My Garden

Year In The Life Of A Garden Designer - April/May 2013

Pip Probert — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:03:00 GMT

As usual I promised to blog throughout the build and something happens that stops me from being able to post anything. Sadly down here in Malvern, I don't have an internet signal where I am staying and limited signal on the Showground. So I haven't been able to keep you up to date with what's been going on. The month started in quite a frantic rush, ensuring we had finished as much of the work we had on before leaving for Malvern. Plus I needed to leave the men set up and ready to continue on various jobs whilst I was away. I started the month with a few days up in Edinburgh at the Royal Botanic Gardens continuing to work on the New Garden Design Diploma. Whilst I was there we also had an open evening to introduce all the Diplomas, Short Curses and RHS courses that RBGE run. It was a an insight into what the students were looking for and I met a few of the potential students before the course starts in September! Things are moving quickly now as we finalise the information and scheduling side of things! Then it was straight down to RHS Malvern Flower Show to start building the Solar Chic Garden with Digby Stone. I can honestly say that this was the smoothest build we have ever had! There were no major concerns or traumas throughout the whole process... Well, until the wind arrived last week. It's been a great show and a really friendly environment as the family joined me on site at the Three Counties Showground. Even Frank the dog was able to accompany us during the build, and he thoroughly enjoyed coming to work every day. In fact he looked a bit miserable having to stay at home whilst the show was on. From start to finish we have really enjoyed our time at the Malvern show, and worked hard to get our Silver Medal!! The public seem to love the garden and everything about it from the beautiful Solar Granite Paving from Digby Stone, the Art Panels made by Susan Bradley, the Gaze Burvill Furniture and the Photinia Parasol Trees supplied by Brentwood Moss Nursery. So all in all, the show has been a massive success! I can't really believe how the time has flown since my last monthly update, and I have another very busy month coming up!

RHS Malvern Flower Show - Solar Chic; Update 2

Pip Probert — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:06:00 GMT

This past week has seen glorious sun, viscous wind, rain and hail stones. So just the typical Showground weather, that us designers come to expect! We started on Monday morning full of enthusiasm and raring to go. Malvern is slightly different to the other shows as it has a long build up compared to some of the others and so I have been worried about getting to relaxed with timing. I designed this garden so that there would not be too much hard landscaping to do on site, and I could concentrate on the planting. (This is partly due to my selfish love of planting, so that there is lots for me to do! And, the fact that we are away from home, things needed to be kept simple.). So, this week has been about taking our time in preparing all the paved areas, building the raised planter and levelling the plot. The ivy panel hedges took a while to put up with harsh winds making life quite difficult. The panels blew over in the night at the beginning of the week, which prompted more supports and hidden ties. Malvern has a beautiful show ground and we have all really enjoyed the show so far. Monday brings the Digby Stone paving, which will be laid on prepared beds, which will be an exciting day as it will be the first finished material to go down. Then the plants will start trickling in Monday onwards, which I REALLY can't wait for!! Keep watching for more posts on our Malvern Show Garden!

RHS Malvern Flower Show - Solar Chic Update 1

Pip Probert — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 11:42:00 GMT

Well, we are finally on site at the RHS Malvern Spring Flower Show! It is a great set up and a very friendly show, with beautiful surroundings. So far we have only had two days on site and they have been fairly cold and a bit wet at times. Most of what we have done is marking out and setting up the items that were made in advance, so lots of prebuilt wooden planters. I love it when all the materials arrive, it is like emptying a box of jigsaw pieces and starting to put them in piles ready to begin! So far we have the lush ivy panels on site, all our building materials and the beautiful Digby Stone Solar Granite. There are still a few more pieces of the jigsaw to arrive, but we are ready to move forward quickly when we get to site in the morning. Just a short post for today, as I have only come home for more tools and we are heading off back down to Malvern this afternoon! Keep looking out for more posts as we build are 'Solar Chic' Show Garden at #rhsmalvern.

