LJN Blog Posts

Comments

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  Nick Donaghey @ Garden Gurus April 11, 2010 at 4:24pm

  Hi Karl - not sure what you mean here -
  
  "I do take issue with individuals commenting on their own methods of “Throwing a few turfs down and a load of flags.....garden done” so to speak and then having the compunction to deliver what they say is missing from gardens, that being the plants themselves. This doesn’t really make sense"
  
  Is this directed at me? Because I can promise you that I certainly don't "throw a few turfs down" nor "a load of flags....garden done"
  
  And my bias certainly isn't towards "a quintessential country garden". In fact I'm a great believer in innovation in garden design.
  
  Also I have never ever created "a complex plethora of planting schemes". In fact I'm not sure I know what that is!
  
  Just to be clear - I think a garden should be a number of different elements drawn together to provide an area to suit whatever purpose the owner requires. BUT - to be called a garden it needs to have plants. Not necessary complicated high-maintenance planting schemes but something to at least hint at the natural world beyond the urban sprawl.
  
  As you suggested that maybe I lean towards the quintissential country garden due to my background, might I suggest that you lean towards hard landscaping because of yours?
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  claudia de yong April 11, 2010 at 6:58pm

  Now now boys!
  
  It is true that plants seem to feature less on people's agenda and the word 'space' really irritates me too. It's the in word I think. In a limited urban environment , most people I have had to design for want more usuable 'space' and less planting which they consider high maintenance. I have to swallow hard and do what my client wants even though my tendancy is to create a little sanctuary with the planting.
  
  It is a delicate balance and I think TV programmedon't help much with the lack of plant focus. As you say I think education is the way forward but then again it's like trying to tell people not to eat fatty foods. We listen to what we want to hear.
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  Felicity Waters April 11, 2010 at 7:48pm

  i agree that a 100% concrete artificial lawn BBQ decking 'space' is BLEAK but a 100% dark infested overgrown green mass is equally scary and soul destroying....its all about balance......and its about using 'things' in a 'space'; ......plants are fantastic, decking is fantastic and BBQs are fantastic - garden/landscape design is about bringing various fantastic things together in a way that makes sense .....
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  Claire Brown April 11, 2010 at 8:29pm

  I think it's up to us (the majority on LJN) of landscapers, designers and gardeners to educate our clients, (or the masses!) that they can have it all... - somewhere to sit, somewhere to view and Plants. - They need to choose the right "things" (or let us choose them for them) and they have to know what will need maintenance and what won't.
  I've just been with a couple this afternoon, - after listening to their needs, i've found out that what they want isn't what they had in mind. They want colour, they want bold structure (to match their bold house) they are used to Californian colours and large foliage - The thin strip of border against the wall, won't give them the bold plants they want, But if we get rid of most of the lawn and do some mass planting there, the one hour every other week that would have been spent on the lawn, can now be spent on maintaining the plants, and they will get their colours and structure. They also won't need the builder to change the path or the direction of the lights, so the money saved there can be used on extra plants.
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  Pip Howard April 11, 2010 at 9:49pm

  Another huge factor is that the plants if positioned properly can enlarge the percieved area of a garden. I saw a brilliant simple garden, (approx 80 sqmetres) decked completely with around 6 birch trees growing through the deck. The holes cut to allow for the planting were large enough to allow for feeding and growth for the lifespan of the tree.
  
  If the information for what plants / trees can actually be planted succesfully in a garden maximised for additional living space was more readily available my guess is that the majority of clients would head down that route. The key factor is that awful moment when a client states 'we want it to be maintenance free' - impossible, it would no longer be a garden.
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  Felicity Waters April 11, 2010 at 10:06pm

  Colin - yes I agree - using all 'green' plants is boring -I used that example to demonstrate that it should never really be about plants versus paving - design is far more complex - there are so many issues that should be considered even before materials are selected - my preference is always to have plants but that does not make a design necessarily 'good' - you can not say that because Garden A has plants and Garden B does not that Garden A is a better design - that is way too simplistic -
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  Felicity Waters April 11, 2010 at 10:10pm

  Pip - great example of using hard landscaping and plants together - decking can be beautiful when integrated with trees and planting beds - and yes there is no such thing as a maintenance free garden
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  Nick Donaghey @ Garden Gurus April 11, 2010 at 10:15pm

  Totally agree Pip - the issue seems to be persuading the client that the plants themselves add a whole new dimension. I suppose showing a prospective client photos of a garden with all the hard landscaping installed and then another with the plants added, might be enough to persuade them what a difference they can make.
  I guess this is really what I'm getting at: what's the best way of showing the client the benefit of good planting in a garden?
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  Felicity Waters April 11, 2010 at 10:29pm

  Nick - yes its good planting - not any old planting - perhaps photomontage?
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  Kirsty Blair April 11, 2010 at 10:37pm

  Hi Nick
  
  I have been to a few clients recently who think that low maintenance means no plants, I am able to persuade them that it will look very dull without any plants and come away satisfied I have done my bit for the bees!
  
  I've concluded it is up to us to educate as we go.
  
  I know quite a few landscapers here that only put in the hard landscaping - the customer doesn't get the choice of plants. I offer the whole thing from design right through to planting and most of my clients go for the whole lot, which is one of the reasons why I'm so busy.
  
  My designs always show plants - even if the client doesn't want any to start with. My 3D designs always swing it, even if they're just representative of plants (i.e. not the correct plants).