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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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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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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.
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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”
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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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When you really put your foot in it !
When you design and build with a number of highly skilled teams, you often can only see a client in the early evening when they come home from work.
This particular evening it was getting late around 8pm, I was a tad tired from driving perhaps 140 miles that day, and wanted to get home.
The client a Brazilian banker, loved detail.. I mean he kept a little book, with jottings in ( it was way more detailed than my site notes – I only kept up because I took pictures of everything).
This particular night we were looking at his pool – not the one in the picture ( I used that as an example) No this pool was an in ground 25 year old pool with a cover, never been emptied and he wanted the pool taken out. Removing 25 year old reinforced concrete pools is hard work, we used to get two a year on average, due to the huge cost of keeping the water warm enough to enjoy a swim.
So this night I’m dressed in a suit, walking next to the client when suddenly, my feet are sort of floating, I had missed the dogleg step area jutting out of the pool and was now attempting to tread water on top of a very old fabric cover, which was tearing fast as I scrambled to get out of this disgusting green smelly liquid..
The client saw what had happened, and ran off to the kitchen… I thought to find perhaps a towel.. but alas no, when I managed to get out somewhat bedraggled, on reaching the back door I hesitated to enter as I was dripping this green smelly liquid everywhere.. I heard ” Darling come quickly with a camera..Mr Coope has fallen in the pool”.. this brought not only his wife but the children as well…who took a few pictures while I sheepishly tried to leave.
The 40 minute drive home was filled with the aroma of a swimming pool that hadn’t been touched in 5 years and the thoughts of what my kids might say, when I finally arrived home !
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We’re ready to record our radio show..!
We would really like to hear what you think about our program, and to ask you what you would like to hear on the show, or even be interviewed about any of the topics we are planning to present.
Here’s a typical weeks content:
The show is intended for the homeowner, with input from homeowners & experts around the world.
Discussing Edibles, Vegetables and Herbs, what are the easiest to start with, where & how should I grow them.
An interview with a homeowner that grows veggies and herbs interspersed within flower borders – growing peppers, rosemary, parsley, beans,cabbage, lettuces, tomatoes, etc., are quite easy,
Amusing anecdotes from some 40 years of landscaping gardens & commercial sites across the globe.
Interviewing a small organic vegetable farmer in the MidWest, what they are growing ,how they get to market…
Around the world trends in growing vegetables & herbs from our colleagues abroad, looking at for example – Allotments in England, Balcony raised beds in Europe,
The next week will be:
Choosing the right plant – how to plant, prune, and maintain flower beds and plant containers.
Interviewing a sustainable garden designer in the USA – how to save water, prepare ground, aftercare, etc.,
More anecdotes from around the globe.
Trends in Playgrounds, Roof Gardens, Paving, Parks, Grass areas from around the world..
If you have a question you would like ask, please send us an email with the question we will try and answer questions each week, we may even call you ! We will also send you details of where you can hear the program.
As the program will be on internet radio, it will be possible to record directly from the web, enabling you to play back when its best for you.
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Soft natural garden area
Using natural materials almost always creates a much softer and pleasing finish, here the gravel and granite setts, with the planting make a superb xeriscape garden, requiring very little aftercare.
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and now for something completely different …..
I’ve always kept a camera handy, these days it’s much easier with smartphones etc., A few years ago whilst snooping around in the back streets of Amsterdam, we spotted some roadworks, being a sucker for looking at how others do their work we took a look… never expecting to see that the ‘Cannon Bollard’ really was an old cannon !
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Some tips and tricks for that dream landscape
A somewhat larger residence, with a lovely brick gulley detail.
Our first green wall way back in 1984, this superb timber product (guaranteed for 50years) is fully structural to a retained height of about 27ft (9m), this wall is about 14ft in total, and terraced to make the best use of the available space. We added the planting to give this steeply slopping garden a softer look.
This larger residence was developed as a modern Arts & Crafts style garden, using random rectangular yorkstone paving, natural bricks and knapped flint walls – knapped flint is a difficult product to use, necessitating us to develop a modern approach to using a ‘live sand/lime mortar, we added stainless steel butterfly ties every 9 inches ( 250mm) to enable a quicker laying time.
Finally the classic English stripped lawn…from one of our clients gardens
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