Whilst forest fires blaze on one side of the globe and pandemic status is issued on another, you may feel guilty about being so concerned with the top garden design trends of 2020. However, everything is valid on different scales. Creating a haven within your own space offers you sanctuary from the world outside and you have every right to enjoy it.
Garden design, just like architecture or fashion, follows trends and often comes full circle to repeat itself. This year will be no exception. Colours and styles from interiors and fashion often influence the garden design world. In interiors this year bold colours, texture, and a step away from minimalism (maximalism) will be extremely prevalent.
Let’s take a look at how that will impact our gardens.
Bold colours
Grey has been over used slightly for the last few years and it is time to add some excitement outside. There’s no need to go crazy and mix primary colours everywhere, but a wall, furniture or a sculpture in a stronger colour can then become a statement piece of the garden. Use this colour as accents throughout planting, the interior or smaller items to tie everything together.
Texture
Dry stone walling at The Newt, Somerset
This can be used with planting but also through patterns and material choices. Smooth modern materials have been dominating gardens for a while now and it is time for natural materials to make a comeback. Gravels, setts and natural stone offer a deeper level of detail to a garden than the expanses of porcelain we are getting used to. Using features such as; reclaimed cobble pathways or slate on edge gives a strong sense of craftsmanship and attention to detail.
If you want to add depth to the garden with texture, then planting’s the way to do it. Utilising plants that provide year round interest is extremely important; for example a Phlomis russeliana provides evergreen heart shaped leaves, with dusky yellow flowers in Summer and then the spent seed heads can be left through the winter, adding height and drama, especially when covered in frost. Combining plants like this with fluffy seed heads of Pennisetum will make for a reliable, textural display.
Maximalism
This concept works in interiors by making the space more homely, showing off beautiful smaller pieces of interest. The same idea applies outside, for example groups of clay pots or salvaged lanterns add a new level of detail to the garden rather than one expanse of paving.
Seemingly small additions to the garden can have a much larger impact to the overall image.
Ecological Planting
We are becoming far more aware each year of the pressure we are putting on the natural world. Making beautiful gardens is one thing, but making them ecologically diverse takes them to the next level and you can rest easy knowing that you’ve done your part.
By creating varied habitats with diverse plantings, you can encourage more wildlife into your garden – benefitting both you and the local wildlife. Try creating layers of planting from ground cover to canopy trees and everything in between. This will give you a layered plant community that is more species rich per square metre than a block planting of evergreen shrubs!
For planting inspiration go and check out the Broadstone Garden that we completed last year. It’s teeming with wildlife!
SWIPE to see a new project that I’m very proud of!
This garden was a challenge to design as it had to be designed around some large existing features, mainly the pool, pond, and obviously the strong architectural home. It is all pulled together with some new hard landscaping features, curved pathways and heaps of planting 🪴
This garden was only planted in the middle of this hot summer, so next year it is going to really burst into life!
The main features of the design are a curved cantilevered @millboard_live_life_outside deck, overhanging the revitalised pond. @johnstonelandscapes did an amazing job of this.
Masses of new planting, both front and back, help to ground the house into its surroundings.
The existing trees are now underplanted with a matrix of woodland edge plants!
There’s an edible meadow alongside the deck. Taking inspiration from the RHS Chelsea garden I co-designed with @sidhillecogardens
A favourite piece is a bespoke curved iroko bench that I built with my main man Joe, this wraps around a stunning fire pit and some precision radial setts that @johnstonelandscapes installed.
The driveway has been re-worked with large Fagus topiary and contemporary block planting of grasses. Then a shady overhang with picture frame windows into the house is underplanted with a shade loving matrix and tree ferns. I can’t wait to see this develop in time.
@johnstonelandscapes & I have worked together for a few years now, making the build such an enjoyable and collaborative process, and of course they tackled any on site challenges with ease. Thanks @johnstone_landscapes_jake 👌
SWIPE to see a new project that I’m very proud of!
This garden was a challenge to design as it had to be designed around some large existing features, mainly the pool, pond, and obviously the strong architectural home. It is all pulled together with some new hard landscaping features, curved pathways and heaps of planting 🪴
This garden was only planted in the middle of this hot summer, so next year it is going to really burst into life!
The main features of the design are a curved cantilevered @millboard_live_life_outside deck, overhanging the revitalised pond. @johnstonelandscapes did an amazing job of this.
