DESIGN ADVICE
Great EXPECTATIONS From bijou city havens to acres of lawn in the country, hiring a garden designer could be the key to unlocking a garden’s full potential
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ew places have been as cherished as our gardens over the past year or so. No matter how large or small, whether rural or urban, they have offered us relief from the strains of this uncertain period. The rush on garden centres and nurseries over the spring and summer of 2020 points to how much our gardens have come to mean to us. However, putting in a few new plants every now and then may not be quite enough. If lockdown has engendered greater expectations from our gardens, hiring a garden designer could be just the thing to do. Garden designers offer varying levels of service. It is possible to commission one to elevate a front garden, make changes to a terrace or overhaul dated planting, but good designers can also develop, for example, a country garden
masterplan to be executed over many years, as ABOVE Alliums, lavender and classic and when time and funds allow. “A designer can English roses combine offer a morning’s consultation or sketch a plan. in this relaxed It doesn’t need to be the full service, although rhythmic planting by for most designers the dream is to work on a Thomas Hoblyn complete garden and oversee the build,” explains Garden Design. Andrew Duff, designer, managing director of the Inchbald School of Design and vice-chair of the Society of Garden Designers (SGD). Many, but certainly not all, designers will have some kind of qualification in garden design or landscape architecture. Well-known schools include KLC School of Design, Inchbald School of Design, London College of Garden Design, Writtle, Capel Manor and the Oxford College of Garden Design, all of which offer courses of varying lengths. Larger design firms might employ designers with degrees in landscape architecture. THE ENGLISH HOME 91
