I’ve been working in gardens since 1996, so have a very pragmatic design process.

The initial drawings and planting are just the beginning, which is why I love to stay involved with the ongoing gardening and making as the space is used and evolves; for regular, seasonal or yearly visits.

It is so exciting that gardens can be ‘living art’; increasing biodiversity and biophilia, not just aesthetic nourishment.

I care most about creating immersive habitats; with meandering pathways and secluded seating areas, surrounded by naturalistic planting.

Inviting you to linger longer and observe the life that appears -  especially when we add water, so I want everyone to have ponds, or at least a birdbath.

I tend to propose meadows and gravel gardens over traditional flower beds, because they have a higher density of flowers, life and drama for less work and water.

This “wild” style does still require skilled gardening to keep the planting dynamic.

Once we have agreed the initial design, I work with your architect and builders or recommend contractors for any hardscaping/groundworks.

I then source the plants and lay them out intuitively, but I can create visuals, planting plans and mood boards if the budget allows.

For the ongoing care I say “gardening”, not “garden maintenance”, which devalues the creative craft - a generative process, not “maintaining” something static.

I have a few gardeners who help me, but I still go to London every other week and am happy to travel for interesting projects - especially if your garden is beside a surfing beach.

I’m very grateful to receive all my work through “word of mouth”, but maybe do need to be more proactive in finding local work, now that we have moved west. We are renting a cottage on a farm, that we call “Chooksbury” near Tewkesbury, thanks to our lockdown hens.