26 April 2019
Over Easter I spent a couple of inspirational and restorative days visiting The Knepp wilding project in Sussex - see https://knepp.co.uk/. Such an exciting place, and so uplifting to see wildlife bouncing back here in defiance of the sad declines we see and hear about all around. The air was full of birdsong - warblers like blackcaps, whitethroat, garden warbler, chiffchaff and glorious nightingales, exultant in the rich mosaic of sallow scrub,...
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17 April 2019
Think Global, Plant Local - this is the message being delivered to the UK government by Confor - the Confederation of Forest Industries, see https://proarbmagazine.com/think-global-plant-local-to-tackle-climate-change/. The UK currently has only 13% forest cover, compared to the EU average of around 37%, and is the second largest net importer of wood products, after China. Protecting existing trees and growing new trees is one of the best ways...
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08 March 2019
I often hear clients worrying about ivy smothering trees or damaging buildings. I reassure them that this is mostly ungrounded - sound brickwork and healthy trees will happily co-exist with ivy, and of course our native trees have evolved to live in harmony with it.
And look at this detail of old ivy growth on a tree trunk - when you remember that biodiversity thrives in complexity and in the edges between ecological zones, you start to...
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28 June 2018
I'm trying to visit a few completed gardens this summer to see how they have matured, and I caught this magical moment in one, where the light combined with the planting and the moving water in such a beautiful way. Seeing this reminds me why I love designing, the opportunity to create beauty using natural elements. The water feature was a bespoke design for this garden; one other was commissioned by the late Professor Stephen Hawking, and I...
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28 June 2018
Just going through old filing and came across this lovely message on a Christmas card from a client -
'I love my garden! Every day I end up staring out the windows. Of course it doesn't always get as much attention as it deserves on a weekly basis, but it is still the best garden in Dickens Heath! You did a superb job for us...'
So you've been warned: if you don't want to be drawn to gaze loving at your garden on a daily basis, don't ask us...
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