Masses of new planting, both front and back, help to ground the house into its surroundings.
The existing trees are now underplanted with a matrix of woodland edge plants!
There’s an edible meadow alongside the deck. Taking inspiration from the RHS Chelsea garden I co-designed with @sidhillecogardens
A favourite piece is a bespoke curved iroko bench that I built with my main man Joe, this wraps around a stunning fire pit and some precision radial setts that @johnstonelandscapes installed.
The driveway has been re-worked with large Fagus topiary and contemporary block planting of grasses. Then a shady overhang with picture frame windows into the house is underplanted with a shade loving matrix and tree ferns. I can’t wait to see this develop in time.
@johnstonelandscapes & I have worked together for a few years now, making the build such an enjoyable and collaborative process, and of course they tackled any on site challenges with ease. Thanks @johnstone_landscapes_jake 👌
My favourite late summer colour plants in this scheme are: Echinacea ‘Pretty Parasols’ Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Alba’ Scabiosa columbaria Obviously the Salvia too 😂
This is one of my recently planted gardens on the edge of Dartmoor.
The clients wanted colour and that’s what they’ve got! Perennial colour through the seasons with some evergreen shrubs and topiary to keep the scheme strong through winter.
The stonework and hard landscaping provides such good structure to show off the planting. Can’t wait to see it develop next year.
Some people hate yellow flowers for some reason… What do you think? (I love them 👌)
Plants from @foliumandflosplants Photos by @jacobgibbinsphoto
My favourite late summer colour plants in this scheme are: Echinacea ‘Pretty Parasols’ Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Alba’ Scabiosa columbaria Obviously the Salvia too 😂
This is one of my recently planted gardens on the edge of Dartmoor.
The clients wanted colour and that’s what they’ve got! Perennial colour through the seasons with some evergreen shrubs and topiary to keep the scheme strong through winter.
The stonework and hard landscaping provides such good structure to show off the planting. Can’t wait to see it develop next year.
Some people hate yellow flowers for some reason… What do you think? (I love them 👌)
Plants from @foliumandflosplants Photos by @jacobgibbinsphoto
I’m very proud of this garden. I only planted it a few months ago and it is now flourishing! This garden was all about the planting and I think it compliments the surroundings perfectly.
This is just a small section of the garden. Shall I share some more?!
I’m very proud of this garden. I only planted it a few months ago and it is now flourishing! This garden was all about the planting and I think it compliments the surroundings perfectly.
This is just a small section of the garden. Shall I share some more?!
It took a lot of head scratching to get it right but I’m so proud of how this bench turned out. Joe and I spent a couple days making this, using Iroko boards that tapered out to the radius of the seating area.
All fixings are hidden and screwed from the steel behind. Lovely curved steel frame made by @taurusfabrications
The fire pit is the perfect centre piece for it.
@johnstonelandscapes @johnstone_landscapes_jake have now finished even more landscape works around it so I can’t wait to share more clips with you soon.
Would you like one of these in your garden? Or do you prefer something more traditional? Let me know!
It took a lot of head scratching to get it right but I’m so proud of how this bench turned out. Joe and I spent a couple days making this, using Iroko boards that tapered out to the radius of the seating area.
All fixings are hidden and screwed from the steel behind. Lovely curved steel frame made by @taurusfabrications
The fire pit is the perfect centre piece for it.
@johnstonelandscapes @johnstone_landscapes_jake have now finished even more landscape works around it so I can’t wait to share more clips with you soon.
Would you like one of these in your garden? Or do you prefer something more traditional? Let me know!
My Dad lives with paranoid schizophrenia, which can be quite severe at times. In a time when mental health and wellness is mainstream, serious mental illness is still often misunderstood and rife with stigma.
Being a schizophrenic doesn’t define my Dad as a person, but it has impacted his entire life, leaving him unable to work and often getting himself in unfortunate situations, or sectioned for long periods of time. Whilst this is his situation, many people with schizophrenia do manage to work and hold down a more ‘normal’ lifestyle.
Some common symptoms of schizophrenia are: Paranoia, delusions, visual or audio hallucinations, muddled thoughts, lack of motivation, difficulty with social interactions. Just to name a few.
It also isn’t as simple as someone having the same symptoms every day of the year. It’s common to have up and down periods, where the symptoms and behaviours may become more extreme. Sometimes leading to a state of psychosis where someone needs to be sectioned under the mental health act.
