“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 and 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.
Shortly after, I trained in natural pool building with Austria-based Biotop, the natural pool pioneer company. With a dream to build a swimming pond at home one day, 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 biodiversity to domestic and public landscape projects.
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.
A lot goes into creating a pool and garden from concept to construction. I’m fortunate to work with our skilled and enthusiastic team of specialists, all of us dedicated, just like me, to creating stunning outside spaces and bringing your dream to reality.
While I’m hands-on when it comes to planning, designing, and creating our garden and pool projects, I’m expertly supported by James, our landscape architect, who details all aspects of our projects meticulously. You’ll find both of us working on site closely with our construction and soft landscaping team to ensure projects run smoothly from start to finish.
James and I design the planting schemes. As plant and wildlife enthusiasts, we carefully select your plants and more to look beautiful while attracting an abundance of wildlife, bringing you closer to nature in your own garden.
Construction and technical design take place under the watchful eye of skilled construction specialist Paul with the support of James.
A Bali-accredited team of landscape craftsmen including skilled joiners, landscapers, and pavers, take our pool designs off the paper and bring them to life with attention to detail and a bespoke finish.
George and Kev are our specialist pool installers, experts in plumbing and precisely tailored lining for natural pools and wildlife ponds.
Ian is our lighting and pool electrics engineer. He’s responsible for the many stunning landscape and water lighting effects and hydraulic-powered in-pool lighting features in our projects.
Each project is bespoke so depending on the work involved we collaborate with other specialists who we have enjoyed working with over the years, including master stonewallers, master craftsmen, steel fabricators, master joiners and tree surgeons, all chosen for their skills, expertise, and ethics.
Our soft landscaping team, Bogden, Terry and George, have years of experience between them and an eye for detail. They plant up and finish off your outside space perfectly, leaving you to enjoy your new pool and garden for years to come.
Will, Bogden, Terry and George combine their water expertise to provide pool maintenance during the winter months, to ensure your pool functions perfectly and is balanced, beautiful and easy to look after all year round.
Will, joint founder of Ellicar Pools, is our resident horticulturalist and water specialist, taking care of the water biology in our natural pools. And as a natural pool and living water specialist this is my area of expertise too, so I manage every aspect of your pool’s design and construction from start to finish.
A lot goes on behind the scenes to make your visit to our open gardens here at Ellicar as enjoyable as possible. While Stephen, Keith and Bogden are looking after the gardens, Leah runs the tearoom and our events such as wild swimming, yoga and wellness days. Jude helps out in the tearoom too and makes the best goat coats for our baby kids! And while she’s busy keeping them warm, Megan is helping milk the goats. Be sure to say hello if you see them when you visit!
