Opinion

DESIGNS FOR LIFE

Carolyn Willitts, founder and director of design-led landscape architecture studio CW Studio, looks ahead to the issues that should be top priorities for garden designers during 2022 and beyond

THERE IS LITTLE doubt that planting for climate change will be taken much more seriously from now on. We will see greater weather extremes, not just warmer temperatures, and every garden designer needs to take this into account from the design stage.

While we already look to native planting in our schemes, we will see an increased shift towards planting drought-tolerant trees and shrubs, as well as plants that can tolerate heavier, more sustained rainfall.

Consequently, I believe we will see many more rain gardens incorporated into both public and private garden design schemes. They are a far more sustainable way of absorbing excess rainwater than letting it flood our drainage systems. They also look wonderful and are an effective way of introducing biodiversity to an environment.

The autumn colours we saw at last year’s unique September RHS Chelsea were fantastic. It has encouraged a greater focus on autumnal planting, and I think we will see more client demand for autumn colour in our planting plans.

I also hope there will be more meadow planting with annuals next year. The area can be small; I planted a three by four-metre wild-flower meadow in my own garden last year and it gave so much joy and brought so much more wildlife to the garden.

We should also extend ‘No Mow May’, the campaign set up by Plantlife. The idea that mowing the lawn is an essential weekly task throughout the summer seems to be fading as homeowners begin to realise the ecological benefits of letting their lawn grow out a little but we need to be more active in encouraging our clients to do this and to enjoy watching what happens instead.

The growth in community actions, such as seed and plant swapping with neighbours, was one of the positive side effects of the pandemic-induced lockdowns. Many people focused on their own back gardens during our periods of confinement, and we all saw how

‘GARDEN DESIGN we could use our outdoor space for positive mental health and better

IS IN A GREAT well-being. Local and independent POSITION TO SUPPORT garden centres saw a real boost, and this will continue. SUSTAINABILITY AND It is also nice to see commercial

LOCAL ECOLOGY’ offices looking to the design of their own gardens and making them places for their staff’s wellbeing. Garden designers want to see more wildlife in their gardens, and planting that provides food for birds and insects, and trees, shrubs and flowers that create a more diverse ecosystem. This will be supported by a determination to use more reclaimed, recycled and locally-sourced materials for hard landscaping and decorative features. We will also see more unusual or distinctive surface treatments being used, such as Shou Sugi Ban, a Japanese technique that chars timber, making it waterproof and last longer. It goes without saying that we should all be using peat-free compost and considering the net carbon impact of all the materials we specify within schemes; reducing material waste and reusing instead of replacing is the way forward and I think garden design is in a great position to support sustainability and local ecology.

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CAROLYN WILLITTS

CW Studio Ltd was launched in 2012 by pre-registered SGD member and landscape architect Carolyn Willitts. Now with a base in Manchester’s city centre and a team of six, the studio focuses on creating bold, beautiful and thoughtful landscapes. Carolyn trained as a theatre set designer before moving into landscape and garden design, so brings her unique creativity and passion to every project. She won the Institute of Directors 2020 Innovation Director of the Year award, as well as winning a Society of Garden Designers Award for a garden in Hale in 2017. CW Studio was also a finalist in the 2019 Society of Garden Designers Awards, for its landscape design for the Moneypenny Headquarters, Wrexham. cwstudio.co.uk