Designing with nature requires the designer to develop heightened awareness, not just of suitable plants for a specific location, but of climate, prevailing wind direction, exposure, aspect, gradient, soil type, indigenous vegetation, geology, threats from animals domestic and wild and the site’s general ambience and atmosphere. [...]
Creating a Balance of Horticulture and Ecology
The enemies of wild life gardens are mainly domestic: cats, dogs and indifferent humans who may have no interest in preserving a balanced eco-system. However wildlife gardens have enormous educational value for adults and children as long as nature is [...]
The Garden Defined
This question is so fundamental to learning about design that it is worth looking at the instant image in your mind's eye of a garden. I believe that on this design learning curve you will shed many of your pre-conceptions and open your mind and your eyes to a myriad of new [...]
Does And Don't On Designing with Colour Drive through any town or suburb and you will see many plantings that apparently aim to include every possible colour imaginable, all crammed together, with no thought at all for harmony, balance or indeed the colours and forms of the adjacent or surrounding [...]
In our series of interviews with garden designers that have a plethora of knowledge and talent, we at Notcutts were lucky enough to have caught up with one of Europe’s most successful garden designers, Duncan Heather.
Duncan Heather When reading Duncan Heather’s [...]