7 minute read
GARDENING Plotting ahead
Artisan
BALM AFTER THE STORM A lovely garden can soothe the soul; something we can all currently get on board with. If your outdoor space has become a little tired and neglected, here’s some inspiration from top local designers to make sure that in 2021, your garden will look positively Arcadian . . .
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As the old saying goes: if you want to be happy for a few hours get drunk. If you want to be happy for a few years get married. But if you want to be happy forever, get a garden.
A lovely garden is a balm to the soul. Size really doesn’t matter; whether you have just a few square metres or a vast, multi-acre plot, it’s easy to create an oasis of leafy loveliness.
Admittedly, September isn’t a typical time for us to run a gardening feature; there again, this is not a typical year. A lot of us are home-bound, with extra time on our hands; we have more opportunity to stare out of the window and plan and dream about the year ahead. With this in mind, we had a chat with some of Bristol’s star gardeners, who were kind enough to offer us advice in, wait for it, spades.
WILL COOKE: ARTISAN LANDSCAPES Had nominative determinism been strictly adhered to, Will would have been a chef. Instead he is founder of Artisan, an award-winning design and build landscaping practice based in Clifton Village.
Will, in common with most of the gardeners we chatted with, reckons the pandemic has changed the horticultural focus of many people. “Discussions with clients now have more of an emphasis on the
importance and value of the garden for wellbeing and health,” he says. “There’s also a trend towards outside living and cooking, and looking at the garden as more of an extension of the house.”
In urban settings, Will has seen a higher value put on the promotion of wildlife, notably insects. This is, of course, all to the good; without insects to pollinate plants, we’d all be doomed, to quote Corporal Frazer. Or to paraphrase George Orwell: two legs good, six legs better.
“People are becoming ever more aware of their carbon footprint in every aspect of life,” Will says, noting that his clients are also a lot keener to go for locally sourced materials than before. www.artisanbristol.com
SHELDON WRESSELL: EDEN GARDEN DESIGN Sheldon and his team – we’ll not bother with nominative determinism this time – promise creative, sustainable and environmentally friendly design and construction for the garden.
The Covid pandemic, Sheldon believes, has underlined the desire to use gardens as more of a living space, and less as an ornamental showpiece. “There’s a greater desire for the garden to be a place that offers the potential for outdoor living. For instance, the inclusion of secluded garden buildings or separate seating areas, featuring outdoor fire pits or fireplaces, is now often explored,” he says.
In fact he waxes philosophical about it. “I feel very strongly that lockdown and the Covid crisis has forced us to look at our lives and how we live them differently. Our homes and our gardens have become more important to us – a sanctuary and a safe place. The prospect of travelling away from the home has changed and the staycation has become more familiar. We therefore require an outdoor space that enables us to feel like we can escape our everyday lives; or at the very least, enable us to enhance and elevate the everyday.” www.eden garden design
left: a very zen, Japanese-inspired sanctuary by Artisan Landscapes; below: a contemporary, multi-purpose family space by Eden Garden Design
STACEY BRAMHALL: GREENWAVE Greenwave Landscaping, based in Long Ashton, transform gardens across the whole of Bristol and north Somerset.
“We design, create and maintain outdoor space,” says Stacey. “That can be extending an existing patio, repairing old decking, or taking it all out and replacing it to build a family-friendly garden. We also offer garden maintenance.”
Like our other gardeners, Stacey has noted increasing numbers of people wanting to create extra space outdoors during lockdown.
“We love redesigning and creating bigger, more usable spaces in gardens for families to enjoy. We’ve seen a huge surge of bookings, after the easing of lockdown. We’re busier than ever.”
On trend right now, according to Stacey, is horizontal slatted fencing; this, she says, gives a very contemporary look to horticultural proceedings. www.green-wave.co.uk
TERREY MAUFE: OUTERSPACE Terrey Maufe of Outerspace Creative Landscaping is Royal Horticulture Society-trained. As well as her vast botanical knowledge, Terrey has the contacts and insider knowledge to find all the unusual additions that can make a garden even more special, from lighting to furniture and water features.
Outdoor rooms to enjoy from early spring well into late autumn, designed by Outerspace Creative Landscaping. We’re crushing madly on that firepit...
Business has been buoyant for the Outerspace gardenauts these last few months. “Spring is always a busy time for garden designers and landscapers, but the combination of the amazing early spring weather coinciding with everyone spending more time at home really fuelled the surge,” she says. “With our unreliable British climate, clients who are investing time, energy and money into their gardens want to be able to enjoy them for longer. That means getting out into the garden earlier in the year, and stretching the summer well into autumn.
“Spending longer in the garden during the course of the day is also important and can contribute hugely to our sense of wellbeing. In design terms that translates into many aspects of garden design, but key features include lighting, heat sources and shelter from the elements.” www.outerspacegardens.co.uk
KATE SAVILL LANDSCAPES Kate Savill-Tague is a multi award-winning garden designer whose work embraces a wide range of projects, from inner-city sanctuaries to large family gardens.
“With a background in fine art, my gardens marry aesthetics with functionality – people have described my work as ‘painting with plants’,” she says.
Kate believes that the current crisis has allowed people to take stock of their lives and appreciate spending more time with the family in the safe, open-air environment of their garden sanctuaries. “With a little bit of design you can pack a lot of personality into a garden,” she says.
“Outdoor dining and kitchens are becoming increasingly popular, helping people to extend the time they spend in their gardens. This complements the trend for people taking more time to cook and to be more experimental with their food.”
“Also in a time of crisis, more people are experimenting with growing their own food, which gives another dimension to their gardening and the satisfaction of eating truly fresh fruit and vegetables.” www.katesavill.co.uk
THINGS TO DO IN THE GARDEN RIGHT NOW: “Selectively cut back seedheads, leaving some for wildlife. Also mulch beds, and carry out lawn care. A little effort now will, to coin a suitably horticultural phrase, reap rewards next year”–Will, Artisan Landscapes “Think and plan ahead. Find out what needs to be planted in the autumn, ready for next year. Always make sure that the right tree, plant or flower has the maximum opportunity to thrive, by considering where it’s planted, and how much sunlight it will require” – Sheldon, Eden Design “Plant some spring and summer bulbs. It’s a small autumn investment for some pretty much guaranteed future colour. Tulips come in myriad colours and shapes and can be planted during October and November”– Terrey, Outerspace “Cut back hedges and shrubs. You’ll have more space, and they’ll grow better next year” – Stacey, Greenwave “Filling your garden with a variety of daffodils, tulips, alliums and crocuses is a fairly inexpensive way of adding loads of colour for next spring. Even if you don’t have masses of space, plant up a couple of pots with some bright and cheery bulbs; you won’t be disappointed. Also, as we move into autumn, it’s a good time to be cutting back and to be planning your garden layout ready for the new shoots of spring” – Kate Savill-Tague
Cottage-garden herbs grow around modern copper seating; a curved concrete wall is softened by white and magenta planting. Kate Savill-Teague’s background in fine art is clearly apparent in her beautiful, almost painterly garden designs