Year In The Life Of A Garden Designer - March 2013

Pip Probert — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Well March was a very strange month for us, as it was for most people! With lots of onsite work we were hoping that Spring might have arrived early, but sadly not. This time last year, we had glorious weather and we were making the most of it before the 'never ending' winter set in about May/June! We are getting much busier again now after the winter months and are working on various private gardens doing all sorts of jobs. This ranges from a 'Spring Makeover Day' which we offer to customers who have had a complete garden transformation built by us. Through to planted borders, ponds, sunken gardens and terraced patios… all sorts of different styles, which is why I love designing private gardens! Each customer wants a completely unique space that reflects them, their house and their hobbies. Some of my designs may have a similar feature or material from time to time, but each one so VERY different! I am also designing various planting schemes for all types of areas, shaded, coastal and aquatic which again gives lots of room for researching new plants to add to my 'inbrain database'. I love designing for a bog garden, as there are so many plants can be used that many people don't think of. Also with the coastal borders, it is quite a challenge to create a beautiful scheme with lots of interest that will withstand the harsh winds! I have also been spending a lot of time with Hazel at Allturf, Allostock as we look at renovating the 'Green Garden' at Liverpool Hope University. This large grassed area proves to be a challenge in many ways. Surrounded on all sides by the library, offices and lecture rooms. All the materials, turf and plants will need to be transported via the beautiful building with its wooden corridors into the internal quad. Yet we are confident it can be done! As the time has been flying by, I have also been writing my schedules and course notes for the New Garden Design Diploma at The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The course is due to start in September 2013, and so all the finishing details are going into putting the course together. I have spent my time relearning everything I was taught when I was studying - You can never be over prepared. I think the hardest part is to remember the things that you personally take for granted, that other people don't instinctively know until they have been taught. If you are interested in learning more about the Garden Design Diploma, there is an Open Evening where you can discuss the course with me and the other lectures on the 16th April. (So check out the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh website for more details) It's hard to believe but we are also starting on site at the RHS Malvern Spring Flower Show in a weeks time!! This month has seen the completion of all risk assessments, forms and details in preparation for the show. We also took a trip down to Digby Stone to collect some samples of the gorgeous Solar Granite Paving that we will be using at the show. I think we are virtually ready to leave now, and move into our lovely cottage for a month whilst we see the show through. Although I feel prepared in one way, I am worried sick about the plants! We are including various different plants in the scheme, but the tulips are scaring me the most! Fingers crossed, they will be flowering ready for all the visitors coming round the show (oh, and the judges!) All that's left now is to collect the new uniforms and pack the van! Although the weather has had a massive knock on effect for our work, you can't help but love the snow! I was very honoured to have a private sneak peek around Ness Gardens and I got the chance to take lots of amazing snowy photos of the gardens along with my 'Making Waves Garden'… which looked great with its white frothy peaks! Now I have a wide select of snow pictures, I have to request that we move onto Spring so that my tulips are flowering in time for Malvern. (Totally selfish, but it is very important!) If you would like to see some pictures of my garden at RHS Tatton Park 2012, you can pick up a copy of the New Digby Stone Catalogue. It has lots of images from last years garden 'A Taste of Ness', and also the much admired Polished Sandstone Patio! Look out for my Show Garden Blog Posts, as I am going to try and keep you all up to date with what's happening on site via Blog, Twitter and Facebook. There should be lots of photos to see to!

A Year In The Life Of A Garden Designer - February 2013

Pip Probert — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:06:00 GMT

Well, it is the end of February and it is still freezing cold! It has been an eventful month working with lots of new people and things are already getting very busy. Early February saw my first tutoring weekend at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. My Short Course was called 'Design Your Dream Garden' and allowed the students to learn the basic principles of garden design, and also how to start planning their plot. We covered various styles and themes, available materials and how to put their ideas down on paper. We then went on to design their individual garden spaces. All the students had great ideas for the different plots they were working on, which really varied! We also had time for a quick wander round the gardens, with the snow covered peaks in the distance, along with Edinburgh Castle. You can find more details on the RBGE website and even book onto next years courses. Also we have started planning the NEW Garden Design Diploma for the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, which we will be able to give more information on at a later date. So keep watching! I have also given a few talks at various events, including Ness Botanic Gardens where I enlightened the Friends of Ness of the trials and tribulations of building the 'Making Waves Garden'. February has also brought further changes at Ness and I am looking forward to seeing the garden evolve through the year! We have been working on the entrance to the new Library at Liverpool Hope University, which is based on the Moeraki Boulders found on the Koekohe Beach, New Zealand. We have sculptures from the David Harber collection and box balls of all sizes to represent the boulders. This is one of many projects we are working on at the University and so with the new month we move onto a new project. Also this month I have visited the Malvern, Three Counties Show Ground and the Gardener's World Live, NEC to see our plots for the upcoming shows. We are all very excited now, as we are only 6 weeks away from going down to Malvern Flower Show with our sponsor Digby Trading. We are currently starting to build certain features ready to take down with us in April. With various private garden projects on the go we are moving quickly into early spring and look forward to March!

