DESIGN SOLUTIONS

At long last my new web site will be active in a few days time and I’ll be posting articles with the addition of photographs. Also there will be gift vouchers available for my 2 day courses, just in time for Christmas. It has been a very interesting exercise having a designer work for me….Simon from Chocolate Lime is a very patient man! There are many parallels to be drawn between two different design professions. The key issue that connect both is setting the mood. Both are intended to attract attention, welcome the visitor into the space, hold interest within the space to make the user linger and, of course, enthuse them to return to enjoy the experience again. Maintenance is an important factor as well. There is no point in investing and then not tending its upkeep. It may look fabulous to begin with but left without care and attention, it will look tired and neglected in time. So now I have to tend my new site or the designer will frown! Often I have visited clients where their garden requires more time than they have available to maintain it and it gets to the point where it becomes too daunting a task and they give up. I always discuss maintenance and establish the amount of hours per week that they can set aside. In some cases this controls the design as some items they wish to have entails too much time for upkeep. Strangely, although grass is one of the highest time consumers, some people don’t consider cutting it a chore so you have to assess the activities that are disliked the most. It is not just the role of a garden designer to create a pleasing space, it has to function within the lifestyle of the owner. Unfortunately we can’t work miracles and create a no maintenance garden, but aftercare is an important consideration to give advice on.

I have still to decide on the planting scheme for my front garden and therefore spent too much time this year weeding bare ground. However I anticipate that, once the planting is established, I’ll spend no more than 5 days per year on my front and back garden as I now have no grass. I’ll post photographs of the progress on my website along with dates for design courses I’ll be running next year.

Diane Pyper Tel. 01506 414459
email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.NewDimensionsGD.com

DESIGN SOLUTIONS

I was planting up a garden recently when my client asked me what was my favourite part of designing gardens. I guess I have two favourite parts, the beginning of the process and the end. I love to embark on the journey with my clients and discover their desires and needs that suit their lifestyle, draw up the survey and be sitting at the drawing board ready to begin the exciting process of bringing all the information to a creative conclusion.

I recently met with a client whose garden I have previously designed. They have moved house and are intending to build a very modern style home. This is in complete contrast to the traditional home they lived in so it was very exciting for us to discuss the changes that they will make living in a house that has the opportunity for a superb connection between house and garden. The public area of the house contains a significant area of glazing and a fabulous axis/vista along the 100m length of the plot. A very challenging site as it is only 22m wide. Because we have worked on a previous design, it is easier to discuss design principles and indeed was informed that this experience had put them at an advantage when discussing the house design with the architects. It is this initial design aspect of that I love when teaching as some of my classes involve my involvement at the start of the design process.

Completing the design by carrying out the planting in readiness for use is also incredibly rewarding. Even being involved in the maintenance of a garden I haven’t designed is gratifying as it has resulted in the owners taking control again and enjoying being out in their gardens. I worked for 2 days on a back garden in Edinburgh and when I went back to complete the front garden I noticed that there were stripes on the lawn, a sign that the owner was having fun and enjoying the space again. It is this feeling of well-being that is an important factor to strive for and in many cases it is very simple changes that can make all the difference…..edging the lawn being one.

I have 2day courses in garden design and planting design planned for 7th/14th November and 25th Nov/2nd Dec if you are interested in learning how to asses and perhaps improve on your gardens potential.

Diane Pyper Tel. 01506 414459
email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.NewDimensionsGD.com