Hopefully this has given some personal insight into schizophrenia. If you need any information or support, please go and check out @rethinkmentalillness ❤️
My Dad lives with paranoid schizophrenia, which can be quite severe at times. In a time when mental health and wellness is mainstream, serious mental illness is still often misunderstood and rife with stigma.
Being a schizophrenic doesn’t define my Dad as a person, but it has impacted his entire life, leaving him unable to work and often getting himself in unfortunate situations, or sectioned for long periods of time. Whilst this is his situation, many people with schizophrenia do manage to work and hold down a more ‘normal’ lifestyle.
Some common symptoms of schizophrenia are: Paranoia, delusions, visual or audio hallucinations, muddled thoughts, lack of motivation, difficulty with social interactions. Just to name a few.
It also isn’t as simple as someone having the same symptoms every day of the year. It’s common to have up and down periods, where the symptoms and behaviours may become more extreme. Sometimes leading to a state of psychosis where someone needs to be sectioned under the mental health act.
Hopefully this has given some personal insight into schizophrenia. If you need any information or support, please go and check out @rethinkmentalillness ❤️
The brief for Charlie & I was to make a wild Welsh inspired garden for a young family to enjoy. All with the challenge of a huge existing concrete pad to work around.
Luckily slate chippings cover a multitude of sins and tied in beautifully with the show stopping water feature. Made using slate walling stone by the very talented @landy3614 - it definitely stole the show!
There’s something very satisfying about poking plants into the nooks of a dry stone wall and around the base of the water feature.
The covered pergola gives them somewhere to sit outside even in the typical wet Welsh weather👌
@benjaminrichardpope and the rest of the team did an amazing job on this one! @leighapugh @jimbobs2020 @burdfieldlandscaping 🙌
The brief for Charlie & I was to make a wild Welsh inspired garden for a young family to enjoy. All with the challenge of a huge existing concrete pad to work around.
Luckily slate chippings cover a multitude of sins and tied in beautifully with the show stopping water feature. Made using slate walling stone by the very talented @landy3614 - it definitely stole the show!
There’s something very satisfying about poking plants into the nooks of a dry stone wall and around the base of the water feature.
The covered pergola gives them somewhere to sit outside even in the typical wet Welsh weather👌
@benjaminrichardpope and the rest of the team did an amazing job on this one! @leighapugh @jimbobs2020 @burdfieldlandscaping 🙌
This is my thought process behind setting out this beautiful bed, but the same can be applied to any planting scheme that you’re setting out!
People work in different ways, but generally this is how I approach most of mine.
I forgot to mention the x3 Tree Ferns which will make an amazing feature in the corner of this bed. I can’t wait to see this planting knit together over time.
Big thanks to @johnstonelandscapes & @johnstone_landscapes_jake who are building the garden and have done an amazing job on everything so far. Not far from completion now 🤞
If you have any questions about setting out or plant combos, just drop them in the comments below 🪴
This is my thought process behind setting out this beautiful bed, but the same can be applied to any planting scheme that you’re setting out!
People work in different ways, but generally this is how I approach most of mine.
I forgot to mention the x3 Tree Ferns which will make an amazing feature in the corner of this bed. I can’t wait to see this planting knit together over time.
Big thanks to @johnstonelandscapes & @johnstone_landscapes_jake who are building the garden and have done an amazing job on everything so far. Not far from completion now 🤞
If you have any questions about setting out or plant combos, just drop them in the comments below 🪴
Rearranging some potted plants can make BIG changes to your space…
I’d been growing these Colocasia for a while now and I was finally ready for them to go outside. They can take a while to get going, but when they do they grow SO fast!
I’ve always loved exotic style planting so they fit this section of the deck really well, amongst some of my other favourites. Especially against the water feature.
Colocasia are not hardy at all, so will need to be brought in after Summer! Well worth it though. My bulbs were from @farmergracy (not an ad.) - and they were great quality. 3 bulbs = 3 happy plants.
Rearranging some potted plants can make BIG changes to your space…
I’d been growing these Colocasia for a while now and I was finally ready for them to go outside. They can take a while to get going, but when they do they grow SO fast!
I’ve always loved exotic style planting so they fit this section of the deck really well, amongst some of my other favourites. Especially against the water feature.
Colocasia are not hardy at all, so will need to be brought in after Summer! Well worth it though. My bulbs were from @farmergracy (not an ad.) - and they were great quality. 3 bulbs = 3 happy plants.
