Design made easy
My Design Made Easy programme went out on Friday. It was a compilation of my Gardeners' World strand helping Mark and Suzanne redesign and build their already mature garden by breaking it down into manageable pieces and ending up with something that is ultimately greater than the sum of its parts.
That's what I think good design is all about. It was interesting to see all of my visits put together into a single programme. It certainly had a makeover feel to it, but as it was executed over a five month period, it was a realistic and achievable thing to do. And it certainly wasn't all about throwing money into a project for a quick solution.
I think that a gardens success is down to knowing where you're heading and making sure it works for whoever ultimately lives with it and maintains it. Call it planning, call it looking ahead, call it design, call it practicality, call it whatever you want, but without it I know that creating a garden can become frustrating.
I've always been passionate about design and tried to get across that this planning stage is so important in gardening in order to avoid wasted effort and expense, which in turn can lead to a sense of failure. Playing around with ideas on paper is free, but as soon as you start to buy materials and plants it starts to get a little more serious.
I hope that I showed how simple and accessible this process can be whether you're thinking of designing a garden from scratch or simply tweaking one you already have.
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~41~RS~)
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Hi Joe
I managed to watch parts of your design item through the year, and I watched the whole programme last Friday. I thought it was good to let the viewers see how garden design works in the 'real' world - more of this please!
As a gardener and designer myself, I totally agree with your point about planning. To turn ideas, however vague, into a coherent design plan is where we designers come in, and I think you showed that brilliantly in the programme.
I don't know about you, but I get a real buzz out of the delight I see on my clients faces when the design plan is completed and they're a step closer to turning their dream into reality.
I hope you'll do another project next year - well worth watching!
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Having just had some building work completed at the end of my garden I am now in a position to think about how to design the rest of my garden. The programme was just the inspiration I needed. Just got to get hubby on side, work out how to cope with the soil (just like the white cliffs of Dover)and the 1 in 4 hill at the front of the house then jobs a good'n. Wish me luck.
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I agree with mad_doris. More programs about designing a garden.
May I ask what's your favourite flower?
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