Year In The Life Of A Garden Designer - January

Pip Probert — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:24:00 GMT

After the interesting year we had in 2012, I thought I would write something every month to describe what we are up to and the new, exciting projects we are working on. January has been a strange month for us a landscapers. The weather effects so many people in lots of different ways. If you work outside you will know exactly what I mean. The jobs we have been working on this month, both private gardens and public spaces have been greatly effected by cold, wind, rain, sleet and snow! What a start to the year! Even smaller jobs have taken a long time to complete, waiting on the correct conditions for putting turf down, planting and even pointing up paving etc. My men and I have worked through the terrible conditions to finish the jobs, even though it meant wearing a few layers of thermals! Site work aside, I have also been working on various designs for the RHS Shows. Working closely with Digby Trading, we hope to be at three shows this coming season. The first being RHS Malvern, which we are currently planning and arranging ready to start work in April. We haven't built a garden at the Malvern Show before and so this will be a new experience for us. We also hope to be at Gardeners World Live and RHS Tatton Park, and you can see my designs on my Outer Spaces website. January also brought lots of preparation work for my short course at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. 'Design Your Dream Garden' will be teaching students what needs to be considered when putting designs together and how to draw up the plans. I have boxes of material samples from paving stones to gravel all ready to take up to Edinburgh. Im very excited to start at the Botanics and hope to see some of you up there! Well that was January! February will no doubt bring lots more preparation for the show gardens, so watch this space for the update!

Wrapping Up The Summer At Ness Botanic Gardens!

Pip Probert — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 19:41:00 GMT

I never did get round to writing that last post to sum up our Ness Gardens journey. This weekend brings an exciting event to Ness and so it seemed like a good time to reflect.

A Taste Of Ness - Show Garden Update

Pip Probert — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 21:31:00 GMT

As usual I have forgotten to keep on top of my blog, but I am hoping that I can be forgiven with some of the problems we have been dealing with. When we started on site at the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show a few weeks ago, things started really well! The holes were dug, the ground levelled and our circular, steel pond was built on site. Friday (day 5), brought terrible rain which seemed to put many people off. We had various jobs we could do under cover and so decided to brave the weather. It is a good job we did!! It was raining so heavily that the steel pond was lifted out of the ground by the excess water, totally dislodging the rest of the construction work we had completed. Thinking that we had no chance of completing the garden in time, we soldiered on! When problems happen over the weekend it is very hard to put them right until Monday morning. Come Tuesday, we had managed to get back on track with the paving and the decking, with the odd dry hour here or there. Followed by our turf wave, which is now the seventh, and probably the last turf wave we will be constructing for a while! I completed the planting today and we have a few odd jobs to sort out tomorrow, but overall things are on track. We have the assessors visiting tomorrow, for their preliminary marking and of course a chat with the designers! Fingers crossed, and wish us good luck for Tuesday Judging.

A Taste Of Ness, Show Garden

Pip Probert — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 06:53:00 GMT

Now we are on the finishing details at Ness Botanic Gardens, Making Waves is looking fabulous! The top layer of hoggin will be going on this week and the last piece of turf put down. Every garden takes a little bit of time to adjust, and Making Waves is filling out beautifully. We started on site at the RHS Tatton Park Flower show last Sunday, marking out the plot and most importantly our pond. The weather has already been against us, and the tent has come in handy for sheltering from the rain. We have made the circular, steel pond liner which is now ready for an extra layer of sealant (just to be safe!!) and then painting! The pond is a large part of the show garden, as it symbolises the water on site at Ness Gardens. Today we start on the frame work for our decking which surrounds the pond. If you would like to see what 'A Taste of Ness' is going to look like, you can follow my twitter photos or even the Ness Botanic Gardens Facebook page. You will find lots of pictures of the 'Making Waves' garden, which 'A Taste Of Ness' is sampling for the visitors of the show. It is to give people an idea of what to expect when visiting the evolving Ness Botanic Gardens.

Making Waves Garden - Ness Botanic Gardens

Pip Probert — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 19:31:00 GMT

Well, we are nearly finished on site at Ness Botanic Gardens, and it has been pretty hard going! The weather has really pushed us and the materials to the limit. The ongoing rain has proved very difficult when planting, moving soil, creating levels, and most importantly forming our turf waves! Another problem we have incurred on site has been the rabbits. They have been eating things as quickly as I have planted them. Apart from the natural problems, we are more or less finished. The turf waves are being completed, and the hoggin path is going down. So feel free to visit Ness Botanic Gardens and see the new Making Waves Garden over the next few weeks.

