I am currently designing a couple of gardens where the views out across East Lothian and the coast are to die for. The downside is that the garden owners are rarely able to enjoy them from the garden as it is usually too windy to sit out and relax there. Here are a few tips [...]
Water is central to many gardens, from natural pools in Japanese gardens with stepping stones and bridges to formal rills in geometric Persian paradise gardens. By including water in your garden, you can turn an ordinary garden into a far more enticing space. We have just completed a garden in East Lothian, which has a [...]
We all love getting outdoors on those balmy summer days and chilling out with a glass of wine as the sausages sizzle on the barbecue on the sun-drenched patio. However Scottish summers can be all too fleeting. How good would it be to enjoy the outdoors, without getting soaked to the skin, hypothermia or your [...]
We have just wound our clocks forward for spring. It's time to shake off that duvet we have been hibernating under through the winter months. Flinging open those shutters, we can breathe in the fresh air and enjoy the vibrancy of the world springing back to life. Not to mention those long light evenings! Spring [...]
Mien Ruys Garden Earlier this month, a group of us garden designers had a sneaky trip to the Netherlands to visit Mien Ruys garden for a bit of garden design inspiration. Mien Ruys was an exceptional and inspirational garden designer and she is a true icon of mine. She studied garden architecture in Berlin in the 1920s [...]
I spent an inspirational day last week wondering round the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show with my Aunt and Uncle. It was jam-packed with inspiring gardens full of landscaping ideas, sublime planting schemes and new plants. These garden ideas can easily be taken and incorporated into our own gardens at home. The Red Thread Garden [...]
Too much of a good thing... I’m sure we’ve all guzzled on too many sweets and chocolates that have been cloying and hollow pleasure. They leave us feeling quite sick at the end of the day. In contrast, we may prefer to nibble on snacks with a more savoury note such as cheese, olives and [...]
If your winter garden is looking a wee bit drab and uninspiring at the moment, chances are that it was planned out over the summer months when folk are outside enjoying the sunshine. If you can make your garden to look good in winter, it is likely to look great throughout the year. Here are [...]
Last week green issues were making headline news. The nations of the world put their heads together at the climate change summit in Paris. They were attempting to come up with green initiatives for curbing carbon emissions and tackling global warming. Closer to home, we witnessed some of the effects of climate change. Storm Desmond [...]
I would say that the most memorable gardens I have visited are ones that evoke a real sense of spirituality. It is hard to put a finger on how the garden makers have achieved this. It doesn’t seem to bare any relation to the price of the materials used in creating the garden. One of [...]
