Let’s Hear it From... We will go out of our
way to recycle and use sustainable products where possible
Do you get pressure from designers about sustainability?
It’s always there, and we will go out of our way to fi nd ways to recycle and use sustainable products where possible. If there are excavations on site we try to leave them there in some other way. One of my big aims at Chelsea is that the gardens are re-used somewhere else which has happened with most of our gardens. The Cloudy Bay garden we built for Andrew and Gavin at the Wilson McWilliam Studio this year has been picked up by Cityscapes. The garden will move through four different public parks around London over the summer, a designer at each will use the leftover products from the garden, which will then be disassembled and moved to the next park. At the end of all this Andrew and Gavin get the products back for installation at Horticultural Halls – there is a risk however, because they could be left with a pile of rubble and dead plants!
How do you source new products? Designers probably do most of that but we always keep an eye out for things in trade magazines like this one and take ideas from other projects and pass them onto designers – trade shows are also a good way of fi nding new products. We recently saw some powder coated aluminium case Versailles boxes at Chelsea which we’d never seen before and knew that Hugo Bugg was looking for something similar for a current project we’re working on with him in London, so we sent him the link and they are now in his design.
Are there any designers you haven’t yet worked with that you would really like to? I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the country’s best and most experienced designers
32 August 2013
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so I have been involved in some fantastic projects over the years. One person I haven’t worked with yet is Christopher Bradley-Hole – I had a good chat with him at Chelsea; Tom Stuart-Smith is another. I do like working with newly-qualifi ed designers too, who I tend to meet through my lecturing at The English Gardening School and the Regent’s Park College. These designers tend to learn from us and use our skills and expertise to develop their knowledge.
And is lecturing something you’d like to get more involved in?
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Yes, when time allows – I have three full time jobs at the moment but I really do enjoy the lecturing which I currently do two or three times a year and sit on a couple of advisory panels – it’s great to give a bit of wisdom to the new people coming through and get feedback
from them.
Who do you admire in terms of landscape construction?
There are some great people in the industry but one person whose work I have always admired is Brian Herbert of Outdoor Options.
Are you involved in any of the industry associations?
Not currently, I respect the associations but getting involved properly is a big undertaking and everything else has to be put on hold, which can mean losing sight of your own business. I was a member of APL but didn’t have the time to commit myself to help very much. If things were quieter with my workload I would re-join APL and help in its aim to guide the association forward.
What do you do outside of work? Maxine and I work together (she deals with HR, communications and business admin), so it’s important we take time out. We have two children of 9 and 11 who keep us busy and we enjoy many outdoor activities with them. Sport wise, I love mountain biking and I am currently in the process of opening a bicycle shop/café in Reigate with two other people which is keeping me extremely busy at the moment!
1 Forbury Hotel. 2 Private garden in London.
CONTACT
gardenlink Ltd. 27 Lesbourne Road, Reigate Surrey RH2 7JS Tel: 01737 243 224 Email:
enquiries@gardenlink.co.uk Web:
www.gardenlink.co.uk
www.prolandscapermagazine.com
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