Approach
Nature is my greatest inspiration. It describes the bones of any garden and the clothes to dress them. I create designs that evolve and grow over time, changing character and becoming richer and more complex. I use plants native to the location that I am working in as a foundation for most designs, but add and substitute selected varieties and choice exotics that will improve the garden without detracting from the overall aesthetic and sense of place. I feel this approach is best described as creating an ‘enhanced natural landscape’, enriching the garden for human senses as well as for the myriad living organisms within it. I work collaboratively with clients to create landscapes that feel timeless and natural. Sculptural, subtle and rich in texture.
Planting that works
Too much design is carried out in an urban studio far from the garden in question. My designs are rooted in the landscape, climate, history and structure of the place. I passionately believe that plants should be used that will work, not just aesthetically but more broadly, connecting and feeding back in to the wider landscape and environment. Healthy plants are the foundation of beautiful, healthy gardens. These require in turn fewer interventions in terms of chemical treatments, replacements or maintenance. I believe in creating resilient gardens that behave like natural landscapes and can accept fluctuations in temperature and rainfall with grace.
Experience
With an initial higher education background in History and Sustainability, I have been training and working in Horticulture since 2007. Since winning a place on the Historic and Botanic Gardens Bursary Scheme, I worked at the University of Bristol Botanic Garden, at Hestercombe Gardens and various large private gardens. I have also worked in Portugal and Central America and have travelled widely observing plants and landscapes around the world.
I am first and foremost a skilled and experienced gardener. I have felt the earth yield to my fingers, felt the rain trickle down the back of my neck and worked my hands to callouses pruning shrubs back to form. I know what works and what doesn’t, what is possible and what is likely, how to wring that last bit of magic from a space. This experience allows me to create the kind of gardens that follow intuitively from what I have learnt.
Natural gardens do not have to be messy or labour intensive, they can be easy to live in and use spaces that keep evolving from the first annuals through fast developing herbaceous plants to long term perennials, shrubs and trees. This can then be selectively managed to create a natural environment that meets our human desires for structure and form.
Services
I am keen to work with people to help them create the gardens they long for. This could mean working on a short term basis such as offering a consultancy visit and a simple overview design or undertaking a full garden development from inception to delivery. I offer in depth tuition in practical skills such as pruning or propagation and ongoing coaching to help people build the skills they need.
Part of my overall approach is to engage people with the design as it takes place, working closely with you to make sure you feel comfortable, enthused and in ownership of the creative process. Naturally, if you would rather I simply delivered a design, I am happy to do this too!
I will work with what exists and or create from new but I particularly enjoy retaining strong existing features and weaving new plantings around them.
I also offer a selection of plants for sale which can be found on the ‘biocentric plants’ tab at the top of this page.
CONSULTATION
Sometimes the best way forward is to talk things though. This might take the form of a couple of hours walking and talking in your garden, a more detailed visit with skills coaching and a maintenance plan or ongoing advice and practical tuition for a longer period. Anything can be achieved and this is often a good way to deepen your involvement in your garden without taking on a larger project.
PLANNING & DESIGN
Good design is crucial to the success of a garden. From a new border to an open field, I can help you create a garden that works for you and fits seamlessly in the place given. Delivery can take various forms, from broad stroke concepts and plant list, to more detailed scale drawings and masterplans.
REALISATION
Moving from thoughts and paper to soil and plants can sometimes be a daunting step. There are infinite variables to creating a successful garden and getting the right result depends on preparation, experience, timing (and a little bit of luck!). I can help to bring your garden from inception to reality from sourcing plants, materials and contractors to project managing the broader process.
Contact
I am based near Wiveliscombe, Somerset and work throughout the South-west region. For further information please contact:
Email: tom (at) biocentric.org.uk
Phone: 01984667784 or 07909603031