Robert Myers

Questions for Robert Myers

How long have you been designing gardens?

I have been designing gardens since I started my landscape architecture training in 1990. Designing gardens includes both larger private and public spaces which is a very rewarding mix.

Tell us a bit about other work, what achievements are you most proud of?

Our work is very wide-ranging and includes many private gardens (Tregothnan in Cornwall), as well as public parks (Jesus Green and the Backs in Cambridge), squares (Station Square, Cambridge), university projects (in Cambridge and London) and Cathedral precincts (Southwark, Hereford and Exeter).

The completion of the Duke of York's project in Chelsea in 2008 (a nine year project that includes a new public square and the Saatchi Gallery) was an important landmark for the practice. Seeing new gardens and public spaces that we have designed occupied by the public for the first time is always very rewarding. My first gold medal at Chelsea in 2003 for the Hans Sloane Garden was a very proud occasion, of course...

Who or what were your early influences?

Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe, who I met for coffee at his High Point flat in Highgate in 1992 while I was a student. He seemed to embody a wonderful combination of creativeness and intellectual rigour, and his work spanned the public and private spheres at many different scales - a true landscape architect! I always had an interest in architecture when growing up, but in landscape architecture I discovered an art form that embraced both design and the natural environment.

Are you a gardener as well as a designer?

I would like to think so, but I fear I am better at telling others what to do than doing it myself!

Do you have your own garden and how would you describe it?

The combination of small children and a lack of time mean that our garden is not what it should be... Our garden is a place to try out planting ideas (many of which perish in the harsh winters of the Welsh Borders), and has lots of plants but lacks structure.

What five plants could you never do without?

Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle', Liriope muscari, Euphorbia mellifera, Nepeta x faasennii, Geranium x cantabrigiense, Eriobotrya japonica, Pittosporum tobira. That's seven...

What materials do you like to use in the garden?

Timber, especially hardwoods, are wonderfully warm and tactile; concrete is much maligned but a really versatile material when used well. We often use natural stone when we can - it has an unbeatable life and colour.

What's the most common problem you come across when designing a garden and how do you overcome it?

Budgets! Clients are often surprised at the cost of a garden project, although a cost constraint is often, in the end, a very good discipline that can lead to great creativity.

What is your biggest design or gardening mistake?

Inadvertently designing spaces that, when read in plan, look like inappropriate objects. I once designed a children's play area that in plan looked like a pair of Y-fronts. It had to be scrapped before it left the drawing board. More recently I designed a garden that the client was convinced represented a loo seat. That one has survived so far...

What's your favourite garden to visit and why?

I love to visit Italian gardens because they have such good structure, as well as unexpectedly exotic plants. As a designer it is always exciting to discover new gardens especially abroad. If I had to pick one, it would probably be Paley Park, New York, if that can be described as a garden. It is such a wonderful, tiny gem in the middle of the city that it is very simple and calm, but could so easily not be there given the pressure of development.

If you could design a garden for anyone, who would it be and why?

Myself - see above!

How would you describe your design style?

I like to think (others may disagree...) that I try to design in an elegant, timeless manner, inspired by the characteristics of materials and plants, of history and place. I enjoy exploring the relationship between the formal and the informal, and drawing inspiration from both the architectural and natural world.

What's the one piece of advice you'd give to someone starting out with a new garden?

Get the structure and spatial arrangement right and the rest will follow. Think about the 3D views, and the character of the spaces you are creating, not just the plan form.