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Landscape gardens for a purpose
Today I thought we might make a start on Landscape gardens with a purpose. There are any number of reasons for starting to develop a landscape, or for that matter to continue with one that has been developing over the years. Sometimes we want to create spaces for particular needs and wishes, these can range from play areas, to formal areas to potagers and topiary etc.,
We can also create gardens for those among us who have, for what ever reason lost or been born without all our senses or are disabled in some other way.
Lets start with one of the senses…sight.
We designed and built our first Garden for the blind some 22 years ago at the Chelsea Flower Show in London, the idea was to use the other senses of touch and smell to create an interesting area for someone who could not ‘see’ the flowers or structures, but was able to take in the various scents and feel the different textures.
So in addition to be able to hear water, touch stone, brick, wood and plant leaves, you could also smell flower scents, touch and smell aromatic herbs etc.,
It was also possible by using different textures of paving for someone to ‘feel’ their way around the garden and know (with practice) where they were.
Some years later quite by chance I had the opportunity of taking a partially sighted student on our sailing boat.
It took this fellow about five minutes to understand where the wind was coming from, and his sense of touch was so good he
was able to adjust the sail trim & thus the boats heeling just from feeling the mainsheet with one hand. His other hand was holding the tiller and the pressure from the rudder told him how easily and thus quickly we were sailing..
Moving to wheelchairs.
Creating a garden for wheelchair access requires a few sensible initial planning steps. The first is, it is really quite a good idea to have a hard surface on which the wheel chair can travel ( or should I say perambulate, mmm much more descriptive) around the landscape.
So concrete, asphalt, hard paving in the form of brick or block or slabs all work well. Grass, bark, gravel etc are not very suitable as they tend to make it much harder to move the wheelchair, they also tend to make it dirty.
The next considerations are the width of the path – I’ve always believed paths should be wide enough for two people to walk side by side, it’s much more friendly and inviting to take an afternoon ‘Constitutional’ walk around your garden landscape – it reminds me of the age old tradition of the mayors of towns and village ‘beating the bounds’ once a year. With two people walking side by side a path width is best at around 5ft ( 1.4m) , this works well for a wheel chair too as most need about 32inches clearance when considering the users hands.
The final and perhaps most important design consideration apart from the initial access and egress is the ground contouring, often gardens have changes in levels, these can be quite severe at times and often involve steps ( wheel chairs are not good with steps), they are also an incredible amount of work on steep slopes. So a wise soul has come up with a standard that suggest fairly sensibly that a slope of no more than 1 in 12 is used ( that means 1ft change in level for every 12 ft travelled) , well it could also mean 1m change in level for every 12 m travelled, but I figured that was obvious. To this I might suggest that a 1in12 slope hundreds of yards long isn’t such a great idea with out some resting landings as it is still a lot of work involved. So there is an additional requirement for a landing every 30 ft in length.
Finally, if an event is planned it isn’t that hard to create a temporary access ramp that can be removed when its over.
In the picture below we created a disabled ramp, that double as a pretend boat launching ramp.
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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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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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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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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 !
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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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An amusing moment reviewing a Roof Garden
A good few years ago we were asked to design and build a roof garden on an office roof.
There are a few extra considerations needed when doing this.
All roofs will have a weight restriction – this includes a snow loading and a people loading
Access is severely restricted unless a tower crane is still on site, when it’s the crane lifting ability and movement.
Wind levels play a part with plants survival, and also with ‘lifting’ light weight materials
Irrigation is essential – as to is adequate drainage and roof waterproofing
Finally ongoing site safety – railings, balconies , restricted access to the parapet.
On this occasion the roof had been completed, we had even received an award for the design and construction.
Rock faced planter 
I have always liked this one..
We were commissioned to Design and Build a roof garden, to comply with a local planning condition.
So we utilised artificial rocks made from GRP – we took moulds of actual rock faces and pieced them together to form a sealed planter – First picture
Then we joined these together added compost and plants …. the result an award winning roof garden..
There was a funny moment when a visiting Japanese manager of the company we were working for, came up to me one evening while I was checking the summer planting one year.He bowed formally ( the Japanese are so polite), any way after bowing he tapped on the rock and said ” Ah Rock “
I , with a slight smile, bowed and tapped the rock and and said “No Plastic” !!To which he looked puzzled and then smiled ,then saw the humour in the situation and roared with laughter… we kept the contract for many more years !!
Super light weight planters Views: 203
