Things I wish people would ask me but rarely, if ever, do
Q I know the value of most things but not a garden. How much should a new garden cost?
A Caveats first – depends on who’s building it as labour is the biggest cost and contractors’ charges vary enormously but some say 1% of value of house. Others say it costs about half what you’d spend on changing your car or your kitchen. Depending on size and complexity, £25-50 per square metre. Larger gardens tend to be cheaper per square metre as they have proportionately less hard landscaping which is the dear part.
Q I need a new kitchen as well as the garden. Which should I do first?
A The garden (of course). Your kitchen doesn’t need to grow!
Q What does a designer do?
A A bit like an architect and interior designer. The training isn’t usually as long (but could be – an architect’s walls don’t grow!). The end results are drawings which allow the designer’s vision to be turned into reality.
Q What’s the difference between landscaper, gardener, designer, design-and-build business?
A They overlap – it’s just a matter of emphasis between communication imagination, organisation and physical labour! These stereotypes may give you the idea but happily people can’t always be pigeon-holed that simply.
Landscapers are practical outdoor people not afraid of physical work and good with machinery. They build and plant but will not generally offer to do drawings. They should have knowledge of building techniques as well as some aspects of horticulture ie planting and maybe tree work. If it’s a complex brief many prefer a designer to be involved as they don’t feel they have the imagination to construct a whole new garden to. Others offer a design service but if it’s mentioned last in their advertising you can assume it’s not their forte?
Gardeners are practical outdoor people with a love of plants and maybe machinery. They know a great deal about all aspects of horticulture which may include tree work and should have some training in design too although not all have an interest in it. They may work in maintenance and/or garden creation or renovation. Some are excellent in selecting the right plants for a garden but drawing skills may not be top of the list.
Designers are visual people and should have an ability to communicate, the imagination to turn the brief into something that can be built. Drawings are used to show the client what it will look like and the landscaper how it should be built. Many designers are keen gardeners although training in horticulture is not essential) and will be able to select plants, some may be willing to plant too but will rarely do the heavy work.
Design-and-build business are usually partnerships where between the partners, they can tick all of the above boxes. Doing all aspects of the job means that some things can be simpler but the client doesn’t get to choose separate specialists.
Q Why should I pay for a designer and a landscaper? I could spend that money on materials instead.
A Some landscapers (though not all) can recommend too much hard landscaping which is expensive so you could save money be employing both. Regardless how much you spend overall, it can make sure you’re not wasting your money on something you don’t like or doesn’t work. A designer can also be your advocate in dealing with a landscaper.
Q How can you/I make my garden more interesting without just making it brighter?
A Loads of ways!
Texture – plants with leaves of different sizes or densities (see-through or solid)
Height – a flat garden is dull but add a tree or two or a pergola and some climbers or vertical accents
Structure – the eye needs elements to rest on and to travel over and many gardens lack both. In terms of focal points and paths or a strong ground plan, structure provides both of these.
Changing views – areas that are revealed or hidden from different parts of the garden
Movement and sound either from flexible plants which move in the wind or from water
Scent – a garden just isn’t the same without it
Wildlife – endless entertainment as well as helping the planet.
Don’t forget green is a colour too – the eye is more sensitive to shades of green than any other colour because there are so many. Some of the most effective gardens use only green.
Q I need some screening but don’t want to plant leylandii. What else could I use?
A For a tiny garden, Lonicera nitida is fast growing and neat. For somewhere a little larger you can’t beat beech for sheer class. If you have acres and decades, yew can’t be bettered. Hawthorn is lovely in a country setting too.
Q I like the Mediterranean gardens I see but I live in Aberdeen. What can I do instead to give my garden a sense of local identity?
A Bright sunlight actually bleaches out strong colours making them less garish but this far north, the light has a special cool quality which enhances subtle colours. We have very long days in the summer which …? We also have long sunsets so dusk can be a magical time in a northerly garden with whites and pastels shining gently in the low light. Scottish stone comes in all sorts of shades from nearly pure white to charcoal grey with every shade of grey, buff, pink, red in between. Granite can vary hugely in colour and be given textures from course and twinkly to the highest polish.
Q What are your favourite gardens?
A 1 Crathes, of course, because of the huge range of plants, its different moods, the simple, elegant detailing of the stone and ironwork.
2 Denmans because of its rooms and intimate scale – every area is somewhere you feel comfortable in, the use of local materials for hard landscaping and the planting which is full of interest but not saccharin.
3 Any of the gardens on the west coast of Scotland because of the landscape and the views.
Q What is good design?
A Firstly, scale and proportion are essential no matter what you are designing – a kettle, a car or a garden – and what style it’s in – traditional, modern or retro. For a garden, scale means in relation to the house and the plot, so for the average small garden this means not too fussy. Proportion has a huge effect on how the space feels.
Secondly, respect for materials which means hard landscaping just as much as the plants’ horticultural needs. If the paving is in squares then play with squares, don’t force it into curves. Any material can look good given the right treatment. If your local stone is grey, dress it to look smart rather then dull.
Q Why did you become a designer?
A I’ve always had a visual mind and a practical nature as well as love of plants. I love to see new life breathed into a place and people enjoying it.
Q Do you have a particular style?
A Not really. I’m a bit of a chameleon and always find something I like in clients’ tastes even though they vary so much. For example, clients often like pink or orange but rarely both while I do, just not together.
Q What about a signature plant then?
A Not really since every garden requires a different response from me but some plants are very useful and versatile such as clematis – all sizes and colours of flowers but the plants are generally of a scale to suit the average size garden.
Q Are you a keen gardener?
A I should let my husband answer that one! Yes, although I don’t get excited by routine maintenance. I prefer the one-off jobs and I do enjoy digging. Who needs to join a gym when there’s one just outside?
Q What’s your own garden like? Immaculate, I guess.
A I wish! Although I do spend a lot of time in it, I often experiment with different plants to get to know them. I take risks in my own garden that I wouldn’t with a client’s. Sometimes they don’t quite work out or I just move onto something new so things don’t often get time to mature properly. In busy times, it’s a case of the cobbler’s children.
Q Are you a full member of the Society of Garden Designers?
A No, but I hope to be someday. I’m working towards it then I have to submit work for scrutiny.
Q What is the SGD anyway?
A It is the main professional body for garden designers. It promotes and regulates its members and encourages best practice.
