October 17, 2019

The inspiring landscape

Often, particularly when I first started out, a garden was clearly defined by its boundary, a fence or wall maybe a hedge.  Trying to borrow the landscape from beyond is a skill that is adopted by many gardeners and designers.  An overhanging tree, a view beyond or best of all a layered mass of shrubs and trees that extend deep into neighbouring territory.  All of these things can add so much to the garden but what happens when the garden is surrounded by an outstanding landscape?  We’re lucky enough to live and work in an area of the country where sea views are commonplace and as such a lot of our projects contend with the pull of that view.  In most cases my first response is that we’d be foolish to try and compete with that and all we can do is frame it or blur the edges of our project and help it merge with sky, sea and landscape.

More recently, I’m interested in how we can bring those views into the garden, mimicking what lies beyond.  Sometimes that can be achieved through the layout, othertimes plant choice or materials.  These pictures capture a little of what i’m surrounded by and highlight the drama that occurs when rough meets smooth, something I’m continuously fascinated by.   Hopefully you are too.