I created my first garden in my early twenties, living overseas. I missed my family and England terribly and so planted an English garden using plants from my mother’s garden. Sadly, they got eaten. It was a harsh lesson, but one which has served my clients and me well!
Gardening has always been my escapism. My mother loves gardening and would always point out the beauty of flowers, trees and encourage me to explore the natural world as a child. So, it seemed an obvious progression when, in 2001, I combined my creativity and love of gardens to retrain as a garden designer. With a Diploma in Garden Design from London’s KLC School of Design, I set about transforming domestic gardens, commercial landscapes, public spaces and more. And I still get as much enjoyment from it today as the day I began.
Shortly after I started landscaping, I had the chance to train in natural pool building. I got the bug for wild swimming while living on the continent and carried it on when I returned to the UK. Our family holidays revolved around water and wild places where we could swim, and it was our dream to build a swimming pond at home one day.
So, after training in Austria with Biotop, the natural pool pioneer company, I became a living water specialist and together with my husband Will, created our first natural pool in our family garden. Since then, I’ve used my biological water filtration expertise to bring water and add diversity to domestic and public landscape projects.
I’ve long known the simple pleasures nature can bring, and I feel privileged to be able to enrich people’s lives by giving them an outside space where they can relax and reconnect with nature. And having the chance to bring landscapes to life, build ecosystems and create habitats for wildlife brings me immense satisfaction.
