Working from France again

4th April 2022

I’ve just got back from working away for 6 weeks at Le Bordage – our place in France – in Loches in the Loire Valley. We live there completely whilst there in that we take Bruno our beautiful briard & Dillon our Maine Coon cat. They know the routine & usually settle in immediately. That said, we are having some building work done over there so it was a tad trying at times with the mess & disruption but Maurice, our builder is very charming so we forgive him a lot although, I don’t think Dillon has! I took several …

A prestigious project in Bath

26th January 2022

I have been asked to design the garden of this fabulous Grade 1 listed townhouse in Bath. It is a classic Georgian terrace built of Bath stone right in the heart of the city. Such a elegant property & the interior is being designed by Melanie of MW Interiors so that will be equally elegant too – I have seen the drawings & it will be fabulous!! UNFORTUNATELY this is what I have to play with! I certainly have my work cut out! My plan however is to make the back just as beautiful as the front so watch this …

I won the Houzz Best Design Award for the 7th year

26th January 2022

I have won the Best of Houzz award for 6 of the last 7 years – something I am very proud of. Today I was told I had won the best design award for the 7th time – hooray! Thank you so much to the Houzz community. Houzz showcases the work of great architects, interior designers, product designers, decorators & garden designers. All top of their field so it is a great resource for all interested in the design world or looking for a good designer. If you don’t know it – check it out!

Chelsea 2021

24th September 2021

Visiting Chelsea 2021 – I was kindly invited to visit Chelsea this year by Rob Jones of The Garden Design Co ltd with whom I have worked for many years; his company has built many of the gardens featured here on my site. We were there be inspired & to discuss our new projects for the next 18 months. Due to covid the show was a late Summer/ Autumn show which made an interesting change. It was a very early start. Rob had arranged for us to meet before 8am which meant a 4am start for me – yikes! We …

Working from France

26th July 2021

Six years ago our dream came true & we bought a house in France. I love the relaxed French way of life; their fabulous architecture, food, style, culture & in this area – the weather! We bought a stone house two miles away from the Medieval Royal City of Loches in the Loire Valley. It is a picture perfect French town with a fantastic market that takes over all the cobbled streets twice a week. We love to sit & people watch from one of our favourite cafes on a Saturday morning & buy wine from one of the independent …

Will you vote for me in the Muddy Stilettos Awards?

14th July 2021

I was nominated for Muddy Stilettos 2021 best garden designer in Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire recently. It’s their #inlovewithlocal awards which is a very fine thing; their mission is to encourage independent businesses & for people to discover & use those businesses.I have no idea how or by who I was nominated but I was very flattered indeed! I asked my clients & instagram followers if they would kindly vote for me. Such generous & kind people they are as they voted in sufficient numbers to get me into the finals – hooray! According to Muddy Stilettos there were over 500,000 …

Revisiting the walled garden with parterre

16th June 2021

I’m madly busy as usual with so many schemes on my books at the moment. I feel very honoured to be asked to design new gardens for some fantastic projects – thanks to all of you if you are reading this. Between site visits I popped in to see one I designed a while back on a glorious sunny day. I actually designed this walled garden back in 2012 & I had a lovely time walking around chatting with my happy client Rebecca & catching up. I felt so proud! Not sure if I am supposed to say that but …

A few new garden design drawings

16th February 2021

As a designer, I am always juggling several schemes in order to meet deadlines & at the moment there’s no exception. I have a couple of very large Georgian houses in substantial grounds, a new oak framed house with several acres on a sloping site, a Gospel Hall conversion in Norfolk, a large modern house with underground parking & a lake near me in Witney, a cottage in the Cotswolds & a converted stone barn. I am never bored!! Here are a few new drawings to show you what I’ve been up to. It shows a range of projects I …

Snowy scenes in the Cotswolds this week

1st February 2021

We had a beautiful blanket of snow this week – the first we have had since the garden was built & it looked beautiful! Sadly it’s all gone as I type but I took some photos I’d like to share. We live on the edge of the Cotswolds in a group of converted stone barns that wrap around our new courtyard garden. Every room looks onto it so it has to pay its way…. It does – waking up to this was such a joy! The frozen pool & Cotswold stone wall looking beautiful in the snow I dashed out …

On site today in Buckinghamshire

25th June 2020

Well lockdown has eased so I am back on site & visiting clients – both old & new. It’s been relatively easy thankfully as we can stay outside; that said I got soaked to the skin last Thursday & Friday as it lashed down – yuk! Today I was in Buckinghamshire visiting Pip’s Place – a large garden design & build project of several acres where phase 2 has just got underway. It’s a lovely project up in the Chilterns – so – it’s cold & blustery in winter & today in mid June we absolutely roasted in 31 degree …