Making Waves - Half Way There!

Pip Probert — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:36:00 GMT

Start of week three and we are finally coming at of the ground here at Ness Botanic Gardens. Due to the design being based on spirals and every line a curve, it has taken us a while get everything set out, post lined up and levels set. Today the deck has started to take shape and the soil levels have been raised ready for the planting to start. It’s all very exciting, and the curvaceous nature of the design sparking off lots of interest with the visitors.

Things will change quickly this week, and I am hoping to start the planting very soon. Also our turf features are slowly emerging from the ground, with the internal supports going in today.

'Making Waves' Garden Build

Pip Probert — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:15:00 GMT

We are four days into the build at Ness Gardens, and things are going very well. Last Sunday I looked out the window and thought that the rain would never stop. Monday morning proved difficult with our plot being submerged in water. Even the ducks had settled in the puddles formed by the tracks of our digger! After sorting our levels and marking out the design we were ready to get working. The digger dug out the pond and started to form the pathways, along with lots of earth movement which is typical of the early stages of a build. Today, our pond is really taking shape as the block work goes up, and the unusual shape is starting to cause a stir with the visitors. Our deck has been marked out, and the posts set. Although it is still early days, it looks quite different to the grassed area that we found on Monday morning! We are hoping that tomorrow will bring more shape , as we finish our deck posts and start the path edging. You can visit Ness and see our progress, and if you go on Bank Holiday Monday there will be a plant sale for the people who can't resist a plant bargain!

Final Preparations!

Pip Probert — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:35:00 GMT

We are currently finalising the last few details before starting on site at Ness Gardens next week. All materials have been checked and everything is more or less ready. The debate today has been about our tall turf waves. I really think that some designs, have a love or hate relationship with the visitors, and I hope that this new garden within the grounds of the Ness Botanic Gardens, Wirral, will be loved by the visitors.

The garden has been named ‘Making Waves’ because this is most definitely what we intend to do. The garden is modern and quirky, and will have a big impact on the site, as it will be seen from many different positions on the site. The design is based on a circular, spiral path that guides visitors around the plot, allowing them to view the plants at different angles throughout the journey. Colour plays a huge role in the design, and solid blocks of colour will sweep around the spiral path. The turf waves I mentioned earlier will emerge from the floor all over the plot, giving softened boundaries within the design, and blocking off the view at different stages along the route.

Designing Something Special!

Pip Probert — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:57:00 GMT

It’s that time of the year when us garden designers are really busy! Although I enjoy designing gardens of all shapes, sizes and styles every now and again something special comes along. I am very proud to be involved in this current project, and can’t wait to start on site, and keep you all updated with our progress!

I am currently working on a project at Ness Botanic Gardens, Wirral, where we are bringing modern design into Ness. This year sees the 50^th Birthday of ‘The Friend of Ness’, and to celebrate we are building a ‘new’ garden. Construction of the botanic garden began in 1897, with Arthur Bulley changing the face of British gardens. The garden is made up of many different areas showcasing numerous plant types within the various spaces on the 65 acre plot. We hope to create something fresh and new, giving Ness an up to date and modern space for visitors to explore, sit and enjoy. Most of all I hope that the planting combinations will be something that people can take away with them, as I feel that is the most important part of any outdoor space.

People's Choice Award at Hampton Court Show

Philippa Pearson — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:41:00 GMT

A rather belated 'thank you' to all who voted the Girlguiding UK Centenary Garden at Hampton Court Show the People's Choice Award Best Show Garden! I'm still walking on roses and beaming with joy, one month on

Captains Log Star Date 2010...

Tony Smith — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:32:00 GMT

Well, who would have thought it, a gold medal from the RHS for a crater made entirely of lettuces and an alien from who knows where and made of who knows what. It was great fun telling everyone, including the judges, that as our garden was all about perspective, and as humans simply don't possess a sense of perspective, the whole exercise was completely pointless!!

Despite this, we still got a gold medal and this in itself leads me to question whether the judges... oh no, I don't want to go there!!!

Finished - that's both the garden and me!

