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Inspirational Floriade Inner City Student Designs Cypsella at MIFGS Sustainable Soil Nutrition Fellow Professional What is a Garden Worth ISSUE 46 WINTER 11 print post approved PP255003/04740
JOURNAL OF THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS AND MANAGERS. SERVING LANDSCAPE AND GARDEN PROFESSIONALS ACROSS AUSTRALIA.
Fellow Professionals – Nicola Cameron Story: Lyn Morehen MAILDM, MHMA
In November 2010 I was privileged to hear Nicola Cameron speak at
would spend lunch time under a big old gum tree creating miniature
an AILDM seminar held at the Greengate Hotel in Sydney. I was then
landscapes - usually farms out of the contours of the trees roots.
delighted to sit next to her at dinner. Cameron is an AILDM member
These farms were on a small scale compared to the bushranger forts
and the winner of several design awards. What attracted me to her
with stock yards I created on week ends by the creek.”
work, and inspired me to write this article, is her direct approach based on many facets which inspire her contributions to our design world. Too often I have listened to designers who, having found a ‘winning formula’ stick to it. Not Cameron and her staff at ‘Pepo’. They are constantly refining the processes and ideas that form the basis for their award-winning designs. The outcomes, with client approval, are then landscapes that exceed clients’ expectations, fit the environment, and are fun and very livable.
However, like many landscape designers, Cameron spent her early career gathering skills and qualifications not directly related to the profession of a landscape designer. She spent three years at NSW College of Fine Arts, majoring in film and photography with a desire to film documentaries of different people, cultures and landscapes. Here she found nature and its varied landscapes, colours and textures intriguing and spent her early twenties looking through a lens, discovering the importance of composition, depth of field,
Background and the journey to Design
light and shade. These elements of photography have not been
Childhood memories reflect Cameron’s lifelong passion for the
wasted in her transition to landscape design.
environment.
Initially Cameron used these skills in the television industry but the
“I remember clearly in the 1970’s when roller skating was the craze
pull of nature was strong. She studied horticulture and design,
at my school. Being a lanky eight year old with no skating skill, I
while working in garden maintenance.
Above. Windbreak at Marrickville – structural and fun. Top Right. Nicola Cameron. Right. Parsley Bay garden courtyard – a perfect place to reflect and relax.
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Above. Herbs and vegetables – a necessity in all gardens. Above right. Parsley Bay entrance pergola – a play on light and form.
Pepo Cameron found that these maintenance clients valued her design skills and so she started ‘Pepo’ (Pepo is Latin for ‘sun ripened’). With Pepo she can produce gardens that are functional, edible and sculptural for her clients. She believes that working with clients
Pics: Saffrine Nydegger
Inspiration Roberto Burle Marx inspires Cameron. Cameron feels Marx is a great believer in the detailed process and how it leads to depth and beauty. In Marta Iris Montero’s book Burle Marx, The Lyrical Landscape she writes:
is a real privilege. A designer works directly with the people who
“Despite the wild aspect of Burle Marx’s compositions, there was
will use the space and asks them “how do you intend to use this
nothing more consciously formalist than their gestation, aiming at a
space, what is your lifestyle, how do you spend your weekends,
definitive, finished object: a taming of nature which at the same time
talk about your family, the food you like. Will your garden be your
accepted the unfathomable side of living things but rejected anything
sanctuary for solitude and pondering or a play space for fun and
alien to his design. He formulated his compositions with the utmost
learning?“ Cameron and Pepo are simply not designers with a rigid
care and rigor, either through drawings on paper in his workshop or on
garden formula.
site as the forms actually materialized. Nothing was left to chance.”
Her designs incorporate such factors as wind, as well as the
Cameron’s husband and business partner James Perkin provides
current trend for edible garden components. She believes there
Cameron with the encouragement to keep going. Graham Fletcher at
should be something edible in every garden, and that it should
Ryde Tafe provided a framework for Cameron’s initial design works.
enrich her clients’ lives.
Award Winning Gardens
How the Practice works
Cameron and Pepo won two AILDM awards in 2010: winner of
Pepo employs twelve people - all passionate about their work. The
the residential landscape design between $40,000 and $100,000
scope ranges from design to construction and maintenance. Their
(Marrickville) and highly commended in the residential design over
great emphasis is quality. The process itself is well defined, but
$100,000 (Parsley Bay).
improvements and imagination are encouraged. Cameron realised that the level of detail required to produce her designs meant Pepo needed to produce fine computer generated plans, so she took on a Landscape Architect.
The Parsley Bay brief was to ‘mess up the architecture and design a garden that was flowing, loose and importantly did not have a designed look’. The award winning design included chooks, a vegetable garden and a handcrafted pergola. The feature, hand crafted pergola at the
Pepo’s favourite projects are residential. The reward is in seeing
entrance court was designed by Francesco Petrolo a Sydney based
families enjoy the outdoor space.
Blacksmith. The beauty of this art work is in its seamless integration with winter 2011
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The awards have led to more clients who found Pepo on the AILDM website. Cameron says “this is great because it means that AILDM is working and respected”. The award publicity also meant Pepo’s and Cameron’s profiles were highlighted in various national magazines.
Keeping Up To Date Cameron believes that keeping up to date is important. She subscribes to several design magazines and thinks it essential to be an active member of organisations such as AILDM and AIH. She maintains that “as professionals we need to continue to develop standard practices across our industry and define ourselves to the community as being able to offer a quality service and a successful result. Then the public will be able to differentiate between an AILDM design practice and a run of the mill landscaping company, and thus see the value in such a design process”.
Conclusion Over the last ten years Cameron has grown professionally and along Above. Chooks – growing popularity in today’s gardens.
with her partner and staff has developed Pepo into an award winning business. They enjoy the fact that their designs, constructions and
the garden and its timeless, beautiful form.
maintenance give so much pleasure to their clients.
In a completely different location and brief, the Marrickville award
Cameron believes that gardens are an investment. She believes
winning garden was not much more than Buffalo grass and Grevillea
the design process is an important element of that investment.
robusta when Pepo first arrived. The microclimate was hot, dry
It is an insurance policy that reduces the risk of mistakes in the
and windy making the garden an unpleasant place to be. Wind
construction and ensures mutual understanding of the planned
breaks enhancing the garden but not dividing the space had to be
result. Cameron believes it is the only fair way to enter into a
designed. The resulting windbreak is functional, fun and structural.
relationship with a client.
Residential
Commercial
Alpine Nurseries 1099 Old Northern Road, Dural NSW 2158 Telephone: (02) 9651 0999 Facsimile: (02) 9651 0988 Email: sales@alpinenurseries.com.au Website: www.alpinenurseries.com.au
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S803179
Hi-end Residential or Large Scale Commercial plus Alpine Quality equals Award Winning Results.