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Plant Pots: Designing With Containers

Written by Duncan Heather on .

Almost anything that holds soil could be used for plant pots. Shops stock a vast range of traditional ceramic, terracotta, glass fibre and stone pots, some attractive and some hideous. It's important that they are frost proof, so check those imported from Mediterranean or far eastern countries. Be careful [...]

Garden Images: 10 Professional Garden Photography Tips

Written by Duncan Heather on .

Garden images Tip 1. On cloudless days to obtain the best garden images, try to visit the garden early or late in the day to get the best light. ‘The Golden Hour’ is consider to be some of the best light for garden images and many phone apps such as ‘Sun Position’ by Stonekick tell you the start [...]

How to Design a Garden: Does Form Follow Function?

Written by Duncan Heather on .

Does Form Follow Function?  A long-term and continuing debate has been whether form follows function, or function follows form? Initially, as a trained artist, but novice, student designer, I felt instinctively - and arrogantly - that the functions of the garden could follow its form; in other words, [...]

How to Design A Garden: Nature As Inspiration

Written by Duncan Heather on .

Designing with nature requires the designer to develop heightened awareness. Not just of suitable plants for a specific location, but for the genius loci (spirit of Place).  The climate, prevailing wind direction, aspect, gradient, soil, indigenous vegetation, geology, all affect the design choices.Every [...]

Poisonous Plants: A Garden Designers Guide

Written by Duncan Heather on .

A Garden Designer’s Guide To Poisonous PlantsOn average, two gardeners a year die in the UK as a result of poisonous plants. There are poisonous plants lurking in almost every garden, dangerous to humans and animals alike. Many poisonous plants are far from obvious except to the expert. Those discussed [...]

Website Design For Garden Designers Pt 2

Written by Duncan Heather on .

In the first part of Website Design for landscape and garden designers, we look at your website as a digital portfolio. In this second part, we’ll look at the ‘About’ page and how to market your website The About Page. The About page is an opportunity to show your personality. A brief bio is [...]

A Digital Portfolio: Website Design for Garden Designers

Written by Duncan Heather on .

Your website is your shop window. A digital portfolio which can be easily changed and updated.  In this 2 part article we’ll discuss what to include, what not to include, where to host yours, and tips for designing and maintaining one.  We’ll cover everything you need to know to make one that’s [...]

Employing a Garden Designer – How Much & What To Look For

Written by Duncan Heather on .

Employing a garden designer isn’t as straight forward as it may first appear.  The level of competence and professionalism, varies hugely, depending on their qualification and how long they have been practicing.  In a nut shell, a qualified garden designer should be able to offer an almost identical [...]

Timber Specification for Landscape Design

Written by Duncan Heather on .

Timber Specification: Understanding  Quality and Strength The proper timber specification is very important as it's a natural material and therefore its quality varies considerably.  Defects can include knots and shakes (splits down the grain), twist, etc.  Softwood joinery is classified into [...]
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