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Are we moving back to a more traditional garden landscape?
Anyone know what this wild flower is?
We’ve conducted five interviews this month, with many more in the pipeline. What’s been really interesting to see is that many homeowners genuinely want to grow many more of their own vegetables and herbs.
Given the effects of climate change on major food production areas like California this is probably a very opportune time to be doing this, although it is a good idea to plan and prepare correctly, otherwise results may turn out unpredictable.
The biggest surprise is that many already have quite large vegetable growing areas, some are actual kitchen gardens, others are interspersed within the existing garden landscape ( for those of you in the USA us Brits refer to a ‘yard’ as the rear garden landscape, and for the Brits reading this a ‘yard’ was an old imperial measurement that went out of fashion in the 1970’s).
So it seems many are experimenting with growing vegetables, herbs and fruits.
Across Europe there have since the time of the Great War been public areas that are often known as ‘Allotments’ – an allotment was a small area of public land that is usually enclosed, and managed by the local town, it has parcels of land often in strips that are rented to local residents specifically to grow vegetables, herbs and flowers. Today a more modern name might be ‘Community Gardens’ – although often community gardens involve a collective approach rather than the individual growing plot.
What’s also starting to emerge are ‘School Gardens’ this is particularly good to see as young children are now learning some of the secrets to growing and harvesting vegetables and fruits, as well as then learning how to preserve and cook them.
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We will be interviewing a number of these ‘School Garden’ groups in the coming weeks, some have been around for many years, they have mastered the curriculum so that this wonderful resource becomes a true education learning cycle.
The term Organic growing often turns up in these areas. The science of GMO seed’s and increased pesticide use has many skeptical about long term health effects, and new studies and books are beginning to emerge with additional information about the effects on allergy sufferers, asthma , etc.
We are horticulturists not scientists so our observation will be focused on the growing aspects, although we do see that the Bee population has been decimated in recent years – without bees over 80% of our food production could be seriously impacted, what is causing this malaise is only just beginning to become apparent, although it appears that increased pesticides is not helping.
Our first interviews with vegetable growers will be with traditional ‘Organic Farmers’ so we can see how they grow and produce a crop, if there is enough interest we can explore the world of the more mechanical intensive growers, just let us know what you would like us to add to our shows .
Growing Trends can be heard daily at 1pm & 7pm Central Time at www.cravingtalkradio.com
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Interview spots
We thought one of our interviews should be on board a sailing boat, after all it’s about as tranquil and peaceful as
a lovely garden – unless like yesterday it was blowing at about 40 mph ( then it requires a little more skill and a lot less sails)
First however our next interviews are going to be fun.
The first is in an absolutely amazing sculpture garden, that has 13 Henry Moore sculptures among a host of others that are equally interesting. Sculptures are fantastic for creating a interesting focal point in a garden, leading the eye from one part to another as you travel through the garden and it’s story unfolds. Sadly sculptures like these superb Henry Moore’s are beyond most folks budgets, although a number of firms make very acceptable stone sculptures, urns and statues.
The next is with a truly traditional organic vegetable grower, this is a growing trend as we discover more and more information about some of the effects of GMO seeds and the long term effects of today’s insecticides & pesticides.
The opportunity to design, develop and use the garden landscape is now more important than ever, with the erratic climate swings we’ve been experiencing, growing your own vegetables is both economical, generally healthier in many ways, and fun.
Schools are beginning to realise that not only is it a learning resource but also a huge cost saving when it comes to providing nutritional foods for the kids to eat – the kids learn where their food comes from, how to grow it, and then how to prepare and eat it – a truly win, win , win situation.
With the advent of vertical gardens, and mixed planting in pots, it’s possible to grow herbs and vegetables even on the smallest of spaces, all you need is light, protection from extreme heat and cold and of course water.
This herb pot is quick & easy to create and will last most of the summer.
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Growing Trends is now on air
So folks now you can get to hear our dulcet tones along with our pretty pictures and design ideas.
Our very own internet radio show is available to all , you can find us at www.cravingtalkradio.com the show is called Growing Trends, and broadcasts at 1pm and 7pm central time. Ann Miller & Chris Coope are the Co Hosts.
Do take a moment to listen, and by all means send us a note at info@grotrends.com – a nice note please ! or even a question, you never know we may be able to answer it for you.
On the other hand if you have an interesting landscape we could interview you..
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Some great landscape detail.
Let’s start with the unusual, well perhaps not unusual more not where you would expect it.
A car park in Portland, Oregon.
Miniature gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show
A Joker water fall with brick edge
A very large tree being moved.
A moon gate
Hawaii – a different way for a tree to remain standing !
A clever way to screen pedestrians from too much sun..
Providing shade at the upper level
Immaculate aftercare
Is it Art ?
an interesting restoration or is it pub conversion?
“Knapped flint’ walls are just amazing..
a lovely old stone wall…
Building stepped walls is not easy, this one has been
very well thought out.
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Growing Trends our new internet radio show is going to be on air very soon
Growing Trends on Craving Talk Radio – www.cravingtalkradio.com
The preparations are all done, we’ve been working flat out on interviews, not too mention how to be heard above the noise of a garden landscape – it’s amazing how birds, ponds, sirens, planes, wind, dogs & cats make noise. No just kidding, they all add that true ambiance to a garden landscape.
We are so lucky our guests are interesting, knowledgeable, fascinating, often busy people, who find a huge amount of relaxation and enjoyment from their gardens, they all experiment with plants and vegetables, most have pets, they all absolutely love spending time in ‘their space’.
It is a real privilege to be invited into their space with them to conduct these interviews. Ann and I really appreciate the time they have given us to bring some remarkable interviews to you on Craving Talk Radio – www.cravingtalkradio.com.
We have a really exciting lineup of interviews from around the world, all with a sense of humour, knowledge, fun and we think informative.
Trends like miniature gardens, growing vegetables and herbs in amongst traditional planting or in pots, not just in a traditional garden but also on decks, roofs and other smaller spaces.
Our schedule will be available shortly…if you would like to ask us a question or have an unusual garden landscape drop us a line at chris.coope@grotrends.com telling us more and we will get back to you.
We will also be talking about ‘How to ‘ features, which will help you plan and develop your own space.
Ideas & trends from around the world, with expert views and advice, and of course light hearted banter from Ann & Chris
We hope you will enjoy our show…
Ann & Chris
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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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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 ?
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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.
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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
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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
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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…
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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
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