone bridge.
The idea was to use all local materials so that whilst the ‘garden’
was created to be a quiet rest area during breaks it also had
some educational historical significance.
We took a little ‘licence’ with the barn, but kept the materials authentic.
When it came to planting, we arranged for each child to plant at least one plant,
some plants ended up being planted more than once.The end result won a number of awards, and was remarkably free from any vandalism.
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