Tony Smith — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 20:23:00 GMT

Having planted 12,000 lettuces over 3 days I have had enough. Knees, legs and back are all complaining. However, standing back and admiring our luminous green crater with its otherworldly inhabitant, I think it's been worth it. If nothing else, it's got to be the brightest exhibit at the show!

Now all we can do is to wait for the verdict of the judges and the reaction of the public. It should be fun if it ever stops raining.

It's Gardening Jim, But Not As We Know It

Tony Smith — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:27:00 GMT

We arrived, or should I say landed, at Tatton yesterday morning at 8am Earth time! When I say we, that's me and Rob with his digger. Having marked out the site we spent the day creating the most realistic impact crater I have seen in ages!

Now I am back in Sussex preparing my garden for a film shoot that will hopefully form part of a new Alan Titchmarsh series to be broadcast on BBC2 in the autumn.

Tatton Park Day 2

Pip Probert — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:58:00 GMT

The start of the build always feels like you can't really do much, or that you are not really going as fast as you would like - but in fact you are getting all the really important and necessary things done. The things that you won't even see, but they have to be there.

We have been building our walls, which are quite complicated as we have Ivy panels being set into them. I have been to Congleton today to collect the ivy and the walls have been built around the panels.

Tatton Park 2010 - Day 1

Pip Probert — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 18:08:00 GMT

Today was the first time we actually stood on our plot. Looking around the site, there is already lots of activity and I got the feeling it is going to be a fantastic show. There are lots of familiar faces looking very fresh and raring to go. We have scraped the surface layer off our plot and marked out ready for tomorrow. Today has mostly been putting the finishing touches together on certain parts of the scheme ready for loading the vehicles for tomorrow. I have just finished putting the wood into the van and packed the pick up with tools ready for a very early start tomorrow. I am constantly keeping an eye on the plants and Cathrine (my supplier) is doing her normal, fantastic job of sending me photos of all the plants so I really can keep tabs on everything whilst at the show.

Well I think an early night is in order ready for the week ahead!!

A View From The Other Side

Tony Smith — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:32:00 GMT

I visited Hampton Court Show on Tuesday as a visitor rather than an exhibitor for the first time in 5 years. I have to say it felt strange not to be exhibiting, but at the same time enjoyable not to have the pressure and stress that comes with creating a show garden.

The conceptual gardens were a revelation; by far the most impressive element of the show this year. The quality of both the finishing and the thinking behind the gardens was great to see. Well done to all the conceptual designers for putting on such a quality show. Truly inspiring!

Delivering one of the Girlguiding UK Containers to Hampton Court, did it survive the journey?!

Lydia Powell — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:09:00 GMT

The 32nd All Saints Kettering Rainbows delivered their flower display to Hampton Court - it survived the rough ride very well in the van!

All the Rainbows were really delighted to be having a day off school to go and visit the flower show.

6th Teddington Guides' Sunflower Success

Lydia Powell — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:04:00 GMT

Anna from 6th Teddington Guides' sunflower growing story:

Volunteers were needed to grow sunflowers which might be good enough to go to the Hampton Court Flower Show. Mum said we could volunteer as we plant lots of seeds anyway.

We took the seeds away with us during the Easter Holidays and planted them in the little pots. We put them on the window sill to sunbathe and gave them lots to drink. After the school holidays we brought them home and put them in Mum's mini greenhouse. Only two of the six seeds germinated. I kept them in the mini greenhouse to protect them from frosts and slugs!

When they had grown quite abit Mum gave me some bigger pots. It was tricky changing them into the bigger pots trying not to spoil them. We put them outside and watered them every day. Mum's friend came to water them when we went away at half term!

It looks like they will have lots of flowers on them. They aren't really tall like the ones we usually grow. Mum explained that's because they are dwarf sunflowers. I really hope they will be in the Show.

Visitors love the Girlguiding UK garden at Hampton Show!

Philippa Pearson — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 09:35:00 GMT

Opening week at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show and visitors are loving the garden! It's great to hear the positive response and see the garden come alive with people walking through it. Guiding volunteers are on hand to give more information to visitors and to answer questions - and we've had quite a range asked!

We're Nearly There!

Pip Probert — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:00:00 GMT

Part of me is envious of the Show Gardens starting to build this weekend, as I am normally there, first in the queue to get in! Yet the other part is quite happy that we have another week to just finalise any last minute details and get prepared to take the garden to Tatton.

This week has been confirmation time - all orders have been checked and product details confirmed. I have had lots of meetings with various people, where we have pieced together parts of the garden to ensure that everything is going to plan.