As I was trained at Art College initially, drawing is my passion & I find it so much more satisfying to sketch out all my ideas on my board than on a CAD system (I do have that too however). I create doodles & work on an A2 sketch pad & tracing paper over the top of a printed site survey to get a proper sense of space, scale & what’s actually possible.

Proper proportion is essential in every scheme – be it tiny or several acres & that’s what really counts. If it works on paper it will look terrific on site. I see loads of fiddly stuff going on in gardens which to my mind doesn’t really work. By working on plan you can avoid all of that & create a simple & stylish space. Not necessarily minimal.

I stick photo’s of the client’s garden on my board to remind me of how it looks & then sketch madly & see what evolves. I usually get really inspired on site when I first meet my clients & we chat about what’s possible & what they want & need from both the garden & me. I then transfer all of this onto paper.

It’s a great process although sometimes I do get ‘writer’s block’ or whatever one calls it for designers!?

When drawing I use rotring pens on huge sheets of tracing paper which can be a pain as they leak & block up but even after 20 years I still find them best. Once complete I get the drawings printed onto white paper & then render them by hand using pantone pens. I love this part as it’s being creative again. People often frame my drawings which is SO flattering.

My natural style is quite sketchy as you can see for these doodles which help clients get an idea of how their new garden will look.

Come back tomorrow, as I’ll be bringing the garden in for Christmas. Find out where I get my wreaths and our quirky and unique Christmas decorations around the house, bye for now!